Chugoku, Japan · Town / small city, Sea / Beach
A port city with temples stacked up a hillside above the Seto Inland Sea, and the starting point of the Shimanami Kaido, the 70km cycling route that crosses six bridges to Shikoku.
Train — Sanyo Shinkansen to Fukuyama or Mihara, then the local JR Sanyo Line to Onomichi Station (15-20 min); Shin-Onomichi only receives Kodama trains.
🛌 Pure relaxation
A signposted trail linking about twenty temples through steep alleyways with views over the Inland Sea.
A renovated panoramic walkway over the Onomichi strait, with a cantilevered floor and views of the islands and the Shimanami bridges. It is open twenty-four hours, so it works even when the ropeway has closed; the lift only runs from nine to a quarter past five.
A 70km cycling route crossing six bridges over the Seto Inland Sea to Imabari on Shikoku, with bike rental next to the station.
The 19th-century mansion of a shipowning family turned into a contemporary ryokan facing the Yubune sento. It is the quiet luxury option on the islands and usually sells out months ahead.
Neighborhood bathhouse rebuilt in 2021 with tiles painted with island landscapes and a sauna, open to non-guests as well. Note that this is heated water of the sento type, not a thermal spring.
From November 1 to 3, three masked demons move through the city striking children with sticks and canes, which counts as a blessing against illness. It is Onomichi's most singular and least touristed festival.
Forty minutes sailing between islands with a stop at Innoshima, the best way to grasp the geography of the inland sea without pedaling. Bicycles are allowed for a surcharge, which makes it possible to ride the Shimanami one way only.
One of Japan's 100 best cherry blossom spots, with around 1,500 trees tumbling down the slope toward the channel. In early April there is nighttime illumination and queues for the ropeway.
Founded by tradition by Prince Shotoku, with a main hall and two-storey pagoda designated National Treasures, plus a garden and a tea room moved here from Fushimi Palace. It sits at the eastern end of the old town, away from the crowded circuit.
An industrialist built an entire temple on Ikuchijima with replicas of Nikko's Yomei gate and of the Byodoin, plus an underground hell cave that closes earlier than the rest. Above it, 5,000 square metres of white Carrara marble sculpted by Kuetani Itto. It is still an active temple with people at prayer.
A 1963 apartment block mid-slope converted by Bijoy Jain's studio into a hotel, cafe, shop and exhibition space, with hand-dyed earth walls. The lounge and garden are open without staying the night.
For one October night, some 30,000 paper bonbori light the stairways of the 16 temples, the station forecourt and the shopping streets. Confirm the exact date, it is announced at short notice.
A project in which Onomichi locals with real trades, fishermen, boat carpenters and monks, wear the jeans in for a year before they go on sale. Each pair comes with a card naming who wore it and what they do.
A ropeway up to Senkoji Temple and its park lookout, with views over the harbour and the Seto Inland Sea.
Innoshima's summit covered with hundreds of stone figures carved in the early 19th century, with a 360-degree view over the islands. The climb by bike is one of the classic hard ramps of the Shimanami.
A narrow, deep merchant house on Hondori rehabilitated as a guesthouse by the organization that reclaims empty homes on the hillside. You can have something in its cafe without staying there and get a first-hand sense of Onomichi's depopulation problem.
A cobbled stretch by the temple walk decorated with cat-painted stones and real stray cats.
Every two years the Nishiseto Expressway is closed to traffic so that some 7,000 cyclists can ride the main carriageway, on routes of 30 to 140 kilometres. The 2026 edition was on October 25. Registration is compulsory months in advance and that weekend the city runs out of beds.
Museum on the home island of the Silk Road painter, with his travel notebooks and his childhood drawings of the sea. It is a step away from Kosanji.
Beyond ramen, the local larder is Seto octopus, anago conger and tai sea bream from the strong currents. Order them at the counters by the docks and in the houses along Hondori.
Castle-shaped museum devoted to the Murakami, the so-called pirates of the inland sea who controlled these straits between the 14th and 16th centuries, with armor and documents. Closed on Thursdays that are not public holidays.
Onomichi has a dense fabric of tiny counter bars in the alleys between Hondori and the waterfront, many serving Seto produce. It is a small city and people eat early, so start before eight.
