Where to Go
Campervan Road Trips from Hiroshima Airport
The Seto Inland Sea, at your own pace.
This is one of Japan’s most beautiful regions — islands, bridges, hot springs, and history — and the best way to see it is from a campervan. No train schedules, no hotel check-ins. Wake up by the sea, drive when you feel like it.
Our office sits at the gateway to the Shimanami Kaido — Japan’s most beautiful drive, a chain of six islands linked by soaring bridges across the Seto Inland Sea. It’s world-famous among cyclists, hard to explore by train, and made for a campervan. Every route below includes it.
At pickup, we’ll mark our recommended overnight spots and onsen along your route.
Route 1: Hiroshima Icons + a Taste of Shimanami
3 Days / 2 Nights
The essentials for first-time visitors. Total driving: about 4.5 hours.
Day 1 — Hiroshima City
Pick up your campervan and drive 50 minutes to Hiroshima City. Spend the afternoon at the Peace Memorial Park and Museum — moving, essential, unforgettable. In the evening, try Hiroshima’s famous okonomiyaki (savory layered pancake). Overnight at an RV park near the city.
Day 2 — Miyajima, then east along the coast
Drive to Miyajimaguchi, park, and take the 10-minute ferry to Miyajima Island. The “floating” torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine is one of Japan’s most famous views. In the late afternoon, drive east along the Seto coast (about 1.5 hours) and overnight near Onomichi.
Day 3 — The Shimanami Kaido, then return
Cross the first islands of the Shimanami Kaido: stop in Setoda on Ikuchijima for lemon groves, Kosanji Temple, and a swim-worthy beach. Recross in the afternoon — our office is just 40 minutes from Onomichi.
Route 2: Shimanami Kaido Island Hopper
4 Days / 3 Nights
The full crossing of Japan's most beautiful drive — island to island, all the way to Shikoku. Total driving: about 5 hours.
The Shimanami Kaido is a pilgrimage site for cyclists worldwide (it’s the sister route of Taiwan’s Sun Moon Lake course). With a campervan you get the best of both: drive the bridges, then rent bicycles for the most scenic stretches — no luggage, no logistics. And when you finish a ride, there’s a pull-out shower hose on the outside of the van — rinse the salt and road grit off yourself and your bike before you climb back in.
Day 1 — Onomichi
Just 40 minutes from our office, Onomichi is a hillside port town of temples, cats, and Japan’s best ramen rivalry. Walk the Temple Path, ride the ropeway for the view, and sleep near the start of the Shimanami Kaido. Don’t leave without a bowl of the famous Onomichi ramen.
Day 2 — Innoshima & Ikuchijima
Cross onto the islands. In Setoda, visit the ornate Kosanji Temple and the hilltop marble garden with views over the sea, then end the day at Setoda Sunset Beach — one of the best places in Japan to watch the sun go down. Overnight by the sea.
Day 3 — Omishima, Tatara & the great bridge
Visit Oyamazumi Shrine on Omishima — a 2,600-year-old camphor tree and Japan’s finest collection of samurai armor. Stop at Tatara Shimanami Park beneath the elegant Tatara Bridge (home of the “Cyclists’ Sanctuary” monument), rent bikes for a spin if you like, then cross the mighty Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge into Imabari. Onsen, then overnight.
Day 4 — Return along the islands
Recross the Shimanami Kaido at your own pace — stop at whichever beach or viewpoint you missed — and return to our office by late afternoon.
Optional extra day: continue 45 minutes past Imabari to Matsuyama for Dogo Onsen, one of Japan’s oldest hot springs.
Route 3: Grand Tour — Sea to Sea in 6 Days
6 Days / 5 Nights
Setouchi icons, the wild San-in coast, and the Shimanami finale. Total driving: about 10 hours.
Day 1 — Hiroshima City
Peace Memorial Park, okonomiyaki, overnight near the city.
Day 2 — Miyajima
The floating torii, quiet evening streets after the day-trippers leave.
Day 3 — North to the San-in coast
Drive through the green Chugoku Mountains to Matsue (about 3 hours) — an original-keep castle town on a lake. Watch the sunset over Lake Shinji.
Day 4 — Izumo Taisha
One of Japan’s oldest and most important shrines, where, according to tradition, deities from across Japan gather each autumn during Kamiarizuki. The San-in coast here is raw, beautiful, and nearly tourist-free.
Day 5 — Mountains to the sea
Head south through the countryside (about 3 hours, with an onsen or gorge stop on the way) and arrive in Onomichi by evening — temples, ramen, harbor lights.
Day 6 — The Shimanami Kaido, then return
Spend your last morning island-hopping on the Shimanami Kaido — Setoda’s lemon groves and sea views are the perfect farewell to Setouchi. Return to our office by late afternoon; we’ll drive you to the airport.
More Ideas
- Okunoshima “Rabbit Island” — a 15-minute ferry from Tadanoumi (30 minutes from our office, on the way to Onomichi), home to hundreds of friendly wild rabbits. Great with kids — easy to add to any route.
- Kurashiki — a beautifully preserved canal town of white-walled merchant houses (about 1 hr 20 min).
- Tottori Sand Dunes — Japan’s desert, on the San-in coast (combine with Route 3).
- Kyushu & Beppu — with unlimited mileage and a week or more, cross west to Kyushu’s famous hot-spring country. Ask us for a route plan.
Tell Us Your Dates.
We’ll Suggest the Best Route.
Tell us your interests — we’ll suggest the perfect route, free of charge.