How Do You Get to Onomichi by Shinkansen, Train, Bus and Airport Shuttle?

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to reach Onomichi, the port town in Hiroshima Prefecture that is the western starting point of the Shimanami Kaido cycling route. It uses the transport and terminal pages of Visit Shimanami, the English site run by Shimanami Japan, the company that operates the area's rental bicycles. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Fares and timetables are mostly not listed there, so check them before you travel.

The short answer

Visit Shimanami says the most convenient way to reach Onomichi is by train. Onomichi is about 80 km east of Hiroshima City and about 120 km west of Osaka, and it has its own JR station with the rental cycle terminal a short walk away.

By train

The site gives two options:

1. Shinkansen to Fukuyama Station, then a local train to Onomichi Station (about 20 minutes). Fukuyama is about 1 hour 5 minutes from Shin-Osaka and about 23 minutes from Hiroshima.
2. Shinkansen to Shin-Onomichi Station (about 35 minutes), then about 10 minutes by taxi or 15 minutes by bus to Onomichi Station.

It adds that not every Shinkansen train stops at Fukuyama or Shin-Onomichi.

By bus

The page lists overnight Willer buses toward Hiroshima from Kyoto Station, Osaka Umeda and Tokyo Shinjuku to Higashi-Fukuyama Station, from where it is about 25 minutes by local train to Onomichi. It also lists a highway bus of about 90 minutes from Hiroshima.

From Hiroshima Airport

• A bus to Fukuyama Station (about 1 hour 5 minutes), then a local train of about 20 minutes.
• An airport shuttle to Shiraichi Station, then about 50 minutes by local train.
• The Onomichi Airport Liner, a shared taxi that, from 1 November 2025, connects Hiroshima Airport and JR Onomichi Station in about 50 minutes. Visit Shimanami lists 6 departures each way every day, 4,000 yen per person one way, free for children below school age, with online reservation.

From Shikoku

There is no direct transport between Onomichi and Imabari at the other end of the Shimanami Kaido. The easiest way is the highway bus between Imabari and Fukuyama, followed by about 20 minutes by local train from Fukuyama to Onomichi. From Matsuyama the page gives 1 to 2 hours, and from Takamatsu about 2 hours 20 minutes. A ferry also runs from Onomichi Port to Setoda Port on Ikuchijima Island, about 40 minutes.

The cycle terminal next to the station

The Onomichi Station Rental Cycle terminal opened as the new starting point. According to the site it has around 350 bikes for rent each day, an assembly area and a relaxation area open to everyone, English-speaking staff, and luggage forwarding. The rental FAQ says to leave the station by the south exit, turn right and walk about 130 meters.

Crossing to Mukaishima

The Mukaishima page of Visit Shimanami says the channel between the Onomichi waterfront and Mukaishima is only 200 to 300 meters wide, and the most convenient ferry for visitors leaves from the jetty at Onomichi Port. The fare is 100 yen per person and 10 yen per bicycle. It is collected during the short crossing and only in cash, so the page recommends having the correct change ready.

Other ways onto the islands

The transport page also lists routes that avoid the Onomichi end:

• Overnight ferry from Nanko Ferry Terminal in Osaka to Toyo Port on Shikoku, about 20 km east of Imabari.
• Kodama Shinkansen from Osaka or Hiroshima to Mihara Station, then a ferry from Mihara Port, 350 meters from the station, to Ikina Island on the Yumeshima Kaido.
• Ferries between Habu Port on Innoshima and the islands of Iwagi and Ikina, and from Sakari Port on Omishima to Okunoshima (Rabbit Island), about 15 minutes.

English ferry information is available on a smartphone at the site the page names, kashoki.jp.

Plan to arrive early

The rental page says reservations are highly recommended and that bikes can run out around 10:00 in the middle of a long holiday. If you want to ride on your arrival day, plan an early train.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Fares for the trains and buses, which the page does not list.
• Current bus timetables.
• Whether the airport shuttle still runs on the date you travel.

Related guides

• What is Onomichi? Temples, cats and a walk up the hillside
• How do you rent a bike for the Shimanami Kaido in Onomichi? Prices, terminals and the Cycle Ship

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Transport (Visit Shimanami) — (train, bus, airport)
2. New Onomichi Station Cycle Terminal (Visit Shimanami) — (terminal and Airport Liner)
3. Bike rental (Visit Shimanami) — (terminal location)