Onomichi

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.

The essentials

Getting there

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.

Frequently asked questions about Onomichi

What to do in Onomichi: 50 activities

• Hillside Temple Walk 2.5 h must-see

  A signposted trail linking about twenty temples through steep alleyways with views over the Inland Sea. Do not confuse it with the Onomichi Shichibutsu Meguri, which is the official seven-temple circuit with its stamp book: they are two different things. The stairways are the street where elderly residents live, with washing lines and yards a hand's breadth from the path: no drones, no photographing interiors, and quiet from dusk onwards.

• PEAK viewing deck at the summit of Senkoji 1 h must-see

  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.

• Shimanami Kaido cycling route 6 h must-see

  A 70km cycling route crossing six bridges over the Seto Inland Sea to Imabari on Shikoku, with bike rental next to the station. The city council explicitly asks cyclists to reach Mukaishima by ferry and not over the Onomichi bridge, which has a narrow carriageway and heavy traffic. The blue line painted on the road surface is a guide, not a dedicated lane: the road is shared with residents, lorries and schoolchildren. Public rental no longer charges a deposit or a surcharge for returning the bike at a different terminal.

• A night at Azumi Setoda 14 h booking Ikuchijima (Setoda) · 45 min

  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.

• Bathing at the Setoda sento Yubune 1.5 h Ikuchijima (Setoda) · 45 min

  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.

• Betcha Matsuri 3 h only 1-3 Nov

  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.

• Fast ferry from Onomichi to Setoda 0.75 h

  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.

• Hanami in Senkoji Park 2 h only blossom from late March to April

  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.

• Jodoji Temple, National Treasure 1 h

  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.

• Kosanji and the Miraishin no Oka marble hill 2.5 h Ikuchijima (Setoda) · 45 min

  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.

• LOG, hotel and gallery on the hillside 1.5 h

  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.

• Onomichi Akari Matsuri, the city of paper lanterns 2.5 h only one night in October

  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.

• Onomichi Denim Shop 1 h

  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.

• Senkoji Temple and Ropeway 1.5 h

  A ropeway up to Senkoji Temple and the lookout in the park of the same name, with views over the harbour and the Seto Inland Sea. It is not a funicular but a suspended-cabin ropeway, the Senkojiyama Ropeway, a three-minute ride costing 500 yen one way or 700 yen return. It is still running in 2026, with several days of suspension for maintenance in December; when it is closed, the PEAK viewing terrace at the top can still be reached on foot, twenty-four hours a day.

• Shiratakiyama and the 700 rakan 2 h Innoshima · 35 min

  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.

• Anago no Nedoko and the abandoned-house project 1.5 h

  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.

• Cat Alley (Neko no Hosomichi) 1 h

  A cobbled stretch by the temple walk decorated with cat-painted stones and real stray cats. The cats are community animals, chiiki-neko, plus three house cats from Neko no Rakuen, and there is no guarantee of seeing any. They should not be fed, because it undermines the way the programme is run, nor chased, picked up or photographed with flash. The one hundred and eight lucky stone cats are the work of local artist Sonoyama Shunji and are not to be touched or moved.

• Cycling Shimanami, the expressway closed to traffic 8 h booking lottery only one Sunday in late October

  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.

• Hirayama Ikuo Museum 1.5 h Ikuchijima (Setoda) · 45 min

  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.

• Inland sea seafood in Onomichi 1.5 h

  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.

• Innoshima Suigun Castle 1.5 h Innoshima · 30 min

  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.

• Izakaya and counter-bar crawl in the old town 2.5 h

  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.

• Natural hot spring bath by Onomichi station 1.5 h

  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.

• Onomichi Brewery, craft beer in an 1894 warehouse 1.5 h

  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.

• Onomichi Film Museum 1 h

  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 Hanpu canvas workshop 1 h

  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.

• Onomichi Minato Matsuri 3 h only one weekend in April

  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.

• Onomichi ramen 1 h

  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.

• Onomichi Shichibutsu Meguri, seven temples with stamps 4 h

  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.

• Onomichi U2 1 h

  A former dockside warehouse converted into a hotel, bike shop, and cafes for cyclists, right by the start of the Shimanami Kaido.

• Ozu and Obayashi location trail 2.5 h

  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.

• Saikokuji Temple and its giant sandals 1 h

  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.

• Takamiyama viewpoint on Mukaishima 1.5 h Mukaishima · 20 min

  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.

• Tenneiji Pagoda and the classic Onomichi view 0.75 h

  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.

• Bike rental and fitting at a specialist shop 1 h booking

  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.

• Hondori shopping street 1 h

  A stroll down Hondori shopping street, with retro shops, century-old cafes, and the covered market through the old town.

• Ikuchijima open-air museum 3 h Ikuchijima (Setoda) · 45 min

  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 hassaku daifuku 0.5 h Innoshima · 30 min

  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.

• Kayak or SUP in the Onomichi strait 2.5 h booking

  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.

• Night view of the shipyards from Mukaishima 1.5 h Mukaishima · 15 min

  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.

• Onomichi cafes and sweets 1 h

  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.

• Onomichi City Museum of Art 1 h

  A museum inside Senkoji Park with collections of modern Japanese art and temporary exhibitions. It is the work of Tadao Ando and stands inside Senkoji Park. It is also famous for the cats trying to come in through the main door and ushered out again by the staff, a viral phenomenon now part of its identity.

• Onomichi Strait local ferry 0.5 h

  A crossing on one of the small local ferries that cross the Onomichi Strait to Mukaishima Island in just a few minutes. WARNING: the Fukumoto Tosen, the cheapest and the most photographed, shut down for good on 31 March 2025 after one hundred and thirty-five years. Still operating are the Ekimae Tosen, from the station forecourt to Tomihama, around one hundred yen plus ten for a bicycle and a five-minute crossing, and the Onomichi Tosen, which takes cars. These were everyday transport infrastructure, not an attraction, and the same pressure now falls on the two routes still left.

• Path of Literature 1 h

  Bungaku no Komichi, a path with more than twenty stones engraved with quotes from writers connected to Onomichi.

• Sea retreat at Bella Vista Spa and Marina 14 h booking Onomichi (afueras) · 30 min

  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.

• Setoda Sunset Beach and the lemon groves of Ikuchijima 1.5 h Ikuchijima (Setoda) · 50 min

  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.

• Itsukushima Shrine on Iwashijima island 1 h Mukaishima · 25 min

  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.

• Kamichu anime pilgrimage in Onomichi 2 h

  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.

• Setoda shipyard visit 2 h booking Ikuchijima (Setoda) · 45 min

  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.

• Swimming and picnics on the island beaches 2.5 h

  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.

What only happens on specific dates

• Hanami in Senkoji Park blossom from late March to April
• Onomichi Minato Matsuri one weekend in April
• Onomichi Akari Matsuri, the city of paper lanterns one night in October
• Cycling Shimanami, the expressway closed to traffic one Sunday in late October
• Betcha Matsuri 1-3 Nov

Chains well with

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