フェリー利用体力温存 しまなみ海道自転車旅 サイクリング
This is a “Shimanami Kaido” bicycle trip that saves your physical strength by using the ferry. The Shimanami Kaido, which connects islands and bridges and crosses the strait between Honshu and Shikoku, is Japan’s world-class cycling route. Today, I will travel from Imabari Station to Onomichi Port.
On the way, I will visit Oyamazumi Shrine and Kosanji Temple. In order to conserve my stamina for the long drive after cycling, I will take a ferry to Munakata Port. Cycling from Munakata Port to Kosanji Temple via Oyamazumi Shrine. I will take a ferry from Setoda Port near Kosanji Temple to Onomichi Port.
The actual distance I cycled this time was about one-third of the official recommended route. If you don’t have the physical strength or want to conserve your physical strength, why not give it a try? I came to the Imabari Port boarding ticket sales office. It’s still dark at 6am.
The boarding fare to Munakata Port was 1,010 yen, but with a special discount for cyclists, it was reduced to 870 yen. I rode my bicycle from the boarding ticket office to the east pier. Oh, what?
I was a bit surprised when a car suddenly appeared, even though I thought there would be no cars coming. I arrived at the ferry pier. Good morning. Good morning. Is entrance for bicycle here? I am going to Munakata port. Yeah, For Munakata, this way. Yes, I understand. Thank you. A cargo truck carrying a workpiece is reversing onto a ferry. In a limited space, the driver cut back and load a large vehicle onto a ship. Shipping company employees were also busy guiding cargo trucks and didn’t pay any attention to cyclists. 〔Music〕 〔Music〕 An ordinary woman who was watching the truck boarding work suggested the timing to board the boat to the cyclist who was unsure of the timing.
It was a great help for someone like me who is shy and withdrawn. You can go now. I don’t know what’s going on, it’s my first time too. Yeah, you can go now. I think you can do with this small car.
Oh really. Is it okay if I come in? It’s okay to come in. Are you okay . Yes, you can bring your bicycle towards the left. To the left. Yes.
When boarding, I was careful and dismounted and push my bicycle. The border between the pier and the ferry is sometimes made of steel, so if I slipped and fell and got injured, my bike trip would be ruined, so I pushed my bike along.
Following the employee’s instructions, I boarded the ship along the left side and secured my bicycle to the handrail. I was overwhelmed by the presence of the truck. Yes. Yes, please. Is it okay if I go upstairs? Huh? Can I go up to the guest room above? Ah, okay. Um, these shoes are not okay. Oh, it’s no good? Oh, is that what you mean? Well, here I am.
Barrier-free room is OK. I don’t mind if you will use a barrier-free room. We have slippers, so you can change them. Yes, I understand. It was 6:30am, the departure time.
The ship started moving and I thought I was on the port side, but then the ship slowly turned 180 degrees and I realized I was on the starboard side. The ship picked up speed and passed a breakwater with a beacon. I left the port. The Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge comes into view on the starboard side. The island on which the bridge piers rest is Umashima Is.. I explored the ship from starboard to port. The truck was tightly stopped. A white structure can be seen between the two piers on Umashima Is.. This is the elevator that connects the bridge girder and Umashima Is.. This elevator can carry mopeds and bicycles. When I passed by here yesterday, I couldn’t get on the elevator because there were people waiting in front of it.
Next time, if I have a chance, I would like to ride the elevator and land on the island. When I passed under the bridge, I realized that it was located at a very high place. As someone who has a fear of heights, I was a little impressed with myself yesterday.
Remembering that I should be able to see Kurushima Is., the island from which the strait takes its name, I rushed to port. I could barely see Kurushima on the port side. It’s a small island. This is where the castle of the Kurushima Murakami Navy, one of the three Murakami Navy families, was located.
Although their headquarters were on the opposite coast of Shikoku, they also barricaded themselves on this island during battles. I think it would have been difficult to attack if they were barricaded on a fortress island protected by Japan’s second fastest current.
I can see the morning sun rising from behind the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge on the starboard side. very beautiful. Approaching a large island. I think it is probably approaching Munakata Port on Omishima Island, but there are no broadcasts so I don’t know the situation.
In hindsight, if I had been in the guest room, there might have been a broadcast saying “Arrived at Munakata.” Meanwhile, people commuting to the next port of call, Kinoe Port, were boarding. I’m a little nervous. So I quickly prepare to disembark. If I am unable to disembark, I will go to Osakikamijima Is.. When the flow of people boarding the ship stopped, I quickly headed towards the bow. At first glance, travelers are likely to miss the ship or fail to get off the ship if they are not always careful. This is Munakata. Yes. Thank you very much.
