What to Do With Your Luggage on the Shimanami Kaido: Lockers in Imabari and Same-Day Bag Delivery (2026)
You can rent a bicycle in Imabari in about ten minutes.
The route is signposted with a blue line the whole way.
The one thing that stays unsolved is the suitcase standing next to you.
Imabari is the southern gateway to the Shimanami Kaido, the 70-kilometre island-hopping cycling route that links Shikoku to Honshu.
Most riders arrive at JR Imabari Station with everything they own for the trip, and the bag has to go somewhere before the first bridge.
This guide sets out the options as they stand in August 2026.
First question: are you coming back to Imabari?
Everything follows from that one answer.
If you finish the day back in Imabari, you only need somewhere to leave the bag.
That covers a day ride out to the islands and back, or two nights in the same Imabari hotel.
If you are riding through to Onomichi, or sleeping on one of the islands, the bag has to travel without you.
Those are two completely different systems, so they are handled separately below.
Coming back: lockers at JR Imabari Station
There are 36 coin lockers in the passageway just outside the ticket gates, usable 24 hours a day.
They come in three sizes, but only two of them are the large size that swallows a full suitcase.
Arrive late in the morning and you may find those two already taken.
The coin lockers take cash only, and there is no change machine nearby.
Have 100-yen coins in your pocket before you reach the station.
There is also a set of cashless lockers at the station, operated by an app rather than by coins.
The first 60 minutes are free, and a full 24 hours costs 900 yen for the small size and 1,500 yen for the large one.
For anyone travelling without Japanese coins, that is the simpler of the two.
Coming back: the cycling terminal in front of the station
The second option is the left-luggage counter at the Imabari Station Cycling Terminal, known as i.i.imabari! Cycle Station.
It is the building directly in front of the station, about a minute on foot from the ticket gates.
Staff will take a bag for a fee, and unlike a locker there is no fixed shape it has to fit into.
The service is limited to people renting bicycles there and to cyclists.
Opening hours are 8:00 to 19:00 from March to November, and 8:00 to 18:00 from December to February, with no closing days.
Prices are revised from time to time, so ask at the counter rather than relying on an old figure online.
The same building is where most visitors pick up a rental bike, which is covered in renting a bicycle in Imabari.
Open the Imabari Station Cycling Terminal in Google Maps
Riding through: same-day bag delivery
If you are not coming back, your luggage can be sent ahead on the same day.
The service is run by Sagawa Express and is called Shimanami Kaido Hands-Free Cycling.
You hand the bag in at a partner facility in the morning, and it reaches a partner facility at the far end of your ride that evening.
It works in both directions, and the partner list covers Onomichi, the islands in between, and Imabari.
One item costs 2,200 yen.
The limits are 160 centimetres for the three sides added together, and 30 kilograms in weight.
Suitcases, duffel bags and rucksacks all qualify, and you can send a single item.
Individual riders do not need to book in advance.
You simply turn up within the reception window on the day.
Only groups of ten or more have to arrange it beforehand with the local depot.
Valuables, cash and fragile items are not accepted.
Part of the route travels by ferry, so a bag that is not properly packed can be refused at loading.
The morning cut-off is earlier than you expect
This is where most plans come unstuck.
Hotels in Imabari accept bags until 10:00 in the morning.
The counter at the Imabari Station Cycling Terminal takes them between 8:00 and 10:00.
A leisurely breakfast and a 10:30 start does not work here.
Send the bag first, then ride.
The collection times matter just as much.
Bags are ready from 16:00 in Imabari, and from 18:00 on the islands and in Onomichi.
In other words, your luggage arrives after you do.
If you want a shower the moment you check in, carry a change of clothes in a small backpack.
Deliveries can also slip to the next day in bad weather or heavy traffic.
Counters you can use without staying the night
Most partner hotels serve their own guests only.
On the Imabari side, though, several counters are open to anyone.
The Imabari Station Cycling Terminal both sends and receives, with collection from 16:00 to 19:00 between March and November, and 16:00 to 18:00 between December and February.
The Sagawa Express Imabari depot accepts bags from 8:00 to 10:00 and hands them back from 16:00 to 20:00.
The most useful one for a rider is Shimanami Onsen Kisuke no Yu, the hot spring beside the station.
Anyone using the baths can collect a bag there between 16:00 and 22:00.
That makes one very tidy ending to a ride: finish, soak, collect your bag, change into clean clothes and walk out.
The bathhouse itself is described in Shimanami Onsen Kisuke no Yu by Imabari Station.
Several inns up in Dogawa Onsen are partner facilities too, so a night in the hills does not rule the service out.
That valley is introduced in Dogawa Seseragi Koryukan.
Sending the bicycle itself, or sending a bag home
Bicycles can be shipped as well as luggage.
They have to go in a dedicated bike box, which is sold for 6,600 yen.
The box has to be reserved a week in advance, and the packed bicycle can measure up to 260 centimetres across the three sides.
Shipping is charged on delivery rather than at the counter.
Not every partner facility handles bicycles, so confirm with the one you plan to use.
You can also send a bag to your own address in Japan from the same counters.
That is ordinary parcel delivery, not the same-day service.
It is paid on arrival, and you collect it once you are home.
Beware of outdated information
Search for luggage transport on the Shimanami Kaido and you will find a free service called Nimotsu Rakuraku-bin.
It was a pilot scheme run by a local tourism association from 2013, and it has ended.
The Sagawa Express same-day service took over from it in 2015.
Planning around a free transfer that no longer exists is a bad surprise to have on the morning of a ride.
Old pages cause the same trouble with bridge charges, which are set out in bridge tolls on the Shimanami Kaido.
Questions visitors ask
Can I collect my bag in Matsuyama? No.
Same-day delivery covers only Onomichi, the islands and Imabari.
If you fly into Matsuyama Airport, your luggage travels with you as far as Imabari.
Do I need to book? Not as an individual.
Bring the bag to a counter within its reception hours on the day.
How many bags can I send? There is no limit on the number.
The charge simply applies to each item.
Is it worth using on a day ride? Yes, if you are actually riding.
Weight on your back is felt on every bridge approach.
What if rain stops the ride? Your bag is already at the hotel.
Indoor alternatives are gathered in a rainy day in Imabari.
Getting there from JR Imabari Station
The coin lockers are inside the station passageway, a few steps from the ticket gates.
The cycling terminal is directly in front of the station, roughly one minute on foot.
Kisuke no Yu is around two minutes away on the other side of the station forecourt.
All three are close enough to visit with a loaded bike, which matters when you are wheeling a suitcase as well.
If you are arriving by long-distance bus, the Shimanami Liner stops at Imabari Station and puts you within the same short walk.
Deciding in one minute
Coming back to Imabari: use a station locker, or the terminal counter for anything bulky.
Riding through to Onomichi: hand the bag over before 10:00.
Sleeping on an island: check when you book whether your inn is a partner facility.
Shipping the bicycle: reserve the box a week ahead.
Once the bag is dealt with, the rest of the day is just riding.
The route out of town is covered in Imabari Station to the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge by bicycle.
If you plan to cross to an island by boat, see the local ferry from Hashihama Port.
Everything on the Imabari side is pulled together in the Imabari guide for Shimanami cyclists.
Information correct as of August 2026.
Fares, opening hours and reception times can change, so please check the operators’ official websites before you travel.
Original article in Japanese: しまなみサイクリングの荷物はどうする？｜今治駅のコインロッカーと手荷物の当日配送（2026年）
