Nov 19, 2012

しまなみ海道 Shimanami Kaido or the Sea Road

松山に帰省していました。
今回は今治へも足を延ばしましたよ。
今治は造船とタオルの町ですが、しまなみ海道も有名です。

While I was visiting my parents in Matsuyama,  I went to Imabari city.
The city is famous for the ship industry, good quality towel, and also Shimanami Kaido.

しまなみ海道は全長60㎞。今治と対岸の尾道の間を6つの島と7つの橋で結んでいます。

Shimanami Kaido, or the Sea Road, is the expressway over the Seto Inland Sea.  It connects  Imabari to Onomichi city in Hiroshima prefecture.
This 60 km route crosses a series of seven bridges that connect six islands in the Inland Sea.

(The blue line is the Shimanami Kaido.  Bottom left is Imabari.  You can see there are a lot of islands in the Seto Inland Sea.)

今治と一番目の島、大島をつなぐのが、来島海峡大橋。
今治側から見るとこんな風に見えます。きれいな橋ですね。

The first bridge from Imabari is the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge which takes you to Oshima Island.
Beautiful, isn't it? 

来島海峡大橋は全長4105メートルの三連吊り橋。
塔の高さは184メートル、橋げたの高さは海から65メートル。

Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge is a triple suspension bridge.
It's 4105 meters long and the tower is 184 meters tall.  The height of the roadway surface is about 65 meters from the water. 


自転車や徒歩でも渡れます。
橋の上に立つと高さを実感できるそうですよ。
私も自転車を借りて橋を渡ってみたかったけれど、時間があまりなかったので、レンタカー。
橋を渡りついで、尾道まで行ってみたかったけれど、これまた時間がなかったので断念。今回は来島海峡大橋を渡って、大島で一日過ごすだけとなりました。

If you want, you can cross the bridge on foot or by bike.
Then, you can stand on the bridge and enjoy the view.  
They say it is so high!
I really wanted to cross the bridge by bike (you can rent it) but we didn't have much time, so we rented a car.
Also, I really wanted to drive all the way to Onomichi, but we didn't have much time, so we just crossed Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge and spent a day at Oshima Island.

とは言っても、海の上を走っていると思うとワクワクしました。
(^v^)

Still, it's quite exciting when you think you are driving over the sea. (^v^)


大島の南端にある亀老山(きろうさん)展望公園からの眺望は有名です。
亀老山は標高308メートル。ここでは自転車でなかったことをしみじみ感謝。とてもきつい坂道です。自転車で上ることはできないんじゃないでしょうか?

Located at the south of Oshima is the Kiro-san Observation Park, where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea.
The mountain is 308 meters high, and I was very thankful I was not riding a bike. 
The road is very steep!  I'm not sure if you can climb up there by bike.

頂上の風の強さもハンパじゃありませんでした。

Also, on top of the mountain, it was so windy!

でも眺めは最高!
橋、小島、大きな船、小さな船。とてものどかな風景でした。

But the view was so beautiful!  
The bridge, small islands, ships and boats...it looked very peaceful.


海に沈む夕日がそれはみごとなんだそうです。見たかったです!

They say when the sun sets over the sea, it is just breathtakingly beautiful.  I wish I could have seen it!


大島で他に何をしたかは、また次回。(^_-)
というわけで、再び来島海峡大橋を渡って今治へと帰っていきました。

I had fun at Oshima.  But I'm going to save it for another post. (^_-)
It was time to go back to Imabari.


次回はもっとゆっくり島々を観光しながら、尾道まで行きたいものです。

Next time, I really want to take more time and go up all the way to Onomichi, stopping at each island.  

自信のある方は、自転車でしまなみ海道をぜひどうぞ。海上サイクリングは年々人気が高まっているそうで、「しまなみサイクルオアシス」といった施設もあちこち整備されているんだとか。
(ただし向島と尾道の間だけは渡船で渡るそうです。)
海の上高く、海風を受けながら自転車をこぐのって素敵だと思いませんか?\(^o^)/

If you think you can, it must be fun to travel by bike on Shimanami Kaido.  It's getting more and more popular. They are very bicycle friendly, and have several cycling stations called "Shimanami Cycling Oasis."  
(But you have to ride a ferry between Mukaijima and Onomichi.) 
 Don't you want to feel the sea breeze on those bridges high above the sea? \(^o^)/


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6 comments:

Rurousha said...

Can I travel across the bridge on horseback?

I like the second-last photo taken from the mountain top. Did you see any foxes up there?

OK, we'll wait for Oshima, but don't make us wait too long, ne? :)

Merry Witch said...

Rurousha,
Horseback? Oh, it must feel good. And you will be famous, too!

I saw no foxes. But I heard inoshishi (wild boars) on the islands sometimes swim across the sea to Imabari city, and become famous. (^_-)

Dru said...

I have been dreaming of riding a bike across the Shimanami Kaido for a couple years now. If I can somehow work it, I will do it next year around May. It may be unlikely but I have my fingers crossed. Of course I would love to stop for a day in Matsuyama too if I do this trip. ^^

Merry Witch said...

Dru,
Oh, please do it! It must be so fun! I would very much like to read about your adventure next year.

But I must warn you. Kirosan seems very tough. You need a lot of exercise. (^_-)

Dru said...

Thanks for the tip. I guess I should start training now. ;)

Merry Witch said...

Yes, strengthen your quadriceps! <(`^´)>