Nothing beats exploring the countryside by bicycle! Or so the Dutchman says. Today, I spent my afternoon cycling through Setonaikai national park and I had a blast going through places that were equally as pretty as they were deserted. Going out on a bike really opens up the opportunities to go to places you can’t reach by car or foot and today we’ve certainly enjoyed some of those. It was really cool cycling over the Kurushima Kaikyō bridge and explore the surrounding towns. Furthermore, the climb up to the Kirosan observation deck provided us with some stunning views, though the – at times – 15% inclines were one hell of a challenge to say the least. The view up top was very much worth it, though. As an added bonus, it was great doing some exercise again, too! It’s something I usually don’t even think about while embarking on a holiday, though a journey spanning over several weeks surely means you have to squeeze in some healthy moments here and there. After an absolutely stunning car ride starting in Imabari, we end this 28th of April in Shikoku’s biggest city Matsuyama: a lovely and lively city in the heart of Ehime prefecture. I’ve been toying around with the idea of going on a ‘Japan city trip’ holiday at some point in the future and given that we are currently only spending minimal time in most of the cities we visit (we’re mostly staying in villages surrounded by nature), we get a very interesting ‘first impression only’ kind of view on all these small to mid sized places. Ha, well, never mind me already taking notes for my next journey through Japan while I’m not even halfway this one yet!