Imabari
今治34°04′ N 133°00′ ECityPop. 152,111Setouchi
Imabari suits riders finishing or starting the Shimanami Kaido on the Shikoku side, and the city itself is a working shipbuilding and textile town with few sights.
Photo redlegsfan21 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay here to start the ride over the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge with fresh legs, or to end it at a yakitori counter.
Eat in Imabari
Imabari is Ehime's second city and the Shikoku end of the Shimanami Kaido. Its city limits reach out over the islands of Oshima, Hakatajima and Omishima, so most of the route's southern half lies inside it. Todo Takatora built Imabari Castle and the castle town after 1600, and the Murakami sea clans ran these straits before that.
Shipbuilding and textiles grew the modern city, and the yards still line the coast. The Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge runs about 4 km in three suspension spans to Oshima, and the tide signals by the strait warn ships about the currents below. Eat Imabari yakitori, chicken pressed flat on an iron griddle, at one of the city's counters after the ride.
Quick answers about Imabariよくある質問
Is Imabari a good place to stay?
Stay here to start the ride over the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge with fresh legs, or to end it at a yakitori counter.
Within 12 km
Places to stay nearby宿
Within 12 km
Places to eat and drink nearby食
Within 12 km
Sights nearby見どころ
In the journal and guides
Read more about Imabari特集
Feature · 8 min read
How do you ride the Tobishima Kaido as a quieter day after Shimanami?
Start at JR Aki-Kawajiri and cross seven bridges to Okamura, where a 23-minute ferry carries you over to Omishima for the night. The boats set the shape of the day, so plan lunch around them.
Guide · 5 min read
Can you do the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage by bike?
Yes. The temples' association lets pilgrims choose how they travel and in what order, and riders follow the roads round about 1,400 km of island. Arrive at each temple as a pilgrim: bow at the gate, worship before the stamp and leave the camera away while people pray.
Guide · 7 min read
How long does it take to cycle the Shimanami Kaido?
Most riders cross from Onomichi to Imabari in one full day. Split it with a night on Ikuchijima or Omishima if you want the islands, or take a sports e-bike and ride it in a morning, as long as it goes back before the terminal closes.