Isn’t this a great view?
You may have heard that Imabari is promoting itself as a cycling town. And it seems to be catching on, I see more cyclists on the streets everytime I go back home.
Well, when my dad first retired a couple years ago, he bought a bike with 16 gears. My dad’s cousin had been participating in the Shimanami Kaido bike race that the city promotes and invited my dad to join her. I should mention that my daddy is the best but not really the fittest person on the planet. So we were all pretty excited when we learned that he would be cycling and getting in some exercise!
After the weekend of the race, I called home to see how he did in the race. He said, “yokatta yo (it was okay).” But he didn’t sound 100% satisfied. He also said that he’d be entering the next race and was determined to make better time and I thought, wow he’s really getting into cycling! My dad gave the phone over to my mom and I expressed how impressed I was that he was actually training and getting exercise through this race. But she says, “Nani itteru no (What are you talking about)?”
“Gear no ohii bike wo katta dake yo (He just bought another bike with more gears)!”
So as you can imagine, my daddy’s cycling career did not last, although he did get a better time in his next (and last) race, and now we just have two great bicycles sitting in the garage.
Well, this Silver Week, my sisters and I decided to make use of the bicycles. We didn’t do the Shimanami Kaido course (like Dru did!) but kept it local and went to my favorite corner of Imabari.
Osumi Kaigan Park is a very local spot at the northern tip of Imabari. We’ve been swimming here since we were younger, visiting our late grandmother, and I have a ton of great memories. What’s great for hardcore cyclists is that Osumi Kaigan also has camping grounds. So you can pitch a tent and even have a barbeque by the sea. There’s also an observatory with a great view of both the Seto Inland Sea and the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge.
We had a fun afternoon cruising the streets of Imabari. Definitely got our dose of exercise that day!
Here are some photos:
OSUMI KAIGAN PARK (大角海岸公園)
893-1 Otsu Namikata-cho, Imabari-shi Ehime JAPAN
愛媛県今治市波方町波方乙893-1
PARKING: 80 cars
ENTRANCE FEE: free
Kaori Square Feet 
「どこいるの？」
「今バリだよ」。
「バリ？うらやましい」。
「いいえ。違います。ほかのバリ。このへんの海にも綺麗だよ。」
The seasonal (non)visibility at the observatory made me grin with laughter at your observation.
It’s amazing how wheeled conveyances referred to with the word “penny…” have changed over the years.
The light on the sea at the bottom of this post is as beautiful as artwork. Something by Hiroshi Yoshida, for example.
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A very nice place indeed !😊
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So many Bari's around the world!
The view here is always fantastic, despite the lush greenery! ;D
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Thank you Babzy! I simply adore this area 🙂
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What a nice view. I wonder if I should try to go there in the future. Was too tired to schlep my way there when I was in Imabari the last time.
PS: You should cycle across the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge. It isn't that difficult but needs time. Plus, you can have some ice cream on the other side. 🙂
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If you're here in the summer, bring your swimming trunks! It's a great spot to relax for an afternoon. I've been eyeing Kurushima Keikyo Bridge for a while now…maybe when I go back this year 😀
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