Travelogue

April 15, 2013

2004 April 11-14th Shikoku Ride

Filed under: Shikoku — admin @ 11:21 AM

Day 1 – Tokyo – Onimachi – Innoshima – Ikuchijima – Imabasi – Oboke-Koboke – Night stay in Awa kawaguchi

Distance – 1026 kms

As usual this ride was not planned in advance. around 2:00pm in afternoon i got 3 days off and decided to hit shikoku. i had 4 days in hand. deciding to make the most i left early as usual in april 11th morning.

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Tested out the new ADVmonster LEDs first time on the expressway, really bright and improves visibility a lot. Lot more car and trucks were willing to give me a pass with these LEDs turned on.

Quite uneventful ride all the way on Tomei and Meishin however cops began to show up Sanyo onwards.

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I was quite surprised this time it didnt rain over me :) From San-yo I got down at Onimachi and headed towards the small Islands. Onimachi bridge, first of many to come shortly

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Plan was to circle around the islands between mainland and imabari in shikoku so i Got down from the toll road and started circling the Island.

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Quite a lot of very old houses here

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Not sure these are but found them pretty much every where on the Island.

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Still Sakura here!

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Quite a lot of small islands and I was surprised so see most showing some signs of inhibition, shrine gates being most common.
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Just cruising along the sea, it started getting cloudy now

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Big bridges connecting these islands on the way to imabari

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More bridges as I cross the islands and circle around the islands

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Nice view from the bridges. After circling about three islands I got bored and headed to imabari. It finally started raining quite hard and stalled me at imabari SAnformaout an hour. Having no firm plan I looked at my options and decided to cover oboke koboke and place myself well to have a good start the following day.

Heading inland some views as I rode along the ravine

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I wanted to atek the best possible photos of the river and kept looking for a good spot. Found a small bridge which i didnt realize was a train track first, descended some 50 meters, then realized it was a bridge merging in to a tunnel. Dumbly enough I started walking on it  untill i heard a huge rumbling, ran back just in time to miss the train, gave up the idea right there, I love photography but I chose life…!

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More rustic bridges

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If there is something bikes lust for I think this is it :)

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Oboke

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More bridge

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Koboke

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Day 1 GPS track in Shikoko

finally I decided to call it a day and checked in a Business hotel

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Day 2 – Awa Kawaguchi – Route 194 – 56-197 – 56 Cape Komomisaki – Asabaezaki – Cape Ashizukimisaki – Night stay in Shimanto-Shi

Distance – 498 kms

This was going to be a day of twisties and coastal ride. Took a 6:30 am start. Day opened up well and weather was very good. route 194 is a must do route in shikoku!


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More bike lust

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and more bike lust

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and more!

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Would be very tempted to jump in if it was summer…

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I still see them before they see me :) !

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Surprised at how nimble the Yamaha is even on these backroads!

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Couldnt understand why you got to push your truck on ricks if you were going to dump it anyway….

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Almost looked like a samurai suit from distance

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Finally i hit a police car ahead of me, this dude kept me in check for almost 15 kms…

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The coastal route

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A drifter, although very shy guy…

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Cape  Koumomisaki

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The rectangles …

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And the circles….. to Asabezaki (the far island in picture, you cant reach the tip by road)

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Couldnt read this one but thought it worth a picture…

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Finally Cape Ashizurimisaki

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Continuing on route 55 towards Kochi

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Finally its time to call it a day….

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Satisfied, I checked out in yet another Business hotel. Tomorrow is going to a long day.

Day 2 GPS track

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Day 3 – Shimanto Shi – Route 441-381-56-195-193-55-Cape Murotozaki-Route 55-Night stay in Kochi

Distance – 498 kms

6:30 AM start again as this was going to be a long day with mostly twisties and coastel route again. I also wanted to place myself optimally at the end of the day to be able to blast thru’ highway to home the following (and the last) day

Navi got confused quite quickly and wanted to take me here. After a quick run I gave up and turned back to tarmac

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Early morning nature..

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Quick stop for breakfast. see how I got a double reflection in this picture!

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Route 195…. you got to do it…!

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195 to 193 and then to 55 which is coastal, not sure what these people were cleaning or picking up….

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Occassionally good scenary along 55 down west but mostly it is plain…

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Just before Cape Murotozaki

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and two ancient cave temples

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Finally Cape Murotozaki

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Continuing from here I headed back towards kochi, checked in to a Business hotel, eat and slept early

Day 3 GPS track

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Day 4 – Kochi-Tokyo

Distance – 766 kms

Was home sick and missing my daughters already. Plus it was going to rain in Wakayama and eastern shikoku area in afternoon. To esacape both I woke up at 2:45 and left hotel at 3:30. Was quite nice and warm all the way along. Apart from geting lost and getting stuck on inner city loop in Nagoya area I had a blast on highway.

Shot of Fuji from Shin tomei

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Made just in time around 11:30 AM

Total Distance – 2,788 kms

GPS track

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