Amenities
🛁 Top-Floor Shared Bath
♨️ Sauna & Cold Bath
🥐 Breakfast Buffet
🍺 Welcome Drinks
🧺 Paid Washer-Dryers
🚲 Entrance Bike Stand
📶 Free Wi-Fi
☕ Guest Lounge
Laundry (9F), vending and ice machines (1F/9F) are open 24 hours, with alcohol and snack vending on 1F.
Rental items include irons and boards, hair irons and dryers, desk lamps, phone chargers and trouser presses, subject to availability.
Hotel Facilities & Details ↗
Our Night Before the Shimanami Kaido
We stayed at shimanami PRIMEHOTEL IMABARI before cycling from Imabari to Onomichi. We checked in around 6 p.m., went out for yakitori and ended the evening with a free beer in the hotel lobby.
We wanted somewhere practical to sleep before a long day on the Shimanami Kaido. With a breakfast buffet, a bathhouse and laundry facilities, PRIMEHOTEL was exactly what we needed.
Where We Stayed — Deluxe Single Room
We stayed in the Deluxe Single, an 18 m² room with a queen bed. Despite the name, it accommodates one or two guests.
The hotel opened in March 2024. Its rooms have a simple, modern style, and the hotel lists Simmons bedding, Wi-Fi and air purifiers.
The hotel lists a bike stand near the entrance. If you’re bringing your own bicycle, ask the hotel where you can store it overnight.
Compare the hotel’s room types ↗
Our compact room before the ride.
A kettle, cups and tea in the room.
The room’s private bath and shower.
The hallway outside the guest rooms.
Why We Started in Imabari
We liked starting the Shimanami Kaido in Imabari. The smaller city and lighter traffic helped us ease into the cycling before we reached the islands. By the time we arrived in Onomichi at the other end, we felt much more confident on our bikes.
Staying the night before also separated the journey to Imabari from the cycling itself. We could arrive, eat dinner and get ready without trying to fit a long ride around a train connection.
We used the area around Imabari Station to get our bearings. The rental terminal and the station are close together, so it’s easy to scout the area when you arrive.
Our Shimanami Kaido guide covers the wider ride, bike rentals and how we split the journey into two cycling days with an island day in between.
Imabari Station, a short walk from the hotel.
The cycle terminal outside Imabari Station.
Getting oriented before the island ride.
Bicycle parking in Imabari, with PRIMEHOTEL in the background.
A Bathhouse and Laundry Before the Ride
The bathhouse and laundry room were two of the useful facilities we noted during our stay. They make PRIMEHOTEL worth considering for a cycling itinerary, especially when this is one stop within a longer Japan trip.
The top-floor bathhouse has a shared bath, saunas and cold baths. The hotel describes the bathing water as an artificial hot spring.
Paid washer-dryers are available too. If you plan to wash clothes before cycling onward, give yourself time for the full cycle and check the controls and charges at the machines.
Bathhouse, laundry and bicycle facilities ↗
The entrance to the shared bathhouse.
Washer-dryers for a mid-trip refresh.
Yakitori at Gomidori, Then a Beer in the Lobby
For dinner, we walked to Gomidori, written 五味鳥 in Japanese. It was an adorable yakitori spot that felt a little like being in someone’s grandmother’s living room. The food was fantastic and it made a lovely first evening in Imabari.
Back at PRIMEHOTEL, we poured ourselves a complimentary beer in the lobby. The hotel offers welcome drinks, and you can check the selection and service times when you arrive.
Gomidori after dinner.
Our dinner at Gomidori.
Another plate from our yakitori dinner.
A complimentary beer back at the hotel during our stay.
Breakfast Before the Bridges
The breakfast buffet was my favorite part of the hotel. We could sit down for a leisurely breakfast before spending the day on our bikes.
Breakfast is served in the Gateway Lounge on the first floor. The hotel’s menu highlights local vegetables, freshly baked bread and Imabari’s roast pork and egg rice.
Breakfast and lounge details ↗
Our breakfast before getting on the bikes.
The breakfast buffet in the lounge.
A morning view across Imabari.
Packing for the Next Two Nights
Before the ride, we sent our main luggage onward and packed what we needed for the next two nights. The smaller bags were easier to manage in the compact room and on the bikes.
If you plan to send your bags ahead, confirm that the receiving hotel can accept them and agree on a delivery date before handing them over. Our guide to luggage forwarding in Japan walks through the process.
Before You Pick Up Your Bike
We’d stay here again for the night before the ride. Arriving in Imabari the evening before gave us time for dinner and a relaxed start the next morning.
If you’re renting, check your confirmation for the pickup point. The Imabari Station rental terminal is by the train station. The Imabari Itoyama terminal is near the bridge, across town.
Once you know where you’re collecting your bike, check the opening time and work backward from there. The Shimanami rental guide lists both terminals and their hours.
Getting to shimanami PRIMEHOTEL IMABARI
The hotel is at 4-6-10 Tokiwacho, Imabari, Ehime 794-0015, Japan. Its official access information lists a five-minute walk from JR Imabari Station.
Our Shimanami Kaido Trip
See how we started our trip in Imabari before cycling across the islands to Onomichi.
Read Our Shimanami Kaido Guide →