Day 3 of the Shimanami Kaido: The Beautiful Road to Imabari

Day 3 was the sunniest of our three cycling days. We cruised along to the Hakata-Oshima bridge, bringing us to Oshima: the last island on the journey. Something that makes the Shimanami Kaido special is the incredible cyclist infrastructure. Attractions and rest stops along the way offer dedicated bicycle parking[…]

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Day 1 of the Shimanami Kaido: Onomichi to Ikuchi Island

The Shimamani Kaido is a famous cycling route in Japan. It takes you from Imabari to Onomichi, across six islands in the Seto Inland Sea that are connected with a series of spectacular bridges. We decided to complete the route in three days, giving us plenty of time to explore[…]

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The Wild-ish Deer of Nara, Japan

The city of Nara is about 45 minutes outside of Osaka by train. It’s a popular day trip mainly because of Nara Park: an enormous park that is home to thousands of wild yet very friendly deer. We were initially hesitant to spend one of our two Osaka days on[…]

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Wrapping Up Our Magical Kumano Kodo Trail Experience (Days 5 and 6)

The final hiking day was the one with the biggest payoff: the iconic Nachi Taicha Grand Shrine and Nachi Falls. To get there though, you have to complete the most strenuous part of the trek, with 1200 meters of ascension in total. Whereas James bravely opted to keep his pack[…]

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