San'yo - possible routes

Ferry Excursion to Inushima ⇒ 2 days, 50 km

• Access: 
• With Shinkansen to Okayama Station

• Day 1: Okayama to Hoden Port and on to the ferry ⇒ 1 day, 25 km
• See Garmin OKA Okayama - HodenPort
• flat with 1 hill of 50 m just before arriving to the port
• Ferry  from Hoden port to Inushima
• Attractions
• Inushima art project
• Accommodation:
• Inushima (there seem to be 3 possibilities)
• Day 2: Return to Okayama ⇒ 1 day, 25 km
• See Garmin OKA Okayama - HodenPort
• flat with 1 hill of 50 m just before arriving to the port
• Ferry from Inushima to Hoden port
• Attractions:
• Garden in Okayama, one of the 3 best in Japan
• Reconstructed castle
• Accommodation:
• Okayama

Okayama, Kibi Plain and Kurashiki ⇒ 1 day, 40 or 58 km

• Access:
• With Shinkansen to Okayama Station
• See Garmin OKA Okayama - Kibi - Kurashiki
• practically flat
• 40 km if until Kurashiki, 58 km if coming back to Okayama
• Further details on this route:
• http://www.kancycling.com/Okayama_International_Villas/Okayama_Villa_Route.html
• Detailed route: http://cycle-guide.panasonic.jp/special/yamahon/85.do
• Overview map, with attractions: http://www.city.soja.okayama.jp/data/open/cnt/3/5904/1/map_2.jpg 
• 2 more official cycle routes on hardly readable maps:
• http://www.mlit.go.jp/road/road/bicycle/road/pdf/103.pdf
• http://www.mlit.go.jp/road/road/bicycle/road/pdf/104.pdf
• Attractions
• Kibi plain
• Kibitsujinja 吉備津神社 Shrine
• Tsukuriyama-kofun 造山古墳 burrial mound
• Bitchu Kokubunji　備中国分寺
• Iyama Hofuku-ji 井山宝福寺
• Kurashiki nice small town
• Accommodation
• Kurashiki
• Okayama
• Or a "villa"? 
• Access:
• Okayama Shinkansen station
• Or Shin Kurashiki Shinkansen station

Before Shimanami Kaido,  Fukuyama - Tomonoura - Onomichi  ⇒ 1 day,  43 km (or less)

• Access
• Shinkansen Fukuyama
• See Garmin HIR Fukuyama - Tomonoura - Onomichi
• essentially flat, except one steep 100 m hill right after Tomonoura
• Attractions:
• Tomonoura , small port town
• Accommodation:
• Onomichi
• Mukoujima
• Access:
• Either by bike on to Onomichi and from there on the Shimanami Kaido
• Or with a ferry either to Onomichi or directly to Mukoujima, first island on the Shimanami Kaido
• From Tomonoura to Onomichi (weekend only, expensive, 2 boots per day)
• From Tsuneishi to Utaura (4 per day)
• From Tosaki to Utaura (daily, apparently many)

Onomichi to Takehara  ⇒ 1 day,  38 km 

• Access: Alternatively one can go from Onomichi by train to Takehara (1:15 h, one change)
• See Garmin HIR Onomichi - Takehara
• flat, except one 50 m hill
• potentially the traffic could be quite heavy along the coast
• Recommended here: http://cycle-guide.panasonic.jp/special/yamahon/96.do
• Attractions
• Takehara, nice old city
• Access: 
• Train from Takehara to Hiroshima

Miyajima and Iwakuni ⇒ 2 days,  35 km 

• Access: 
• Onomichi - Miyajima Guchi Station: 2h (1 transfer)
• Shin-Onomichi - Miyajima Guchi Station: 1:20 h (1 transfer)

• Day 1: Miyajima ⇒ 1 day,  0 km 
• Arrival by train and ferry
• Attractions:
• Miyajima (UNESCO World Heritage) island with tori in the sea
• Festivals 23/Oct, 3/Nov, 8/Nov, 15/Nov, 18 - 26/Nov, 23/Nov
• Accommodation:
• Ideally on Miyajima or back on land
• Day 2: Miyajima to Iwakuni (Shinkansen Station) ⇒ 1 day,  35 km 
• See Garmin HIR Miyajima - Iwakuni
• some slight up and down, max 25 m
• potentially the traffic along the coast could be quite heavy
• Attractions:
• Iwakuni, picturesque bridge & rebuilt castle
• Accommodation
• Iwakuni or next destination
• Access
• Shin-Iwakuni to Kitakyushu (Kokura): 1:10 h, direct Shinkansen

