The 70km Shimanami Kaido, webbed with fishing harbours, hillside citrus orchards and historic shrines, is often regarded as one of the world's most incredible bike journeys.

As I cycled along the asphalt road, the rural Japanese landscape of rolling hills merged with the sea at low tide. Rifts of sunlight gleamed dimly on the water, minutes before dusk. The small, round body of a stone-carved Jizo Bosatsu – a custodian Buddhist deity – was seated on the rocky shore, guarding people from maritime accidents. It felt like a scene from Japanese folklore.

On a month-long trip to Japan last November, I was actively looking to avoid the busy cities and experience a rural slice of the country instead. This was how I came across Shimanami Kaido, a 70km-long cycling route that links the main islands of Honshu and Shikoku, weaving through six smaller islands floating in the Seto Inland Sea, a vast body of water that spreads for 400km connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan.

For millennia, these small, mountainous islands were only accessible by boat until the Nishi Seto Expressway was constructed for road transport in 1999. The Shimanami Kaido cycle path runs parallel to the motorway, connecting Onomichi in Honshu Island to Imabari in Shikoku Island via some of the world's longest suspension bridges. Designated as Japan's first "National Cycling Route" in 2019, Shimanami Kaido, webbed with fishing harbours, hillside citrus orchards and historic shrines, is often regarded as one of the world's most incredible bike journeys.

Cyclist Mei Nakamura says that the trail offers a perfect mix of rural Japan's relaxed charm with opportunities to enjoy great cuisine and fresh seafood. "What makes the Shimanami Kaido special is that it's enjoyable for everyone," she explains, "from experienced road cyclists like myself to people who usually ride city bikes." And the slow, peaceful rhythm of the Seto Inland Sea creates a calm and welcoming vibe. "It's one of the things I love most about it."

Yet, it is more than just a cycling route that crisscrosses seaside villages. Yoshi Kubota, general manager of the boutique hotel Azumi Setoda in Ikuchijima Island – a key stop along the way – says that Shimanami Kaido can be a great model for addressing overtourism. Nearly 35 million tourists flocked to Japan in 2024, most of them visiting tourist sites in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. But as demand for cycle tourism grows globally, bike routes like Shimanami Kaido help bring visitors to other parts of Japan to experience a relaxing atmosphere, bucolic scenery and local culture.

"You can promote cycle tourism and encourage people to stay longer in smaller communities. It helps distribute visitors evenly while benefiting the local economy," Kubota says. "When you interact with locals, you get the feeling of actually living there. And you experience the slow life on the islands."

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