I was thinking about going for the trail or at least a part of it by bike at some point, but I wondered if anyone here has done something similar before? I’m not religious and would rather do it for the experience and to get to know Shikoku better. I’m not sure whether this would be considered offensive to practicing buddhists in any way and I don’t want to disturb people in their religious activities. But it seems like some people have done this by bike before, so maybe it’s ok (looking at the paywall of a Japan Times article)?
I’m a moderately fit cyclist, I’ve done multi-day tours before years ago but not in Japan. So I’m also a bit unsure about steepness and weather conditions. Roads are probably in a decent condition (?) My options are an urban foldable bike (I kind of like that idea) or renting a decent one (probably better in reality).
I haven’t done this particular ride but I have done a ton of riding in both Kansai and Kanto though I haven’t ever ridden a foldable; I ride a cyclocross bike and put paniers on for longer trips. Not sure about Shikoku, but in general riding is a great way to get around Japan. Drivers are generally pretty courteous, even though the roads can be pretty narrow. Also tunnels… avoid them if you can, but often you can’t. Make sure your bike is well lit and that you’re wearing reflective gear.
The one thing you want to be careful about is the weather. If you already live here, then you know, but in case you don’t, it’s currently 32-38C every day, and will remain so for the summer. I did a longer (1000km) trip in August one year, and it was pretty miserable, plus you can end up waylaid for a couple days by a typhoon depending on timing.
I can’t imagine that visiting a bunch of temples along that route would be at all offensive to practicing buddhists - people visit temples all the time and as long as you’re not being disruptive, I can’t imagine any problems. I’ve always felt more than welcome at temples. Sounds like a really nice way to see Shikoku!
One thing about a foldable is I imagine it might be easier to pack to bring on trains, assuming at least some parts of your trip will be on the train. Otherwise, buy a bike bag and get ready to disassemble and reassemble your bike for any parts of your travel that involve a train.
If you haven’t looked at it yet japancycling.org is a good resource for cyclists. I remember reading it before I moved here 20 years ago, and it had a lot of good info - not just routes, but things that might not be apparent if you haven’t cycled here before (e.g. bike bags).
Thanks, that’s a lot of useful info! Yes, weather is my main concern, heat but also typhoons. I played with the idea of hiking this trail for a while, but I rarely get 2 months off for such things. My experience from other trips into nature (car, hiking/public transport) so far was that roads are usually in quite a good condition (I once went all the way up Aso-san by car with a friend, which felt kind of weird from a European perspective, but also convenient I guess?). So, from that perspective an urban bike might do it. Traffic is also a good point, though.
Maybe ~March would be a good time.