Visiting Japan’s Lemon Island: Seaside cycling and citrus in Setoda

Looking for unique places to visit in Japan for nature?

Known as Japan’s “Lemon Island,” Setoda is a small town on the island of Ikuchijima off of Hiroshima. It’s a refreshing escape from the crowded cities, with citrus-scented breezes, seaside cycling paths, lemon groves, mom-and-pop cafes, coastal hiking, and plenty of ryokans (traditional spa hotels). And I absolutely loved it!

Setoda is best known for being along the Shimanami Kaido, a 70-kilometer cycling route in Japan that connects the Honshu and Shikoku islands in the Seto Inland Sea, and I spent a relaxing 3 weeks exploring Setoda and a couple of the surrounding islands.

This little slice of heaven brought me back to the orange groves and orchards I’ve driven through on vanlife trips in southern California and is one of the most unique places I’ve visited in Japan. If you’re not going specifically to cycle, it’s is still an awesome spot to add to your Japan itinerary if you’re:

• Visiting Hiroshima and want a relaxing couple days away from the cities
• A cycling or outdoor enthusiast (you can rent ebikes as well, so you don’t need to be a “real” cyclist!)
• A lemon lover (lemon beer, lemon curry, lemon ramen, you name it!)
• Visiting in spring or autumn, when the temperatures are perfect that there are clear, blue skies! If you visit in spring, you’ll also see cherry blossoms mixed in with the citrus blooms!

Visiting Japan’s Lemon Island: FULL Setoda travel guide

Where is Setoda and how do you get there?

Setoda is on the island of Ikuchijima in Hiroshima Prefecture. Take a train from Hiroshima to Mihara (just over an hour), where you’ll walk 5 minutes to the Mihara port and catch the ~40 minute ferry to Setoda.

Where to stay in Setoda

I stayed at Azumi Setoda, a luxury ryokan with tatami and a relaxing onsen that blends traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern comfort. It’s a stunning inn that pulls nature in at every turn, and has that classically simple Japanese style that highlights natural elements like wood and stone.

This ryokan had it all. A gorgeous garden, floor to ceiling windows, tons of natural light, an onsen (one for all the guests to use, plus private onsens depending on your room type), traditional yukata to wear, locally-sourced ingredients in the sunny on-site restaurant, and even local lemon beers complimentary in the room! 

If you’re on a budget or or looking for something lower key, there are tons of affordable guest houses and hostels full of cyclists! These are SO fun if you want a more social experience or to link up with other riders. You can get a bunk in a sparklingly clean dorm for around $25 bucks a night, and we stayed a couple nights at Cycle Guest House SHIOKAZE. It even had a sauna!

If you don’t want to spend on the ryokan experience but still want an onsen, you’ll be able to buy a ticket for a sento or day passes to a ryokan’s public bath in several places around the islands.

Best time to visit Setoda

The best time to visit Setoda is spring (April to May) and fall (September to November). The caveat to that is you should avoid Golden Week (late April/early May) like the plague. The entire country has a holiday then and the crowds are crazy and the prices get high!

Personally, I’d visit at the end of March or beginning of April. You have a great shot at catching the cherry blossoms at that time, the temperatures are lovely, and it’s a great season for cycling.

Summer is hot and humid, but the beaches are open if that’s your thing! I’d avoid visiting in winter if you want the full Setoda experience because it gets a little wet and chilly.

Cycling the Shimanami Kaido

Casual or day cycling

Cycling is at the heart of the Setoda experience, and while I wouldn’t consider myself a cyclist, we had a great time biking casually through the islands while we were there. We rented bikes through our ryokan, but you can rent them more affordably at different shops all over the island (there are TONS of shops, so you don’t have to worry about reserving bikes more than a day or two in advance).

When you’re cycling in Setoda the journey really is the destination. We loved pedaling through the scenic views of the ocean, citrus groves, bridges, and palm-lined bike paths. What impressed me most about the bike baths are all of the fantastic amenities and conveniences specifically built for cyclists (like cyclist rest stops and repair & emergency services!). Setoda is 100% suitable for beginner cyclists, and the paths are well-maintained, relatively flat (there are a few gently rolling hills), and perfectly paved. You can also rent electric bikes for an easier ride, which I did twice (no shame!).

