There are at least 11 places on the island where you can rent bicycles, and it’s also possible to rent in Akashi and bring your bicycle to Awaji on the boat: you are spoiled for choice. A wide variety of different bicycles are on offer, including ordinary city bikes, high quality touring bikes, mountains bikes, tandem bikes, and electric-assisted bikes, for those who don’t like hills. Bike shops on the island generally fit into two categories.
The first of these are government-run shops, and they exist at Iwaya Port, Tsuna Bus Station, Sumoto Bus Station, Seidan Bus Station, and the Fukura Tourist Office (see below). These shops offer cheap city bikes, and in some cases electric bikes. They’re great for the budget minded, but not well suited for serious riding all the way around the island.
The other category are private shops, who usually specialize in well-maintained, high quality touring bikes for more serious cyclists. They tend to offer a variety of bikes at different price levels, including more specialized options like tandems and quality electric bikes. These shops are found in Iwaya, Higashiura, Hokudan, and Fukura on Awaji, as well as in Akashi (see below). Costs here are generally quite high, though some shops – like Odekake-Kobo in Hokudan – have cheaper rentals on offer. In return for the extra investment, you get much better bicycles than at the government shops, as well as more information and additional services (like a shower after your long, sweaty day’s cycling).
In addition to these, at least one Awaji hotel – the Awaji Tourist Trophy House – rents bicycles to non-guests.
At all shops, bike numbers are limited, and will often sell out during busy periods, like summer weekends and Golden Week. All the bicycle shops take bookings in advance, and at some shops they are mandatory. Telephone numbers or official websites are listed for all the shops below. If calling, make sure to have a Japanese speaker make the call. The only shop I know of with confirmed English speakers is Circolo, in Iwaya.
For a map of all the rental shops listed on this page, click the link below:
Map of bicycle rental shops on Awaji
The following chart gives a brief comparison of the different rental shops. Those listed in red are private shops, generally offering higher quality bikes:
| Private Shop? |
Access from Sannomiya |
Transport Cost to Sannomiya | Average Bike Cost |
Electric Bikes? |
Tandem Bikes? |
|
| Akashi Rental Cycle | Yes | Direct Train | ¥390 | ¥5000 | No | No |
| Iwaya Port – Tourist Office | No | Train and Boat | ¥890 | ¥500 | Yes | No |
| Circolo | Yes | Direct Bus | ¥930 | ¥6000 | No | Yes |
| Bicycle Hub Awaji | Yes | Direct Bus | ¥930 | ¥6000 | Yes | Yes |
| Odekake-Kobo | Yes | Direct Bus | ¥1220 | ¥2000 | No | No |
| Tsuna Bus Station | No | Direct Bus | ¥1550 | ¥500 | Yes | No |
| Sumoto Bus Station | No | Direct Bus | ¥1850 | ¥500 | Yes | No |
| Awaji Tourist Trophy House |
Yes | Direct Bus | ¥1650 | ¥1500 | No | Yes |
| Seidan Bus Station | No | Direct Bus | ¥2050 | ¥500 | Yes | No |
| Fukura Tourist Office | No | Direct Bus | ¥2250 | ¥500 | No | No |
| Giro d’Awaji | Yes | Direct Bus | ¥2250 | ¥5000 | No | No |
AKASHI
There’s at least one bicycle rental shop in Akashi which specializes in renting out bikes for those wishing to cycle Awaji. The shop is close to Akashi JR Station, and a very short ride away from Akashi port, where you can catch boats to Iwaya, on Awaji (boats cost ¥500 per person and ¥220 per bicycle). Bicycle rental costs ¥3800-¥7500 per day, depending on the bike, with steep discounts given for multiple day rentals. For more details, see their website (Japanese only):
http://akashi-rental-cycle.com/
If you have spare time in Akashi, the coastal road to the west of Akashi station, heading towards Harima-cho, is quiet, and very pleasant for a cycle.
IWAYA PORT – TOURIST OFFICE
There are two places right at Iwaya port which rent bikes. One is the tourist office, found inside the main port building. They have 15 electric bikes, and 5 regular city bikes on offer. Costs are as follows:
Regular bikes
- 1 day – ¥500
- 2 day – ¥750
- 3 days – ¥1000
Electric bikes
- 4 hours – ¥1000
- 1 day – ¥1500
- 2 days – ¥2250
- 3 days – ¥3000
For more information or for reservations, call 0799-72-3420.