Yamaguchi

• Currently not planning to go there, but there are 3 cycle roads around Yamaguchi:
• http://www.mlit.go.jp/road/road/bicycle/road/pdf/108.pdf
• http://www.mlit.go.jp/road/road/bicycle/road/pdf/109.pdf
• http://www.mlit.go.jp/road/road/bicycle/road/pdf/110.pdf

San'in - possible routes

A long tour along the entire San'in coast from Miyazu to Hagi ⇒ 7-10 days, ~ 300 km (+ train)

• Access:
• From Kyoto: Direct express train from Kyoto station to Miyazu (1:45 h)
• From Fukui: Fastest through Kyoto (3:40 h), one change. There are other options with more changes / more time including options along the San'in coast.
• See Garmin  SAN Tottori - Hagi overview
• max 200 m elevation, but some up and down
• Along the entire coast there are train lines that can "fast forward" you to the next place to visit. The trains are slow and often local trains. 

• Day 1: Amanohashidate beach & Ine ⇒ 1 day,  50 km, round course
• See Garmin SAN Miyazu
• flat, but some up and down towards Ine, max 40 m
• There is a bicycle lane around the bay
• There is also an other tour around the bay suggested
• Attractions:
• Amanohashidate beach
• Ine fisher village
• Accommodation:
• Amanohashidate
• Day 2: Miyazu through Kinosakionsen to Tottori  by train ⇒ 1 day,  0 km
• Train: 
• Miyazu - Kinosakionsen: 1:45 h - 2 h, at least one change of trains
• Kinosakionsen - Tottori: 2 h, direct or one change
• Attractions
• Kinosaki Onsen
• Tottori
• Sand dunes
• Temple
• Castle
• There is a tour inland from Tottori
• Accommodation:
• Tottori
• Day 3 - 5/6 : Tottori to Izumo Taisha ⇒ 3 - 4 days,  190 km
• See Garmin SAN Tottori - Izumo
• Max elevation 80 m
• Between km 10 and 30 quite some up and down
• Between km 60 and 70 also some up and down
• The rest quite flat
• Cycle lanes
• There might be a bike lane from Matsusaka Station to Yabase, but on this map from over 10 years ago, it seemed not quite finished yet.
• Before Matsue, there is a bicycle road from Higashiyama Koen Station to Sakaiminato (also here in a better readable map). This is currently not considered for this route. 
• From Matsue along the Shinji lake (better readable map here) and onwards to Izumo Taisha (better readable map here) there are two long and connected cycle roads. They have been considered. 
• Link to cycling courses around Matsue: here There is even one that crosses from Izumo to Onomichi. 
• And also here. and here. GPX files for e.g. Garmin are downloadable 
• Giant has also a rental outlet in Matsue and provides some suggested tours in the region: https://bicyclerental.jp/en/course/
• Along the entire coast there is also a train line
• A unique train service by Ichibata Electric train also allows "nude" bicycles on the train. 
• Attractions
• Tottori
• Matsue
• Castle
• Adachi Museum of Art (with a garden)
• Garden
• Old City
• Izumo
• Izumo Taisha 
• In November shrine festival
• Old train station
• Accommodation
• Tottori (km 0)
• Kurayoshi (km 40)
• Yonago (km 90)
• Matsue (km 135)
• Izumo (km 187)
• Day 7 - 10: Izumo to Hagi, with possible stops in Iwami Ginzan and Tsuwano ⇒ 2 - 3 days, 60  km or 0 km (by train/bus)
• By bike quite some up and down ... 
• See Garmin SAN Izumo - Hagi
• ... so probably better by train
• By train one can also pass through Tsuwano 
• Izumooshi - Hagi, 3 - 5 h, 1 change
• Izumooshi - Tsuwano, 2:20 h, direct train
• Tsuwano - Hagi
• From Odashi Station, there is also a bus up to Iwami Ginzan
• See Garmin SAN Izumo - Odashi
• 34 km, 1 x 100 m
• See Garmin SAN IwamiGinzan - Odashi (could potentially also be made up hill)
• 13 km, gradually to 170 m elevation
• Attractions
• Iwami Ginzan, silver mines (UNESCO World Heritage)
• Tsuwano (nice town in the mountains)
• Hagi (UNESCO World Heritage)
• Old Town
• Temples
• Shrines
• Accommodations
• Odashi
• Tsuwano
• Hagi

• Access
• Hagi to Fukuoka, 2 h, bus & shinkansen
• Hagi to Shin-Iwakuni, 2:30 h, bus & shinkansen
• Hagi to Hiroshima, 2:40 h, bus & shinkansen