# Day 17 - There... ## Interlude At the risk of breaking any illusion that we write every one of these posts in real time, we feel we have to say that we have already completed our ride across the Shimanami Kaido, and it was one of the highlights of our lives (and without a doubt the top highlight of our honeymoon)! We know that words and photos will not be able to come close to capturing how truly magical this experience was, but we will strive to do our best in the following posts. Now where were we?… ## Across the inland sea The day began with a healthy breakfast provided by Hotel Cycle—vegetable bean soup and salad for Sophia, and scrambled eggs with lox for Manu. We then picked up our rental bikes and extra essentials like a pump and a spare tube, and it was time to go! Shimanami Kaido is the common name for the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway project connecting Onomichi to Imabari. It is set in Japan’s gorgeous Seto Inland Sea, and is outfitted with bike lanes and paths that travel across six bridges connecting riders from island to island. Our journey began at a dock where a ferry transported us along with a gaggle of commuters and eager cyclists to Mukaishima, the starting point of the cycling route. ![[photos/day 17 - 1.jpg]] The Shimanami Kaido is a paradise for cyclists. The roads are painted with a continuous blue line indicating the various possible routes, drivers give a generous distance when passing, and there are numerous vending machines all along the way ensuring you never run out of water or—our favorite—Pocari Sweat. Despite its unappealing name, Pocari Sweat is a delicious refreshing electrolyte replacer with a light grapefruit flavor. We are not ashamed to admit we drank it more days than not on our vacation, and we feel they should really consider sponsoring our next trip to Japan. ![[photos/day 17 - 5.jpg]] Our cycling route gave us access to small neighborhoods largely untouched by tourism and truly unforgettable scenery that we would never have had access to by train or on foot. The slightly overcast day kept us cool and gave the sea a rich blue hue. The ocean is full of small islands and interesting rock formations, and the mountains are more lush and green than one could imagine. There were of course other cyclists on the road, and we met one middle-aged couple in particular who we met up with at nearly every stop and exchanged jokes and encouraging comments. ![[photos/day 17 - 2.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 4.jpg]] Other than a quick pitstop at a konbini for snacks (and more Pocari Sweat), our first destination was a citrus stand. The island of Ikuchijima is famous for their citrus, especially their lemons, so we were excited to try them out for ourselves. Each of the orange and mandarin varieties were completely unique and bursting with flavor, and the lemons were so sweet you could eat them whole. We’ve never tasted anything like it! Of course we couldn’t leave without a glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade. ![[photos/day 17 - 6.jpg]] ## The temple of hope After several more kilometers of cycling, we arrived at an art museum with a fabulous sculpture garden. Across the street is the Kosanji Temple, a colorful complex of buildings that also houses a few features unlike anything we’ve seen at other temples, such as an impressive fifteen meter tall statue of the goddess of mercy, and The Cave of a Thousand Buddhas—a deep and somewhat eerie cave full of Buddha statues and some rather disturbing paintings depicting hell. ![[photos/day 17 - 7.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 8.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 9.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 10.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 11.jpg]] Working our way up the hill through the various temple structures we eventually reached The Hill of Hope. The Hill of Hope is a large garden of sorts crafted entirely out of Carrara marble. The bright white surface of the monument is stark against its natural surroundings, and the top offers a magnificent 360° view of the area below. ![[photos/day 17 - 12.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 13.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 14.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 15.jpg]] ## Island hopping One of the most fun and exhilarating aspects of riding the Shimanami Kaido is crossing its several bridges. The road leading up to each bridge branches off into a separate path for cyclists and pedestrians, which wind uphill toward the entrance to the bridge. These stretches of the route are especially quiet and peaceful. We crossed three bridges on day one, and each had its own way of addressing the bike path. The first had a completely separate bike lane hanging underneath the main road, while the second had cyclists riding through the middle of the bridge. Our third and final bridge of the day was the Tatara Bridge—the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world at the time of its construction in 1999, and still the 4th longest today—and here the bike lane ran right along the edge of the bridge. Across the Tatara Bridge we jaunted up to the corresponding observation deck, and then rode down to a monument by the shore called the Cyclist Sanctuary. ![[photos/day 17 - 3.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 16.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 17.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 18.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 19.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 20.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 21.jpg]] We took our time riding at a leisurely pace, making several stops to enjoy the views, and soaking in every second of the experience. It was delightful to watch the light change across the water over the course of the day. We started around 10am, and by the time we finally rode up to our hotel around 6pm, the world was bathed in a golden haze. ## Beach cottage Wakka, our accommodation on the island of Omishima, was nothing short of dreamy. After calling the restaurant across the street on our behalf to ensure the chef could prepare Sophia a special vegan meal and making us a reservation, the incredibly helpful receptionist showed us to our cheerful little cottage, complete with a large deck overlooking the ocean and a spectacular view of the Tatara Bridge. ![[photos/day 17 - 22.jpg]] ![[photos/day 17 - 24.jpg]] ## A well deserved treat Our dinner at 雅楽 (phonetically Gagaku) was a real treat. The chef prepared a mixed vegetable tempura set for Sophia, and Manu ordered the sashimi set. Manu particularly enjoyed tasting sawara (Japanese Spanish mackerel), which he said was definitely in the top tier of sashimi he’s ever tried. We both ordered a glass of sake with our dinner, and the owner served it to us in a vessel we had never encountered before—a small wooden box called a masu. Placing each glass inside a masu, he then poured the sake in a serving style called "sosogi-koboshi" in which the sake is poured into the glass until a generous portion overflows into the masu (sosogi meaning "to pour" and koboshi meaning "to spill over"). This style of serving sake is a gesture of generosity on behalf of the host. Anxious to honor our host's kindness, we quickly went to google the appropriate way to drink sake in this situation, and learned that one can either refill their glass from the sake in the masu or drink directly from the box. Dealer's choice! ![[photos/day 17 - 23.jpg]]