Onomichi has natural radium hot spring water right in the centre, walking distance from the station, with a bath open to non-guests too. It is the best possible close to a day of slopes or cycling.
Brewpub inside an old warehouse on Hondori street that brews on site with local produce, including lemons from the islands. It is the liveliest spot downtown in the evening.
Small archive devoted to Onomichi's role as a set for Japanese cinema, with old projectors and production material. It is the natural entry point to the location trail.
Onomichi cotton canvas comes from the port's sailmaking tradition and is now sewn into bags in workshops visible from the street, inside the shopping arcade. Custom orders are possible.
April port festival with an ee-ja-nai-ka dance parade along the shopping street and activities on the quayside. It coincides with the end of the cherry blossom.
A bowl of Onomichi ramen, a light soy-based broth topped with melted pork back fat, at one of the traditional shops near the station.
Official circuit through seven ancient Onomichi temples, with a goshuin book and an amulet specific to each one. It is an orderly way to cover the hillside without getting lost and gives the walk a purpose.
A former dockside warehouse converted into a hotel, bike shop, and cafes for cyclists, right by the start of the Shimanami Kaido.
Onomichi is the city of Ozu's Tokyo Story and of Obayashi Nobuhiko's trilogy, including The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Many shots are still recognizable on the docks, in the Jodoji cemetery and on the hillside stairways.
You enter beneath a pair of straw waraji over 2 metres long hanging from the gate, an offering for healthy legs. The hillside grounds are the largest in Onomichi and hold a three-storey pagoda at the very top.
The highest point of the island opposite, taking in the Innoshima bridge, the Tatara bridge and dozens of islets in a single view. Reached by car or by pedaling hard from the ferry.
The 14th-century three-storey pagoda framing the strait is the city's most reproduced postcard, and it sits right on the path down from the ropeway. Below, the temple holds 500 rakan figures.
Onomichi is the logistical base for the Shimanami and has both the public terminal system, which since 2023 charges neither a deposit nor a surcharge for returning the bike on another island, and brand shops with bike fitting and e-bikes. Book ahead in high season.
A stroll down Hondori shopping street, with retro shops, century-old cafes, and the covered market through the old town.
The whole island works as an exhibition space, with contemporary sculptures installed at the water's edge, in squares and along country lanes. It is covered by bicycle and combines with the central stage of the Shimanami.
Innoshima is the birthplace of the hassaku citrus, and here a whole segment goes inside a mochi with white bean paste. It sounds odd and works very well after a climb.
Paddling among shipyards and under the bridges gives a view of the channel you cannot get from the hillside. Tidal currents are strong, so guided trips only.
From the far shore you see the cranes and the hulls under construction lit up at night over the black water of the channel. The ferry from the station crosses in five minutes and the return is just as easy.
The city has an unusual density of cafes in rehabilitated old houses, with Onomichi pudding and lemon ice cream from the islands as the specialties. It works as a break halfway up the slope.
A museum inside Senkoji Park with collections of modern Japanese art and temporary exhibitions.
A crossing on one of the small local ferries that cross the Onomichi Strait to Mukaishima Island in just a few minutes.
Bungaku no Komichi, a path with more than twenty stones engraved with quotes from writers connected to Onomichi.
Resort on a headland above the inland sea on the outskirts, with a spa, restaurants and sailing trips. It is the full-disconnection option for anyone who would rather not fight the city's slopes.
Long west-facing beach on the island that produces more lemons than anywhere in Japan, with open-air sculptures scattered along the coast. Setoda ice cream and lemonade are the obvious edible souvenir.
Small shrine on an island linked to Mukaishima by a bridge, with a beach and a torii standing on the sand. It is the setting of a famous scene in Obayashi's films.
The series Kamichu is set almost shot for shot in 1980s Onomichi, with its stairways, its ferry and its shrines. It is one of the first documented seichi junrei in Japan and still has a following.
Shipbuilding is the industry that sustains these islands, and some yards open their slipways and dry docks to arranged visits. It has to be organized in advance and is not always available.
Innoshima and Ikuchijima have calm sandy beaches without surf, ideal for breaking up a cycling day with children. In July and August they are lifeguarded.
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