How Do You Rent a Bike for the Shimanami Kaido in Onomichi? Prices, Terminals and the Cycle Ship

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

This guide is for visitors who want to cycle part or all of the Shimanami Kaido, the island-hopping cycling road between Onomichi and Imabari, starting from Onomichi. It uses the bike rental, beginner's guide and Cycle Ship pages of Visit Shimanami, the English site of the rental operator Shimanami Japan. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Prices are tax included, as listed on the site.

The short answer

The Shimanami Kaido is about 70 km one way from Imabari Station to Onomichi Station, and the site says the course is relatively flat. Beginners and slower riders should allow up to 10 hours for the full route and start early. Many visitors ride only part of it and take the ferry back.

Bikes and prices (per calendar day)

• Cross bike or city cycle: 3,000 yen (children aged 12 and under 1,000 yen). Multi-day rental allowed.
• Kids bike: 1,000 yen for ages 12 and under.
• Battery-assisted bicycle: 4,000 yen for adults. With a child seat also 4,000 yen.
• Tandem: 4,000 yen, same-day return to the same terminal.
• E-bike: 8,000 yen for adults, one-day rental only, rider over 145 cm. The site gives a range of 200 km in Eco mode, 110 km in Auto and 80 km in Power.
• Helmets: free for customers, and wearing one on the Shimanami Kaido is required.

Terminals and hours

There are ten terminals, and you can drop a bike at any of them. On the Onomichi side they are No. 1 Onomichi Station, No. 2 Mukaishima, No. 3 Innoshima and Nos. 4 and 5 on Ikuchijima (Setoda). The Imabari side has Omishima, Hakatajima, Oshima and two terminals in Imabari. Onomichi Station opens at 8:00 and closes at 19:00 (18:00 from December to February); the island terminals listed open 9:00 to 17:00. You must return a bike within the terminal's hours or an extra fee is charged.

Reservations and the day-of risk

Reservations are not mandatory but highly recommended. Spring and autumn, Golden Week and mid-August are busy. The FAQ says bikes can run out around 10:00 in the middle of a long holiday, and the site says electrically assisted bicycles tend to run out quickly, even on weekdays.

Getting back from the far end

If you ride on to Imabari, the FAQ says to take the Shimanami Liner highway bus to Fukuyama Station (no reservation needed) and a local train to Onomichi, or the bus to Innoshima Ohashi Bridge and a local bus to Onomichi Station. Same-day luggage delivery between participating hotels is available through a courier service.

The Cycle Ship in autumn 2026

Visit Shimanami has a special page for the Cycle Ship, a roll-on, roll-off ferry that carries bicycles without dismantling them. It says the Onomichi to Imabari route returns for the first time in 26 years, but on only 16 days in autumn 2026: 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18 and 31 October, and 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29 November. There is no service on 24 and 25 October. On Sunday 18 October from 8:00 to 11:00 all vehicles, including bicycles, are prohibited on Hakatajima because of a triathlon. A one-day Shimanami Cruising Pass allows unlimited use of all routes that day, and bicycles rented from an affiliated shop receive a 500 yen discount when you show the receipt or sticker. Because these dates end in November, this part of the guide will need updating after that.

Insurance, payment and rules

The operator says it arranges insurance for hospitalization after an unexpected accident during ordinary use, up to 4,500 yen per day, and that outpatient treatment is not covered, so it advises larger coverage at your own cost if you want it. Its rules include riding on the left, wearing a helmet, not cycling at night, taking care on the steep ramps from the bridges, and not loading a rental bike onto JR trains, buses, cars or taxis. The page lists many electronic payment brands in addition to cash.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Cycle Ship fares and the sailing times, which are in images or tables we could not read as text.
• Whether bikes are available on a given day.
• Weather and wind on the bridges.

Related guides

• How do you get to Onomichi by Shinkansen, train, bus and airport shuttle?
• What is Onomichi? Temples, cats and a walk up the hillside

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Bike rental (Visit Shimanami) — (bikes, prices, terminals, FAQ)
2. A beginner's guide to Shimanami Kaido (Visit Shimanami) — (route length, blue line)
3. Cycle Ship (Visit Shimanami) — (autumn 2026 sailings)