mapping onomichi

map girls inc.

it’s the inaugural post. this post will go down in history as the turning point in travel literature. you are witnessing it here. today (or whenever you read this) on this blog.

i am sure there is someone who has been making public maps like this for ages. and to them all i can say is: you are the true pioneer. i salute thee, fellow like minded adventurer. together we shall bring upon the internet a new era of travelology.

what am i talking about?

i want people to stop writing regular itineraries and “top 10 thing to do in…” articles.

i want us to start making maps.

i’ll go first.

this post is the travel companion to this map:

about my trip

part 1: the shimanami kaido

i talk about this at great length in my previous post here.

part 2: onomichi centre

after my bike ride and the next day, i mainly explored central onomichi.
i visited the vast majority of the points in onomichi in this time.
make sure you check the opening hours because some shops are closed midweek.
i had a lengthy conversation with the person who runs the cafe in the renovated independent shop complex. they gave me the vast majority of pins in the city. all the independent stores were basically their recommendation. i am extremely grateful we had that conversation. it was very informative!
i travelled the whole town on foot, except for riding down the ropeway once.

part 3: tomonoura

the next day i ventured out to tomonoura.
it is best know for being a picturesque port town. apparently there is a town in the studio ghibli film “Ponyo on the Cliff” which was modelled after tomonoura.
the easiest way to get there is to hop on the train from Onomichi to Fukuyama. outside the south exit you get on a bus that takes you directly to Tomonoura. the train and the bus both take IC cards (Suica/Pasmo/etc.) so you don’t have to deal with buying tickets. for the bus, tap when you get on (at the rear) and tap when you get off (at the front).
you can traverse the whole town on foot.

part 4: seto inland sea

i rented a car from the Toyota shop in Shin-Onomichi. i walked there. it was around 30 minutes. but i am sure you can take a bus.
this was perhaps my busiest day.
- i started in Oshima (the island just before mainland ehime) where the three small museums were. i don’t really recommend these museums though. they are very small and have no english explanations.
- next i went to the shrine with the weapons museum.
- then i hit Rabbit Island from Sakari port (instead of Tadanoumi). i left the car in the car park and rented a bike on the island. i spent 1h30m on the island. it was a little bit tight. while there isn’t much to do. it was fun to cruise around.
- after that i rushed to get to Kousanji, which is a colourful temple with a large marble obelisk feature.
- it was approaching 5pm so i was unable to make it to the Hirayama Ikuo museum before closing.
- i then returned back to Onomichi.
this concluded my journey around seto inland sea and onomichi.

and that was about it

if you want to know more about each of the places, i have written small snippets in each of the pins on the map.
please remember. this is not a travel blog post about my personal experiences. because who cares about those? go to onomichi for yourself and make your own memories. it’s a very unique town with a unique vibe. i am sure most people will be able to feel its unique energy. so i highly recommend you consider it a stop in your japan travels.
i just hope the combination of the map and this blog entry give you an idea of how i structured my trip, and give you ideas on how to structure yours.

okay. that’s me done.

don’t forget to have the map handy when you go and i hope you enjoy your onomichi trip!