It was raining and pretty windy when I got out of the tent this morning. I think it was the tail end of a typhoon that was passing further north. I considered waiting it out and cycling route the next day, but at 9 it had cleared up some.

The Shiminami Kaido is a cycle route that goes through the inland sea, hopping between islands that dot the water via large ( and pretty high up) suspension bridges.

the start of the route

approaching the first bridge

It was a really enjoyable cycle between the islands. Hopping between each one was great for variety throughout the day. While leaving Oshima Island I saw whirlpools created by the tide going out quickly between the islands.

It was hard to get a good photo…

crossing the bridges between the islands

After lunch it got rainy. I wanted to camp on one if the islands. The second to last island, Innoshima had a nice campground. Once again I was the only one there, but the groundskeeper there let me set up in what I think is used as a lunch area during the high season. It was great, provided shelter from the rain and wind.