Cycling Shikoku, Japan 2.0 - Part 2: Kochi to Matsuyama
In the second part of this series, we continued riding along to Shimanto City, climbed further to the heritage town of Uchiko, rode to Matsuyama for a well deserved rest day, and made our way to shimanami kaido.
If you missed the first part of our journey, head to Cycling Shikoku 2.0 Part 1 to start from the very beginning of our tour in Tokushima.
STAGE 4: nakatosa to shimanto
Start Nakatosa
Finish Shimanto
Distance 77km
Climbing 757m
Grade Medium/Hard
Finishing off our leftovers for a makeshift breakfast from the warmth of our log cabin, we checked out and gratefully said goodbye to the lady who had quite literally saved us the night before when we arrived pretty tired with no dinner in sight. The ride out of Nature Resort was definitely a pleasant one, riding along the stream through the forest where autumn colours were already on display due to the higher elevation. But we couldn’t linger for too long, as we had two mountain passes to go through before we could reach Shimanto City. Having been there before in 2018, I was somewhat apprehensive and was keen to be on our way, as I remembered the road along the river was winding and quiet, and could be quite dark once the sun set.
We stopped at a shop before starting our journey, which thankfully had some cooked food ready packed for takeaway for travelers like us. The route took us southwards through many mountain villages and farmland, and once we had gone past the two mountain passes we had a fantastic local lunch of grilled eel at Shimanto Town. We even managed to make a stop at the Iwamoto-Ji Temple, number 37 of the 88 temples in the Shikoku pilgrimmage, said to be unique due to its quirky and artistic features, and located at a beautiful wooded hillside. We also stopped for a quick bite at the nearby Old House Hanpei Tsuzuki, a beautiful teahouse in an old kominka style house with a calm and relaxing ambience. The traditional Japanese delicate wagashi desserts there are a definite must try.
We then continued our ride into golden hour, and although mostly going downhill post midday, the sun had fallen by the time we hit the coast again. Thankfully the bright moon from several nights ago continued to shine on us, and we cycled with a view of the light dancing off the waves on the rocky coast. We reached Shimanto City and found Shimanto River House Yuube-Tei without too much trouble, though a nice view of the Shimanto River meant we had a tiny climb before we could check in. Another fantastic izakaya bar fed us a splendid dinner, thanks to our host’s recommendation. We did a quick laundry run as we each took turns bathing then rolled into bed for the night.
STAGE 5: shimanto to uchiko
Start Shimanto
Finish Uchiko
Distance 120km
Climbing 1349m
Grade Medium/Hard
This would ultimately be the toughest ride of the whole tour, a gran fondo with the most climbing in a single day. Komeda Coffee was a quick breakfast stop at the start of our journey heading northwest, which started easily enough along the great Shimanto River. The route skipped in and out of the woods along the river’s path, crossing one of Shimanto’s famous chinkabashi bridges and riding through the mountains to our lunch spot with a gorgeous view of the river. We couldn’t resist stopping for a teatime snack of roasted chestnuts and chestnut cheesecake at a roadside station despite our bellies still being full from lunch, keeping in mind we had yet more climbing to do afterwards.
Two thirds into the ride we’d done most of the climbs, reaching Kihoku after dark and found a quaint cafe where we had a small dinner to the tune of many golden oldies. We had a bit more climbing to the highest peak after dinner along quiet trunk roads before a fantastic descent in pitch dark conditions. From there it was undulating terrain until we reached the fringes of Uchiko City, but we had one tiny tunnel climb before we could reach Uchikobare, our guesthouse for the night, a hostel style accommodation right in the middle of the historic Uchiko town quarter. We were the last guests to be served dinner, which included an amazing array of steamed fresh produce from nearby farms and local fish.
STAGE 6: uchiko to matsuyama
Start Uchiko
Finish Matsuyama
Distance 56km
Climbing 496m
Grade Medium
Tired from the long gran fondo the night before, we had a bit of a late start to the day. By the time we were ready to make a move from Uchiko Town it was already time for brunch, so we picked a cyclist friendly nearby cafe in a heritage building to eat before continuing our journey. Our mileage for the day would be less than half of the previous day with almost a third of the elevation gain, so we could afford to leave a tad bit later than usual. We took care not too linger too long however, keeping in mind that there was still one big mountain pass to climb after the halfway mark.
Up and up we climbed through mountain villages and towns, though this route was not so remote and had a fair bit of traffic to keep us company along the way. Roadside stations were also still operating since it was still daylight, and there was still enough light for us to enjoy beautiful riverside views. After much climbing and going through mountain tunnels we finally reached the peak past sunset, in time to do the mountain descent in the dark and as temperatures dropped to 10c. Thankfully temperatures warmed up as we approached Matsuyama City thanks to the heat of car exhausts and all the buildings.
