Private Experience · Sunrise Itoyama Cycling Terminal

Shimanami Kaido in 90 Minutes: E-Bike Ride over the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge

⏱ 90 minutes 👥 5–30 guests, one private group 🗣 English (an English-speaking cycle guide is available at no extra charge) 🕙 Starts on the hour, 9:00–15:00 🌤 Outdoor experience — full refund if cancelled for weather

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¥15,000 per person (groups of 5–15), tax included ¥15,000 / person for 5–15 guests · ¥14,000 / person for 16–30 guests

The experience

The Shimanami Kaido is Japan's most celebrated cycling route — a chain of bridges hopping island to island across the Seto Inland Sea. Riding all 70 km takes a full day. This tour distills it into the shortest possible taste — one bridge, one island, about 90 minutes: cross the great Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge by electric-assist bicycle and stand on a tiny island most travellers never see.

After a short briefing at Sunrise Itoyama Cycling Terminal, your English-speaking cycle guide leads the group up onto the bridge's dedicated cycle lane. High above the strait, ride to Umashima — an island of just a handful of households — and descend by the bridge's own elevator, bicycles and all. Explore the island shrine and quiet shoreline — and with a little tide luck, step through a natural sea-eroded arch and watch the famous rushing currents of the Kurushima Strait race past below the rocks. Then ride back across the bridge at your own pace.

The course is deliberately short and the electric assist does the hard work, so even seniors with no confidence in their fitness manage it comfortably — if you can ride a bicycle, you can do this. An English-speaking cycle guide rides with the group at no extra charge. This is a group experience for 5 to 30 guests, and it slots neatly into a chartered-bus itinerary between Hiroshima and Shikoku.

Your 90 Minutes

Moment by moment

0:00–0:10
Briefing at Sunrise Itoyama Cycling Terminal: route, safety and bike fitting
0:10–0:40
Guided ride: up the cycle lane and across the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge to Umashima, then down by the bridge elevator
0:40–1:00
Explore Umashima: the island shrine and shoreline — with luck at low tide, walk through the sea-eroded arch and watch the strait's rushing tides
1:00–1:30
Return ride to Sunrise Itoyama at your own pace, with photo stops on the bridge (guide accompanies on request)

What's included

✓Rental electric-assist bicycle
✓Cycle guide from Itoyama to Umashima (English-speaking guide at no extra charge)
✓Pre-departure briefing and itinerary arrangement

Not included

—Transportation to and from Sunrise Itoyama
—Food and drinks
—Gratuities

Access & meeting point

Please gather at Sunrise Itoyama Cycling Terminal (2-8-1 Sunaba-cho, Imabari, Ehime), at the foot of the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge. From JR Fukuyama Station, take the Shimanami Liner highway bus to Imabari Station (approx. 90 min), then a local bus (approx. 25 min, Tenbodai-Iriguchi stop) or taxi (approx. 15 min). Free parking is available, including space for chartered buses.

Venue: Sunrise Itoyama Cycling Terminal（サンライズ糸山）
Address: 2-8-1 Sunaba-cho, Imabari, Ehime 794-0001, Japan
Getting there: From JR Fukuyama Station: Shimanami Liner highway bus to Imabari Station (approx. 90 min), then a local bus to the Tenbodai-Iriguchi stop (approx. 25 min) or a 15-minute taxi ride. Free parking, with space for chartered buses.
From Hiroshima: From Hiroshima Station, take the San'yo Shinkansen east to Fukuyama Station — about 25 minutes — then the Shimanami Liner highway bus across the Shimanami Kaido to Imabari. The bus ride itself is a scenic tour over the Seto Inland Sea.

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Before you go

※This is an outdoor experience — in weather that makes riding unsafe, the tour is rescheduled or cancelled with a full refund
※The guide accompanies the group on the outbound leg; the return is at your own pace (the guide can stay with you on request, within the 2-hour window)
※E-bikes are adult-sized: riders must be 145 cm (4 ft 9 in) or taller and able to ride a bicycle — electric assist handles the slopes
※The sea-eroded arch and the view of the rushing tidal currents depend on tide times — the itinerary may be adjusted for tides and local conditions
※This experience requires riding a bicycle and is not wheelchair accessible
※Please arrive 10 minutes before the start time

Cancellation: free until 10 days before; 20% from 9–4 days before; 30% from 3–2 days before; 50% the day before; 100% on the day or no-show. See the Booking Terms for details.