Erez and I woke up to a spectacular view of the water from our hotel room.
We were planning on heading directly by bus to one of the islands, Innoshima, to see a couple of attractions, go for a hike and then head to our hotel on the far side of that island. There are many islands and they are currently linked by a series of beautiful suspension bridges. Cycling the Shimanami Kaido (the route through several of the islands) is approx 70km. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, an experienced cyclist could complete the circuit in about 4 hours if they just do the cycling part. A leisurely cycle while taking in the scenery and stopping at local tourist spots along the way, will take at least 10 hours. We saw many people cycling along the way, both Japanese and foreign, some serious cyclists, and some just leisurely enjoying the journey.
We checked out of our hotel and headed to the bus station, exploring the neighbourhoods on the way.
On the way we noticed a ropeway gondola, so we decide to deviate from the plan and check it out. I mean, I am always up for a scenic gondola ride up a mountain 🙂 There was a lot we could have seen while up there, and then made our way back down leisurely, checking things out, but we wanted to save our time to see more once we got to the island. That being said, the gondola ride was scenic and the views at the top were breathtaking.
The station had a resident cat who hangs out – we also saw two memorial plaques for previous station cats with their dates. Erez tried to pet the current station mascot who seemed pretty indifferent to the attention.
Here a a few photos from the journey up and then back down.
At the foot of the gondola there a was a temple we quickly checked out.
After our detour up the mountain, we caught the bus. To get to Innoshima we had to travel through another island called Mukaishima Island. (Actually, the word “shima” or “Jima” means island). The trip to our first stop, Innoshima Flower Centre took approximately 45 minutes, and then we had a bit of a walk from the bus stop to the Flower Center.
Admission to the Flower Center was free, and it seems that it has been a bit neglected – maybe because of post-COVID situation? maybe because of the season? There was evidence of some rejuvenation, perhaps in time for the summer tourist season. It was still a pleasant place to hang out, but certainly did not quite live up to the pictures I had seen online before. There were large open green spaces as well as several large greenhouses.
After refueling and rehydrating, Erez and I went in search of our hiking trailhead.
I will put our hike in a separate post. 🙂