I spent the day looking around Onomichi, near Hiroshima, Japan. This is part of my Shimanami Kaido bicycle trail trip. I stayed in Japan for five and a half days. Day one was exploring Onomichi, days two to four were on the trail, and the last day was spent in Matsuyama.
Click for photo page of whole 5-day trip to scroll through.
Day 1 of 5 and a half days in Japan
I got the first available flight out of Seoul and landed in Hiroshima safely. First task was to get some cash from the international ATM at the international airport… except there wasn’t one. I scraped together some change and managed to pay for a bus, then train to Onomichi (it turned out cheaper than the limousine bus I’d been planning to get and didn’t take much longer so I was better off).
In Onomichi, I went straight to the STATION INN the URASHIMA capsule hotel and left my bag at the reception. Then I went to the bicycle rental shop to check out the opening times and get some confirmation of my bicycle booking for the next day; all looked good!
I went to a place nearby that sold ramen for an early lunch and a beer (very nice) and then headed towards a cable car and temple attraction I’d read about. I walked along the coast road for a bit and was appreciating the weather and looking forward to getting on the bike.
The line to the cable car was surprisingly long for Monday afternoon! I got my tickets (using a card fortunately) then waited about 15 minutes to the get on. The ride up was very nice with lovely views out to sea.
At the top is a huge concrete observation structure with long straight sloped viewing deck and a cool circular walkway to get up. The views from the top over to the islands were superb and added to my excitement for tomorrow’s ride.
After I got down, I followed the path down to the Senkou Temple. This was a very interesting place with paths winding through a few big rocks and lots of viewing spots of the town below (and of course the sea).
I searched on Google for any nearby cafes and found Le Jardin Charme, a cafe in an old building in a large garden and beautiful wood and glass outhouse with a terrace looking out to the coast. I had a cappuccino and bit of cake.
Next, I headed to a cat alley (Neko no Hosomichi) which was simply a narrow winding road on the hillside that is apparently known for its cat population. There were cat themed painted stones and murals dotted around, a cat museum, and even posters of the local cats! However, I saw exactly zero cats while walking through the alley! The only cat’s I’d seen so far were a couple below the temple on my way to the cafe.
I decided to head back to the hotel and get checked in properly and decided to try a JR Post ATM (as recommended on Google) and finally get some cash for the rest of the trip. Turns out this would be the best, easiest way. Note to self, there’s a flat rate fee (about 200 yen) so best to get out money you’ll need for your whole trip). I walked through a shopping arcade looking for places to eat later. I noticed a few cycle rental places and also a package delivery office; another note to self: these places are used to tourists sending their stuff to hotels and hostel for the guests to pick up later. It seems if you want your luggage (in a box) to arrive the next day, you need to get it sent off by 5 pm the day before (I was a little too late to do that, but good to know!).
I checked in easily and thought the place look pretty space-aged and cool, like a spaceship hibernation deck! Everything was clean, quiet and well laid out. One snag; I’d misremembered the Japanese electric plug socket system so didn’t have an adaptor… fortunately there was USB outlet but I realised I might need a better solution for the rest of the trip.
After a shower and quick rest, I headed back to town and found Laport, a pizza place. I got a pizza and a glass of red wine. The woman cooked it in a proper wood fired brick oven! Very tasty. While on the way and on the way back to the hotel, I looked in a few convenience stores looking for a power adaptor. They were pricy, but eventually I bit the bullet and got one. I got a beer and a pudding then headed to the sea wall to drink it. There was a very wild busker jumping around shouting his songs in the dark, but with no one watching! Also nearby was the ferry port where I’d be going tomorrow morning so I checked that out and noted the prices.
Finally, I was ready to go back to the hotel. I had my pudding the hotel lobby area and called Romana (no talking allowed in the sleeping area). I then made my final preparations (clothes ready) for the next day then went to bed. It was pretty hot in that hotel so had to strip down to get comfortable enough to sleep!
Map of places I visited