TOTTORI -- A cycling course along the coastline of the Yumigahama Peninsula in Tottori Prefecture will open to the public on March 22. Visitors can enjoy cycling the route with views of both the Sea of Japan and Mt. Daisen. With the Biwaichi bike course around Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture and the Awaichi course on Awajishima island in Hyogo Prefecture already popular, officials in Tottori Prefecture and others concerned hope that the newly established route will become a must-ride experience for cyclists.
The course stretches 15.8 kilometers along the coast between Yonago and Sakaiminato. Part of a national highway as well as paths through city parks were used to create the route. As some sections pass by sandy beaches and pine forests, the route was named the Hakusha Seisho no Yumigahama Cycling Course, meaning the Yumigahama cycling course of white sand and green pines.
If an average person rides slowly, it takes about 1-1/2 hours to finish the route in one direction.
The width of the road varies between 3 meters and 4 meters. In the 4-meter sections, tandem bicycles are allowed. The route can be used not only for cycling but also for walking competitions and leisurely strolls.
The prefectural government and the private sector formed a study group in 2010 to select the course. From fiscal 2013 to 2018, both ends of the route were completed, totaling 13.3-kilometer, with only the middle 2.5-kilometer part in Yonago remaining incomplete. The total project costs reached 1.31 billion yen.
"I want visitors to enjoy the scenery and the sea breeze while cycling. There aren't many ups and downs, so even beginners can enjoy it," said Keiichi Ishihara, a senior official in the prefectural government's tourism and commerce section.
In line with the opening of the entire route, the prefectural government and Yonago municipal government will set up a base in the Kaike hot spring district to accept cyclists, where there will be 20 rental bicycles such as cross bikes, as well as changing rooms and coin lockers.
Due to the spread of the new coronavirus, regular international flights at Yonago Airport have been reduced to zero, making it tough to promote tourism in the western part of the prefecture, where the the new cycling route is located. For this reason, locals are welcoming the opening of the full route.
Yasushi Maeda, secretary general of the Kaike Onsen Ryokan Association, said: "Those who stay overnight at hot spring resorts can enjoy cycling casually. We can introduce a sightseeing course that goes to Sakaiminato by bicycle and comes back."
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