IWAYA PORT – PRIVATE COMPANY
There’s another, newer rental place at Iwaya Port. As you get off the ferry and leave the dock, the shop is immediately on the right. They have a range of regular and electric bikes:
Regular bikes
- City bike with a basket – ¥1000/day
- Road bike – ¥3000/day
Electric bikes
- The shop has four different styles of electric bike on offer. They cost between ¥2000 and ¥6000 a day, depending on the style of bike
For more information, or to make reservations, see their website (Japanese only):
https://www.tomovis.jp/service/rental-and-sharing/tomochari/
IWAYA TOWN
The cafe and bicycle rental shop of Circolo lies a 20 minute walk away from Iwaya Port along the main road south, just past the large police station. Buses from Kobe to Higashiura stop nearby: get off at the first stop on Awaji. It’s run by an English speaking cycle enthusiast. They rent the following high-end bikes:
- Cross Bike/Mini Velo – ¥3000/day
- Tandem Bike – ¥5000/day
- Road Bike – ¥6000/day
- Premium Road Bike – ¥8000/day
In addition to bike rental, the shop also has a cafe and restaurant, showers, and a locker service. There’s an English language website, where it’s possible to reserve bikes. If you want to rent from the shop, contact them in advance through the website:
http://circolo-awaji.com/rentalbike_e.html
HIGASHIURA BUS STATION
Next to Higashiura bus station, Bicycle Hub Awaji is a private shop renting out high quality touring bikes, including carbon fiber road bikes and tandem bicycles. They’re not cheap, but they have some of the best bikes available on the island. The shop runs a bit of a convoluted membership program, so it’s difficult to pin down prices exactly. But regular bikes cost roughly ¥4000-¥7000 a day, depending on the type of bike, with electric bikes costing about ¥5500 per day and tandom bikes costing about ¥8000 per day.
Their website (Japanese only) is here:
You can reserve bicycles through the website, or try giving them a call.
HOKUDAN
In a rural area of Hokudan, a bike shop called Odekake-Kobo (おでかけ工房) rents out cheaper road bikes for touring the island. A variety of bikes are on offer, costing ¥1800-¥2000 a day. The shop also offers a rental bike delivery and pick up service from anywhere on the island, though only on Sundays and National Holidays.
The shop is walking distance from the Osakikami-no-hama (尾崎上の浜) bus stop accessed by Hokudan, Ichinomiya and Goshiki buses. There are direct buses to/from Sannomiya. Rental bikes must be reserved in advance. You can do so on the website, though only in Japanese:
TSUNA BUS STATION
The bus station in Tsuna rents both regular and electric bikes. I believe that prices are the same as at Iwaya Port (see above). If you’re interested, give them a call: 0799-64-2113.
SUMOTO BUS STATION
The bus station in Sumoto rents regular bikes. They cost ¥500 per day. If you’re interested, give them a call: 0799-25-5820.
GOSHIKI
In the village of Tsushi, in Goshiki, the budget guesthouse “Awaji Tourist Trophy House” (see the Accommodation page for more details) rents out bicycles and also scooters. Prices are as follows:
- Regular bikes – ¥1500 to ¥2000 per day
- Tandem bikes – ¥1500 to ¥2500 per day
- Scooters – ¥2000 per day
Discounts of ¥500/bike are given to anyone staying at the guesthouse, and guests are given priority for rentals. See the guesthouse’s webpage for more details (Japanese only):
http://www.water.sannet.ne.jp/bmw2002turbo/yado/index.html#rental
SEIDAN BUS STATION
The bus station in Seidan has ten bikes to rent: 2 electric bikes, 6 regular bikes (hybrid bicycles), and 2 children’s bikes. Costs are as follows:
Regular bikes / Children’s bikes
- 1 day – ¥500
- 2 day – ¥750
- 3 days – ¥1000
Electric bikes
- 4 hours – ¥1000
- 1 day – ¥1500
- 2 days – ¥2250
- 3 days – ¥3000
Bike rental here is very new, having only started in April 2018. For more information or for reservations, call 0799-36-4422.
FUKURA TOURIST OFFICE
The tourist office in Fukura rents regular bicycles. The tourist office is just across the street from the bus station and the Awaji puppet theater, in the same building where boats to view the Naruto whirlpools leave from. Bicycles cost ¥500 per day. If you’re interested, give them a call: 0799-52-2336.
FUKURA TOWN
A short walk away from Fukura bus station is a cafe and restaurant called “Giro d’Awaji”. Avid promoters of cycling on the island, the cafe rents bicycles, runs cycling tours, and offers various services to those with their own bicycles on the islands. Rentals cost roughly ¥5000 a day, and can be arranged through the website of the cycle shop (Japanese only):
The adjoining restaurant also has some information for cyclists on its webpage (Japanese only):
http://giro-di-awaji.com/roadbike/
To see how to get to these places by public transport, use the links in the “GETTING TO AND FROM AWAJI” section of the Transportation page.
Awaji Island 