Powerful! Experience the rapids of the Kurushima Straits The first island we visited on this tour was Oshima, off the coast of Imabari. Oshima is one of the islands through which the Setouchi Shimanami Kaido (Setouchi Shimanami Sea Route) runs, connecting Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, and Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture. The main attraction of Oshima is the Kurushima Straits. Along with Naruto Straits and Kanmon Straits, Kurushima Kaikyo is known as one of the “Three Great Tidal Currents of Japan. During high tides, the currents can reach speeds of up to 10 knots per hour. Ten knots per hour is about 19 kilometers per hour, which is close to the speed of pedaling a bicycle as fast as you can. The tidal currents are quite severe for boats traveling through the Kurushima Straits, and many maritime accidents have occurred, making the straits one of the most difficult places to sail in Japan. For this reason, a special navigation method, known as “Jun-chu-gakusai,” which changes course depending on the tidal currents, has been established only for the Kurushima Straits. The “Shimanami Kurushima Kaikyo Pleasure Boat” allows visitors to experience the rapid currents of the Kurushima Kaikyo Straits up close by sightseeing boat. Departing from the Oshima pier, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea, including the Kurushima archipelago and the magnificent Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, which is 4.1 km long, on the calm waters characteristic of the Seto Inland Sea. In particular, the ability to enjoy the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, which consists of three suspension bridges, from directly below while passing under the bridge from a boat is a unique attraction of a sightseeing boat. It is a different and more powerful experience than crossing the suspension bridges by car or seeing them from the observation deck at the foot of the bridge. While enjoying the scenery, we arrived at the Nakatotoshima area, a spot for rapid currents. The area around Nakatotoshima Island is very powerful in its own right, with white waves and whirling currents, and the water seeming to rise up from below, lifting the surface of the water. The boat also enters a swift current, and in the midst of the swift current, the boat stops the engine and lets itself be carried along by the current. At first I was a little scared, but the rocking was not as big as I thought it would be. However, it was very powerful to experience the rapid current itself, with the boat spinning in circles and being swept along at a considerable speed. Next, we will proceed to Hashihama Bay around the shipbuilding yards that line the coast of Imabari City. In this area, which is crowded with shipbuilders whose names are well-known throughout the world, visitors can observe from the sea large ships under construction or calling at port for maintenance. There is no other area where so many shipyards of this size are lined up, so we found this to be a very interesting view as well. The tour then ended with a visit to Kurushima Island, from which the Kurushima Strait takes its name, and a small island with wartime legacies such as a military fortress built in the Meiji era (1868-1912), when the Russo-Japanese War broke out, and a battery of 28cm howitzers. The boat cruise is a great way to enjoy the rapid currents as well as the local scenery, historical buildings, and heritage sites, but another attraction of the boat is the light-hearted talk of the tour guide. The guide will explain in detail, sometimes with jokes, about the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, the surrounding islands, the Murakami pirates, the shipyards around Kurushima, and other sights, regional characteristics, attractions, and history. Of course, just looking at and experiencing the scenery and the rapid currents is enough to keep one busy, but together with the light-hearted talk, the 45-minute cruise flew by in a blur. The Shimanami Kurushima Kaikyo sightseeing boat can be accessed by bus from Imabari. It is also a good idea to stop by on your way cycling across the Shimanami Kaido. You can experience a different kind of intensity from the observatory, so if you are interested, why not stop by?
Enjoying seafood barbecue at Michi no Eki Yoshiumi Iki-iki Kan (Roadside Station) After enjoying the Shimanami Kurushima Kaikyo sightseeing boat, it was just time for lunch at the nearby “Michi no Eki Yoshiumi Iki-iki Kan”. Roadside Station Yoshiumi Iki-Ikiikan is certified as a “food culture museum” by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. A food culture museum is a facility that systematically disseminates regionally rooted food culture or food culture in a specific field, or provides learning and experience of food culture. The main attraction of Yoshiumi Iki-Ikiikan is its food. Here, visitors can enjoy a seven-ring seafood barbecue featuring local seafood. This time, we enjoyed a set menu that included clams, turban shells, squid, and prawns, but the museum has a fish tank with seafood for barbecue, and you can freely choose your own ingredients. The seafood available changes with the seasons, so you can enjoy different tastes each time you visit. In addition, not only seafood but also meat is available, so those who do not like seafood can also feel at ease. The most appealing feature of the restaurant is that you can grill the seafood yourself on a shichirin, which is a very dynamic way to eat seafood. Unlike the pre-broiled seafood brought to your table, the taste of the seafood you eat while experiencing it is exceptional. This set also came with Matsuyama-style tai meshi rice as rice. Although not freshly cooked, the Matsuyama-style tai rice cooked with tai was superb, with the flavor of tai soaking into each grain of rice, and I devoured it in one gulp. Both the seafood and the tai rice exceeded my expectations, and I felt very satisfied even with the set menu. Of course, if you choose your favorite seafood from the fish tank, your enjoyment and satisfaction will be further enhanced. In addition to the seafood barbecue, Yoshiumi Iki-Ikiikan also has a restaurant, a snack corner, and a souvenir corner. The snack corner offers a variety of Ehime-style burgers, such as the Tai Katsu Burger and Jako Katsu Burger, as well as soft-serve ice cream, such as island lemon soft-serve ice cream and mikan soft-serve ice cream, which are also typical of Ehime. Even if you are not that hungry, you will be able to fully enjoy Ehime’s unique flavor with the burgers and soft-serve ice cream. Speaking of the Shimanami Kaido, cycle tourism is also available. Yoshiumi Iki-Ikiikan is also equipped with a bicycle parking lot for cyclists, making it a great place to stop by during your cycling tour. In fact, many cyclists were having lunch and taking a break on the day of the tour, so it must be a regular spot. We also felt that the facility had enough charm to make it worth the trouble of stopping by.
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