In the museum, you could even film yourself dancing and try out different instruments and rhythms. It was really funny and entertaining – a great way to spend a rainy afternoon!

On the second day, I used the breaks in the rain to move into the hostel and do some shopping. When the rain finally let up in the evening, I strolled through the city.

Ich hatte erwartet, dass kaum etwas los ist – und tatsächlich war es still, nur am  Okonomiyaki-Restaurant war einiges los.

Okonomiyaki are a type of Japanese pancake, with lots of cabbage and eggs instead of flour. They are prepared directly on a hot iron plate at the table and look incredibly delicious and healthy. Of course I had to try it, and it really was fantastic!

Sun, tailwind and pilgrim paths

After the relaxing rest days, my motivation for cycling was huge! It was simply brilliant: sun, tailwind and even some well-maintained cycle paths.

To top it all off, I found a campsite right on the beach – perfect!

Shikoku is also home to one of Japan’s most famous pilgrimage routes, the Henro Pilgrimage Route, which connects 88 temples around the island. The pilgrims, usually dressed all in white and wearing straw hats, are everywhere, which is why there are many resting places and shelters.

With the mountains in the back and the picturesque coastline, the landscape here is simply beautiful. It promised to be a great few days!

Along the dramatic coast

I cycled along the coast, which becomes particularly dramatic at Cape Muroto. This is where two tectonic plates meet, with one being pushed under the other. This leads to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, but also to impressive rock formations above the earth.

Today, November 4, was another public holiday. Normally the holiday is on November 3rd, but as it fell on a Sunday, the “Day of Culture” was postponed to Monday.

I rode a good bit further and found a beautiful spot for my tent close to Aki on the beach. Even though they say you can camp anywhere in Japan, I prefer to ask a local for permission. Although it looked as if I wasn’t disturbing anyone here, I still had a bad feeling because there was no one to ask.

The next day, two older men came by and had a very nice chat with me. The two men always do their gymnastics on the beach in the morning. My uneasy feeling disappeared immediately. One of the men claimed to be 89 years old – I would have guessed he was a little over 70 at most! It’s incredible how young and fit the older people here are. His friend was twenty years younger and they both laughed a lot and had fun with me. It was a wonderful start to the day and another fantastic sunrise.

To find a toilet and water, I headed for one of the “konbinis”, the small 24-hour supermarkets. To do so, I had to leave my cycle path along the sea.

Challenges in the city and on the mountain

Unfortunately, things got a bit uncomfortable after that. I arrived in Kochi, a large harbor city. The weekday traffic was just too much for me after the otherwise quiet and green island. I was really happy when I saw some green again.

Unfortunately, the road along the sea was closed. Although it was already late, just before dusk, which starts at 4 p.m., I took up the challenge and cycled over the mountain to the nearest Michi-no-Eki (rest stop with local produce). I made it just before complete darkness. Another challenge mastered!

Some cyclists love to camp at Michi-no-Eki. However, since Covid, this is no longer allowed everywhere. It’s usually too noisy for me, so I only pitch my tent there in an emergency.

With a tailwind, I first cycled uphill (I cycled Shikoku clockwise) and then through the Shimanto Gorge.

It was simply wonderful again, and the weather played along too. Instead of “konbinis”, there were “Michi-no-Ekis”, where I got traditional, regional food. Don’t ask me what it was called – it was something with rice and chicken, but very tasty!

In the evening I found a campsite by a river where there were even showers.

In contrast to the previous day, it was incredibly quiet here – just a lawn by the river.

Discoveries and hospitality

I continued over mountains to the south-west coast.

It’s more densely populated here again, and I had difficulties finding a suitable campsite. On the edge of a town, with blocks of flats on one side and a small canal on the other, with a mountainside behind, I found a small, flat area that looked like a parking lot. No cars could park further back, and that’s where I pitched my tent.

As I assumed, a car arrived later and parked right next to I immediately went to the car with my “joker” (my Japanese note about who I am, where I come from, what I do, etc.). It was a woman with her 14-year-old daughter. She signaled to me that it was okay if I camped there. I was relieved at that point. But I was absolutely astonished when she came out again and brought me a huge creamy bun.

Thank you so much! This hospitality is simply amazing.

My next stop was Matsuyama, the largest city on the island. Many people had enthusiastically talked about it, but I am generally less interested in cities, especially if they are very touristy. I prefer nature.

Here I mainly wanted to see the Dogo Onsen, which are said to be the oldest in Japan, around 3000 years old.

Well, the building is certainly not that old. I didn’t even go inside because the queue was too long for me.

I liked the nice, quiet campsite just outside the city better. It was one of the many free campsites, situated in a large park by a river. I was able to pitch my tent in a sheltered spot. It was Friday and I wanted to take a rest day, although I was aware that this beautiful place would certainly not stay quiet in this beautiful weather.

On Saturday, my rest day, I was out and about all day: doing laundry, shopping and a visit to an onsen. When I came back, other tents had spread out around my tent. Next to me was a tent with five women. “Oh dear, no more peace and quiet,” I thought. But I was in Japan! The women had decorated everything beautifully with lamps and built a fire in a fire basket, as is customary in Japan. It goes without saying that they weren’t on their bikes.

Nothing has changed in my night’s sleep. The Japanese are simply quiet. It’s also common in Japan to only camp during the day. Some go home to sleep. For me, this is hard to understand.

The famous Shimanami cycle path

Well rested, with fresh clothes and a freshly cleaned and lubricated bike, I started the last part of my Shikoku exploration on Sunday. Although it was Sunday, there was a lot of traffic, but fortunately no trucks.

I reached Imabari in the early afternoon. This is where the first bridge of the Shimanami cycle path begins, probably the most famous cycle path in Japan. Over 70 kilometers, it crosses nine bridges and six islands. There are bike rental stations everywhere, so there was a lot going on on the paths and on the road anyway.

It’s absolutely spectacular what they’ve built there for cyclists. Even with my luggage, I could easily cycle the 40 meters up onto the bridge like on a spiral staircase. There is a wide cycle path on the bridges, from which you have a magnificent view of all the islands.

On a tiny island right at the beginning, Michikajima, there is a campsite – my place for the night.

There were a few other campers there, just men, on bikes or mopeds, because you can’t get to this place by car. However, as usual in Japan, people leave each other their privacy and don’t talk to each other.

The next day, I cycled two more islands, but then left the official route. On Omishima, I cycled halfway around the island. It was so quiet and peaceful. The islands are hardly populated, so there is virtually no traffic, only on the bridges.

Von dort nahm ich die Fähre zu einer anderen Insel, von der aus ich über kleinere Brücken von einer Insel zur nächsten gelangte. Das war eine der schönsten Strecken für mich in Japan.

Dann war ich wieder auf Honshu, in dicht besiedeltem Gebiet, mit viel Verkehr.