Kakishima Kaido
Closer to Hiroshima, The kakishima kaido runs through the islands around Edajima. Unlike the Shinamami Kaido, this route doesn’t have dedicated cycle paths however, it offers a different view of the Seto Inland see and is easily accessible from Hiroshima City.
Route
Official Route
The official course is about 70km long and has the same blue markings on the ground as the Shimanami Kaido so the route is easy follow even without a GPS unit
Wabisabi Route
By extending the route further to the South, there is about 110km route that is quite nice. It also includes a lot more seaside roads, many of which are just about deserted.
Additionally, by ending on the East side of the Kure Peninsula, it makes it very easy to connect to the Tobishima Kaido.
Getting there
Ferry from Hiroshima
The West End of the route is at the Kushikiri Ferry Port (串切港）which has good ferry access (over 20 ferries per day, schedule here, Japanese only) from Hiroshima Port and the ride is only 30 minutes long. As is visible in the photo, the city center of Hiroshima City is not far away.
There are also ferries to Mitaka Port (三高港）which can give the option to either shorten the route or just stay on the islands
Kure
Kure is quite easy to get to with good train service to Hiroshima Station. While the trains are fewer, it is also accessible from the Onomichi direction via Mihara Station.
Things to do
Ondo – Japan’s shortest boat crossing
Instead of riding up the narrow loop bridge or over the bypass, taking the shortest crossing boat in Japan. It’s an interesting experience in it’s own right!
Unfortunately, the boat stopped operating in 2021.
Yamato Museum (Kure Maritime Museum)
Located in the city of Kure near the ferry to Matsuyama, this is a popular wartime museum.
Other Notes
Food
There are various convenience stores littered around the Kakishima Kaido so food/water/toilet shouldn’t be much of an issue