Some of my favorite stops in Setoda were:

• Cafe Indigo, a tiny hipster camper van with great coffee and DELICIOUS, chewy coconut cookies
• Lemon pork dumplings at Minatoya Cafe
• Lemon Valley Terrace, a bright wooden lemonade stand set inside lemon groves with a few lemon drinks, including a lemon vodka cocktail. It has a great rooftop view of a huge suspension bridge over the sea!

Full 70km route cycling

We didn’t cycle the full route, but I can tell you that the amenities, paths, guest houses, and towns seem to be build specifically for cyclists! You’ll find plenty of shops with repair kits, quick-grab meals, and bike-friendly ferries. There are also signs everywhere along the paths reminding you of emergency services available if you have an injury or need a lift.

One warning: there are wild boar on Setoda, which are actually really dangerous. If you see one, do not approach it!

Fun things to do in Setoda if you’re not into cycling

If you’re not into cycling and aren’t staying in a ryokan, you can still have a great time in Setoda! 

• Walk the cycling paths
• Take out a paddle board or kayak
• Soak at one of Setoda’s public baths
• Visit Kosanji Temple, an extravagant temple complex with ornate structures and colorful pagodas
• Climb to the Miraishin no Oka, a hilltop marble garden with panoramic views of the surrounding islands
• Check out the Hirayama Ikuo Museum of Art, which is dedicated to the works of Hirayama Ikuo, a Japanese painter born in Setoda
• Catch a fiery sunset and fireworks at Sunset Beach

Eat, eat, eat the local lemon-flavored cuisine!

Setoda takes its lemon branding seriously, and this extends to the cuisine. At local cafes and shops, you’ll find an array of citrus-inspired dishes, desserts, and drinks.

• Lemon cake & citrus sorbets at Dolce Setoda, a cute little dessert shop
• Lemon ramen (unfortunately we didn’t have a chance to try it, but will definitely prioritize it next time we’re in Setoda!)
• Craft sparkling lemon sodas (made with fresh local lemons) at Minatoya
• If someone in your group is gluten free, we found GF lemon cakes at Shiomachi-tei Bicycle Cafe + Bar

Know before you go (these mistakes could RUIN your trip!)

Setoda is a little on the “sleepier” side, so if you’re looking nightlife or bars that are open late, you won’t find it here. There’s a bar or 2 open until 11PM ish, but mostly we grabbed beers in ramen or curry shops or not at all (not the best mix with cycling!).

On that note, a couple of times we realized too late that we hadn’t eaten dinner and had a hard time finding a restaurant open past 8pm. Of course you can always fall back on a 7/11, but restaurants close early on the island, and many of them aren’t open at all on Tuesdays!

Setoda is also one of those places you really want to have cash. A lot of places accepted credit cards, but we noticed a few “cash only” signs on ramen shops and little restaurants.

Visiting Setoda? These nearby cities are some of my favorites!

Hiroshima

It goes without saying that Hiroshima is worth a visit, but there’s so much more to see than the obvious. Before or after your time on Setoda, you’ll want to set aside a few days to explore it fully.

Check out Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Atomic Bomb Dome, consider catching a Hiroshima Carp game (baseball) and exploring the amazing food scene. Hiroshima is one of my favorite places in Japan to eat, and is home to my favorite style of okonomyaki, literally called “Hiroshima style” (a savory pancake stuffed with pork, cabbage, sauce, noodles, and more).

Miyajima

Miyajima is another island off the coast of Hiroshima, and I think of it as a mix of Kyoto and Nara, but on an island! It’s only a 10-minute ferry ride out and makes a great day trip, or a really chill overnight trip if you book a ryokan and enjoy the island after sunset when all the day guests have left.

It has the same Edo-era architecture of Kyoto, gorgeous mountains, and a STUNNING floating shrine and torii gate in the ocean! The sacred free roaming deer wander the town and beaches, and they’re less aggressive than the Nara deer because it’s illegal to feed them in Miyajima.

Take the ropeway up the mountain for incredible sea and temple views, plus some easy and scenic hikes, and catch sunset on the beach with the torii gate.