Good. good. Is that so? I guess they were the persons to go to next port. e. Hey, gloves. Oh, hello. Yes, If I had forgotten my glove, I would have been in trouble. Thank you, crew, for letting us know. When I turned towards the sea, I saw the ferry I had boarded departing. “Mishima” is 224 tons. It looked quite small from here. From Munakata Port, I started heading toward Oyamazumi Shrine. The distance is approximately 9.9km.
Climb the 50m mountain pass twice. It’s not that steep of a slope. Perhaps because it was early in the morning, there was little traffic and it was easy to ride. I arrived at Oyamazumi Shrine at 8am. You can see that Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. was making a donation. The company name sign next to the torii gate says Oyamazumi Shrine, the general guardian of Japan.
As I went further, a new shrine name table appeared and it also says that Oyamazumi shrine is No.1 shrine in Iyokoku. Ichinomiya Oyamazumi Shrine. The deity enshrined here is Oyamazumi Okami, the older deity of Amaterasu Omikami. He is the parent god of the mountain gods and is also the god of maritime safety.
It is the only major shrine in Shikoku, located within the grounds covered with camphor trees. In the center of the precincts stands a sacred camphor tree that is said to have been hand-planted by Ochi no Mikoto, a descendant of Oyamazumi Okami.
The tree is over 2,600 years old and is a nationally designated natural monument. Legend has it that if you walk around the sacred tree three times while holding your breath, your wish will come true.
I tried it, but the surrounding area was quite far away and I found it hard to breathe, so I gave up after completing one lap. There was a person holding a camera on a tripod with a composition looking at the worship hall from the shrine gate.
Wait for a while, then call out to them and step in front of the camera. Please do. Excuse me. Several Shinto priests were sweeping the grounds in front of the worship hall. It is said that by sweeping the area, a god will dwell. I could feel the tranquil atmosphere.
At the worship hall, I prayed that I would be able to complete this bicycle trip happily and safely. There was a booklet about Oyamazumi Shrine next to the offering box.
I received a copy of the booklet and searched for the location of the “Living Tree Gate,” a tunnel-like cave in the trunk of a huge camphor tree, but could not find it.
When I asked the priest who was sweeping the shrine grounds about the location of the “Living tree gate”, I found out that the “Living tree gate” was not on the grounds of Oyamazumi Shrine.
It is located at a temple called “Oku-no-in”, which is about a 3-minute walk towards the back of the main shrine.
If you go around the outside of the shrine grounds and go towards the back of the main shrine, you will see a sign pointing you in the direction of “Oku-no-in.” That’s what I was told. Actually, at this time I had left my cell phone next to the offering box.
I noticed this when I was about to ride my bicycle in the parking lot outside the torii gate, so I went back to the offering box and retrieved my cell phone.
As you go up the road between the shrine grounds and the treasure museum toward the back of the main shrine, you will see a sign indicating “Living Tree Gate” just past the main shrine, and you will see a bridge over the river that runs beside the road. I’ll cross.
Follow the signs along the narrow road between private houses, turn several degrees, and aim for the “Living Tree Gate”. We arrived at the “Living Tree Gate.” A camphor tree with a hollow base has heavy roots on top of a 4-5 meter cliff.
The trunk has a circumference of 30m and is said to be about 3000 years old. It is designated as a natural monument of Ehime Prefecture. (I say Aichi Prefecture, but Ehime Prefecture is correct. That’s a mistake.) The surface of the cave is rugged, and it is assumed that it was formed naturally.
It is said that this is the approach to the temple, so I passed through the cave to pray. Legend has it that passing through the Living Tree Gate will bring you healing from illness. My body is a treasure trove of chronic adult diseases. Dear “Ikigi no Gomon”, please heal my illness.
I visited the shrine’s treasure house. Oyamazumi Shrine was highly respected by military commanders, so many weapons are dedicated to it. Approximately 80% of the weapons designated as national treasures and important cultural properties are found here. Photography of the exhibits is prohibited, so the footage was only of the breezeway.
From Oyamazumi Shrine, l headed towards Kosanji Temple in Setoda. When going around the water’s edge, it is said that if you are on an island, the view is best if you go clockwise. Let’s compare today’s clockwise video and yesterday’s counterclockwise video on the screen at the same time.
I felt that running clockwise gave me a stronger sense of freedom. How did you feel? When I went along the coast road, I passed in front of Sunset Beach. I met a group of students on bicycles led by a teacher. Cycling along the open coastal street looked like fun. As I continued along the coast, I saw a triangular structure jutting out into the sky from a rock in the sea. This is Mr. Jingu’s “Wings of Waves”, an art work at the “Shimagoto Museum”. Sorry. The black screen continues for about 15 seconds. please wait a moment. Eventually, the orange arched bridge, Koune Ohashi, came into view. I arrived at the town of Setoda. I turned right at the Y-junction and headed toward the center of Setoda. First, l aimed for Kosanji Temple.
