This would be my second trip to Japan--the first was a mix of hiking in rural areas and visits to the usual cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka.

Now I am looking at a relaxed cycling tour centered around the Seto Sea. "Bound by Japan’s major islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu, Setouchi (Seto Inland Sea) is the largest inland sea in Japan. With its calm sea surface and mild climate, Setouchi and its surrounding areas have prospered as a vital shipping lane since ancient times. There are full of sites of scenic and historical interest. On this trip, we explore islands and surrounding areas of Setouchi, riding along picturesque coast dotted with numerous islands, visiting historical and cultural sites, enjoying great food. En route, we ride across the sea using the Shimanami Highway, the most popular cycling course in Japan that stretches across the Sea from Shikoku to Onomichi on Honshu. Our tour ends in Hiroshima with visits to the Peace Memorial Park and Miyajima, both registered with the list of UNESCO’s world cultural heritage sites." The tour also includes visits to Himeji castle, Ritsurin garden, Kotohira shrine, and Dogo Onsen.

I am thinking perhaps about a 3 day visit to Kanazawa prior to the cycling tour. This would give me time to recover from jet lag from the US and time to adjust to the time difference while I leisurely visit the area. The tour basically has 24 hours in the Hiroshima and Miyajima area. It visits the Peace Memorial Park and Museum and devotes a morning to Miyajima. Is this adequate time for the Hiroshima area? I am trying to decide whether I would immediately fly home or spend an extra day in Hiroshima.

Do you have any thoughts on the tour? On the areas I would visit on the tour or on my own? An alternative to visiting Kanazawa would be to just re-visit Kyoto to see things I missed on my first visit.

Thanks in advance.

I enjoyed Kanazawa immensely. It has some beautiful gardens (most notably Kenrokuen) and, as a center of traditional arts, it has some wonderful museums. I wish I'd had more than two very full, very busy days there.

For me. a half day was sufficient to see Hiroshima's Peace Memorial park and Museum. There is, of course, more to do in Hiroshima.

I'm glad I had a full day for Miyjajima, and I was there before it became as crowded as it is now. You can certainly see some wonderful things with just half a day; whether you would find it satisfying is something I can't say.

I hope you spend some time with japan-guide.com.

>> Is this adequate time for the Hiroshima area?

Of course not.

I will follow up on both of your thoughts--perhaps adding an additional day in each place before and after the tour. I will do some guidebook reading about other things to do and see in Hiroshima. Any comments on the area the tour covers? I appreciate it.

I thought Himeji-jo quite impressive. If time permits, consider a visit to the nearby Koko-en.

Almost as if you were wondering if flying in the day before the tour and flying home the day after was a good idea. If so, then my above reply still applies.

I recommend an extra day in Hiroshima simply to unwind from the tour. You're going to be on the go for several days with that tour, so having an extra day or two or 7 would be worthwhile. Probably will be someone else from the tour staying over. You could spend the day on your own or with a new friend.

Good idea to arrive in Japan a few days early, as you mentioned. Kanazawa or Kyoto would be good choices. IIRC, you meet your tour group in Himeji. Kanazawa to Himeji would be three to four hours on JR with two transfers for around $72. Kyoto to Himeji would be 100 min and $15 on a rapid train or 45 min and $32 on shinkansen.

I commented on your tour on another thread. Sounds wonderful.

Glad that you decided to spend at least another day in Hiroshima. I would give it 2 nights in Hiroshima and one night on Miyajima Island but thats just me. The magic happens on Miyajima when last tour boat leaves and the mornings until the first tour boat arrives. Hiroshima is also the first place I saw a Japanese baseball game (Hiroshima Carp). I might be a little bias as my Japanese ancestors hail from Hiroshima.

Here are some things to do in Hiroshima.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2160.html

Aloha!

Your plan sounds great — the Setouchi cycling route is really scenic and a nice contrast to the big cities you saw on your first trip. The Shimanami Kaido in particular is famous and very enjoyable at a relaxed pace.
A 3day stop in Kanazawa before the tour makes a lot of sense for jet lag recovery gardens, samurai district, and 21st Century Museum are all worth a visit, and it’s a smaller city so you won’t feel rushed.
For Hiroshima/Miyajima, one full day is enough to see the highlights (Peace Park/Museum + Itsukushima Shrine), but if you want a slower pace or to explore Miyajima more deeply (like hiking up Mount Misen), adding an extra night would be worthwhile.

If you’ve already done Kyoto once, Kanazawa will give you something fresh. But if you feel you missed big things in Kyoto, revisiting is never a bad idea. Either way, the mix of Kanazawa + Setouchi + Hiroshima will give you a good balance of history, scenery, and culture.

Thanks for the affirmations on my choices. Now all I need to do is pit all of the pieces together and make some bookings. The only teeny bit of concern I have is what the weather will be like for cycling/outdoor activities like Setouchi around the 1st of November. I keep seeing the photos of orange trees so assume the climate is relatively mild.

weatherspark.com is an excellent resource for climate data.

Western Japan has two sides, San'in on the Nihon Kai side and San'yo on the Seto Nai Kai side. The Japan Sea side gets rain and you can think of San'in as meaning "sun in". The mountains between the two sides make for better weather on the Seto Inland Sea side where you will be and you can think of San'yo as meaning "sunny" or "sun yo".

On Nov 1 you should expect good weather even on the Sanin side (btw I saw orange trees on that side in Hagi not good). That is a good time of year weather-wise pretty much everywhere in Japan. That is why I usually visit in November.

On Sanyo side in early November, I would definitely be looking forward to great weather. I will be in Okayama around then, maybe Nov 2, 3 or 4 and would be quite surprised if it rained. It is certainly possible.