We found our favourite airbnb from our 2018 Shikoku tour, when we also had a rest day in Matsuyama. Since onsens close late in this city, we opted to have a quick shower at home before heading out for a dip in the onsen to soothe our tired muscles. The original Dogo Onsen that we visited the first time we were there was closed for restoration works, but the more modern annex building was still accepting visitors for their late night dip in the onsen. Feeling much refreshed, we found an izakaya bar for dinner before returning home and turning in for the night.
Rest Day in Matsuyama
Four straight days of riding meant we deserved a bit of a rest, and there was no better place to do that than Matsuyama City, where the focal point is obviously Dogo Onsen Honkan and other onsens in the city. Rest day meant another round of laundry and sleeping in to catch up on rest. We left our Airbnb a little late for breakfast so we had a brunch of wagyu beef grilled over a straw fire to start with. After coffee and a small sweet treat we made a trip to Matsuyama Castle, which we didn’t get to visit the last time we were in the city in 2018.
Matsuyama Castle is inside a massive compound built at the top of Mount Katsuyama in the early 1600s, with The steep hill offering panoramic views of the city that surrounds it. Matsuyama is one of Japan’s twelve original castles that have survied the post-feudal era since 1868, so it is historically very significant. Many other castles from the Edo period or earlier were demolished in 1873 by the Meiji government, which prioritised westernisation over Japanese heritage and cultural values. The sprawling compound is a favourite cherry blossom spot due to the 200 cherry trees on the castle grounds.
After we were politely ushered out as the castle closed, we had a quick tea at one of the many cafes nearby the castle, before parking ourselves in front of the Botchan Karakuri Clock, which was built in 1994 to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Dogo Onsen Honkan. The clock opens up to put on a display of scenes from Sosuki Natsume’s novel Botchan, in which Dogo Onsen is featured. The show runs every hour on normal days and every half hour on weekends, public holidays and seasonal periods.
After that we found a really good yakiniku restaurant which served some of the best grilled wagyu that we’d had this entire tour. Dinner was savoured slowly, as we knew this was our last night before we would be heading out to the islands, where the cuisine would also change accordingly. But before heading back to pack up for the resumption of our tour, we made one last visit to the onsen to relax our muscles in preparation for the next day’s ride, which ensured we had a final restful night in Matsuyama.
STAGE 7: matsuyama to omishima
Start Matsuyama
Finish Omishima
Distance 79km
Climbing 350m
Grade Medium
After a day of rest, much good food and two onsen visits, we were ready to head to the islands! We had friends waiting along the Shimanami Kaido route, and was looking forward to having a good barbecue dinner accompanied by some good conversation. Riding out of the city we enjoyed cycling lanes that ran along the main road and then the riverside, all the way until we hit the coastline and found a brunch spot in Horiecho, the same quaint cafe we stopped at in 2018.
After that it was coastal views all the way, since our route was now heading northeast towards Imabari City, which is the starting point of the Shimanami Kaido expressway and cycling route. The terrain was mostly flat and was the most relaxing cycling we’d had throughout the tour, with the beautiful weather and fantastic views rewarding us for our six days of many climbs. Two thirds of the way we climbed up to the Shimanami Kaido cycling lane and the suspension bridges that would take us to the islands.
Golden hour gave way to sunset as we made our way up that first bridge and crossed over to the first island of Oshima Minami, then the smaller Hakata Island and finally Omishima itself, our destination for the night. The islands are fairly mountainous on their own, and we had several punchy climbs and steep descents before we finally reached our Airbnb for the night, the Incense Beachfront Villa. Ingredients for our barbecue dinner were already waiting for us in the fridge, and after a shower we set about cooking up a storm as Taro and Nami arrived. It was a night of scrumptious food and great conversation, exchanging stories with our friends who are lucky enough to live in the Setouchi Inland Sea area and get to ride this amazing route every week.
Stay tuned for the third and final tour report, where we cut the Shimanami Kaido route in half to explore the much lesser known Tobishima Kaido route, ending in Kure and on to Hiroshima City.
You could also go back to Cycling Shikoku 2.0 Part 1 to start from the beginning of our journey.
If you liked this article, consider also reading:
Cycling Shikoku, Japan 2018 (a slightly different route)
Cycling Spain’s Andalucia 2017
Cycling Taiwan’s East Rift Valley, Jiufen and Houtong 2019
Cycling Seoul to Busan, South Korea 2019
Cycling Shikoku, Japan 2.0 2022
Cycling Northeast Taiwan 2023
We also have a number of local tours, if you’re keen on cycling in Malaysia:
Cycling Malaysia’s Northern States to Langkawi
Cycling Malaysia’s West Coast from Klang to Pangkor Island
