Innoshima Island is part of the Shimanami Kaidō. It’s the second island in Hiroshima Prefecture and the fifth island from Shikoku, as you head south. It’s joined to Mukaishima by the Innoshima bridge and Ikuchijima by the Ikuchi Bridge. The island has many citrus groves around its coasts and the occasional shipyard.

Innoshima was one of the bases of the maritime clans called the Murakami Kaizoku in the Warring States period. While reviled as pirates by land-based clans and merchants, they played a role similar to coast guards, and were used as naval forces by the leading warlords of the time. Today they’re celebrated on Innoshima with a castle housing a museum. The “castle” was built in 1983 and is totally unlike the simple wooden watchtowers and palisades that would actually have existed. It has various exhibits about the Murakami. A lively Murakami festival is also held in summer.

Mt. Shiratake is a steep mountain in the north of Innoshima. At 227 m high, it offers a panoramic view over the Inland Sea. It also has hundreds of carvings of Buddhas, Tengu, and disciples of the Buddha, each with their own unique character. At the foot of the mountain is the Innoshima Flower Centre.

Close to the off-ramp of the Innoshima Bridge is Ōhamasaki Park. There’s a good campsite and a trail that goes out to a lighthouse. Shimanami Beach is one of the best places to swim on the island.

Cyclists on the Shimanami Kaidō are typically puzzled to see a concrete brontosaurus standing inexplicably near the cycle route.