In the town of Setoda, I asked for the location of Kosanji Temple and started riding bicycle. I thought it was in the middle of Setoda, but it turned out to be on top of a small hill. I finally realize my mistake on the top of a small hill ahead. I ended up at a place called Kojoji. I mispronounced the destination, Kosanji Temple, when I should have read it as Kozoji, and my tongue wasn’t very good either.
Therefore, it seems that everyone thought they were asked “Kojoji” and pointed them in the direction of Kojoji Temple. Since I had come all the way to the top of the hill, and since it was said to be a national treasure, I decided to take a look at the three-storied pagoda.
I came here by mistake, but it turned out to be the right thing to do. I could see the three-storied pagoda at the top of the steep stairs. Although I was wearing slippery bicycle shoes, I managed to climb to the top while holding onto the handrails.
The wooden part of the tower was a beautiful vermilion color and vivid. Also, when I looked up at the tower from below, I could see that the rafters that support the roof are stacked up in many layers and it is a wonderful building. I arrived at Kosanji Temple.
Kosanji Temple considers the entire temple grounds to be a museum, so you will need to purchase the museum admission fee at the entrance. This is a five-storied pagoda modeled after the five-storied pagoda of Muroji Temple. The Koyo-mon gate is modeled after the Yomei-mon gate at Nikko Toshogu Shrine.
I knew that the “Hill of the Future Heart” (Miraishin no Oka) that I was aiming for was in the back right, so I looked in that direction but couldn’t find it.
Looking at the map, I found that I was passing by the Daikannon statue in the back left and going around to the right. So now, I’m going to pass by the Daikannon statue and go around to the “Miraishin no Oka”. I saw the sign for “Miraishin no Oka”. The path is not wrong. I have arrived at “Miraishin no Oka”. This white marble garden is the work of Itto Kuetani, a world-famous sculptor from Hiroshima. All of the marble here is said to have been mined in Carrara, Italy, and transported by container ship. The 5,000 square meter garden, shaped like a monument of white marble, gave me a mysterious feeling of being lost in another world. I ate piping hot croquettes at the usual Okatetsu Shoten. It permeated my tired body. I arrived at Setoda Port and had lunch at “Shimanami Roman” facing the port.
I had the “Setouchi Lemondon” . The juicy meat and the citric acid from the lemon soaked into my body. It is a 44 minute boat trip from Setoda to Onomichi. This is the Citrus that will take me to Onomichi Port. It has a citrus color.
It is an 18-ton ship with a capacity of 64 people. The boat I took was the yellow Citrus, but the cycling-friendly “Cycle Ship Lazuli” also appears to be in service depending on the day of the week. Board the ship after 2 passengers and 1 cyclist.
Perhaps because there were fewer people on board, I was able to carry a bicycle on board. The space near the entrance was filled with the bicycles of the cyclists in front of me, so I secured my bicycle against the wall in front of me. We departed from Setoda Port.
After setting sail, we will sail through the Setoda Channel, which is approximately 200m wide. I could see the houses of Kounejima Is. on the port side. I could see the shipyard of Ikuchishima Is. on the starboard side. Our first port of call was Shigei Higashi Port on Innoshima Island, and we picked up two cyclists. Passing through the northwestern tip of Innoshima Is.. There is also a shipyard. I was able to see a panoramic view of Innoshima Ohashi Bridge in the background. [Music] We will stop by Shinhama Pier in Onomichi. We stopped at Shinhama Pier. After we departed from shinhama Pier, the cityscape of Onomichi continued. Fortunately, I was able to sit down and get some sleep in preparation for the 4-hour drive from Onomichi to my hotel in Osaka, where my family was waiting. Arrived at Onomichi Port. The trip ended when I landed in Onomichi. I felt a sense of fulfillment in being able to ride the Shimanami Kaido, something I had always wanted to experience as a cyclist. After this, I drove for 4 hours and returned safely to my family. Thank you for your viewing. Please subscribe to my channel.
島と橋をつなぎ、本州と四国の間の海峡を横断する、日本が世界に誇るサイクリングルートがしまなみ海道です。
公式なルート長は76ｋｍで、体力に自信のない人には難しい距離です。
今回、フェリーを利用し、サイクリングの距離を約1/3に縮めた体力温存ルートを体験しましたので、紹介します。
四国随一の大社である大山祇神社、生きた楠のトンネルを潜るパワースポット、異世界を思わせる白い大理石でできた広大な庭園などを訪ねましたので、紹介します。
00:00 オープニング
00:05 しまなみ海道体力温存ルート概要
00:57 フェリーで移動。今治港から宗方港まで
11:42 大山祇神社
16:39 生き樹の御門
19:57 サイクリング。大山祇神社から瀬戸田まで
23:28 向上寺。国宝三重塔。
24:26 耕三寺。未来心の丘。
29:36 フェリーで移動。瀬戸田港から尾道港まで
36:48 エンディング