After the tribulations of the previous day, I was keen to have an early start and put some miles behind me to forget about it. Rain was lashing my tent most of the early morning, stopping at around 7 when I made a break for it.
An easy downhill soon followed at the bottom of which I stopped at Family Mart – one of the three of the holy trinity of Japanese convenience stores – the other two being 7-11 and Lawson, but I think Family Mart might be my favourite.
My aim was to get to the port for lunch where i’d get the ferry to Okunoshima a.k.a bunny island. The rain stopped but it was windy, coming in from the side, which made even the downhills tricky as I felt the bike swaying in the gusts.
The inland sea appeared. It was rough and violent looking, even though it was sunny. The wind had whipped it up and I was unsure the ferry would be able to cross it was that bad. But I carried on around the coast, towards Takehara and it seemed to calm down.
I made a brief stop at Takehara, a small town with lots of traditional buildings and crafts, and wandered the streets a little. The houses had wooden fronts and the streets were quiet and maze like.
I carried on to the port and made it around 11.30. A ticket machine had RABBIT FERRY printed on a bigger button than all the others. 620 yen return. and I bought a bag of bunny food for 100 yen. On the bag was a message ’fill this bag with memories and take it back with you’. I was expecting more foreigners since everyone from Buzzed to the Daily Mail have written about the island now.
The ferry took about 15 minutes, the island is just a couple of miles from the coast. I left my bike back at the port and would explore on foot.
Rabbits could be spotted within a minutes walk from the ferry pier. It wasn’t quite the bunny stampede I had hoped for but there was something still surreal about so many rabbits in every direction, being stroked and fed by entranced humans.
I explored the island further, walking the whole perimeter. It has a slightly dark history as it was used to produce poisonous gas weapons for Japan in the war. Ruins were dotted around the island which bore the traces of the chemicals being burnt. There was also a poisonous gas museum, which I decided to skip, along with the Starbucks knock-off which featured a rabbit in the logo.
It was a strange place, but a rather beautiful island, regardless of rabbits or the history which was still visible. The water was emerald blue, nearby a dozen or so more little islands in the inland sea.
I used up the last of my bunny food, in the end scattering it without much concern, instead of specially selecting rabbits I wanted to feed when I landed on the island. And took the ferry back.
The afternoon was hot. I had another 30 miles to cover, 60 in total today. I’d been studying the map a lot more than I had in Korea. Each day looking at the terrain of the route I was taking, the names of roads and towns, and the distances involved and the weather conditions. I tried to have two places in mind – one ideal end point, and one backup if I didn’t make it.
My ideal today was Innoshima, the second island on the Shimanami Kaito ride. The journey was straightforward, I followed the coast around to Onomichi which looked pleasant and homely in the Sunday sun. From Onomichi I took a bridge over to the first island – Mukoujima. From here the first section of Shimanami Kaito begins – a 60-kilometer network of roads and bridges just for cyclists..kind of. The first one is a track beneath a road carrying cars, on one of the world’s longest suspension bridges – Tatara bridge. Not exactly what I had pictured, but I believe the best, cycle only tracks, are yet to come. It took me a while to find too, first I headed up a highway again, realising quickly enough before the police were involved this time. Then struggled to find where the cycle track might begin. Shimanami Kaito is the closest to the style of cycling in Korea, though the wayfinding feels like a bit of an afterthought.
Despite the sound of cars skimming above you head, views from the bridge were spectacular, and the bridge itself is quite beautiful. It was the golden hour and the sea and all the various islands beneath me, some small and uninhabited, looked full of intrigue. There was something relaxing about being surrounded by sea again.
The cycle track off the bridge corkscrewed down into a park with a giant fibreglass dinosaur and a slide shaped like a whale. It was quiet and right by the sea. To top it off I could pick up free wifi in the park so set up camp there after dusk. Before that I enjoyed sitting down looking out over the pier and beach into the bay. Those first few minutes just after when you’ve reached the decision to stop for the day are the best. Sometimes it’s nice when it’s over.
Playlist
Map (via Strava)