Travellers' Checks | See scenic southern Japan by seaplane; Tokyo, Osaka next
Combine sightseeing by seaplane with a bike trip from Onomichi to Shikoku, and see where Tokyo Story was filmed. Also in the news: Yangon’s Strand hotel reopens, and Oman gets hilltop Anantara resort
Sea change Seaplanes were once a common sight around Japan, but they largely disappeared in the 1960s with the proliferation of airports and the introduction of the bullet train. Now they are making a small comeback, with the launch of Setouchi Seaplanes (setouchi-seaplanes.com/en), based in the city of Onomichi, Hiroshima prefecture.
Three sightseeing flights a day take a handful of passengers on a 50-minute ride over the spectacular island scenery of the Seto Inland Sea. Tickets cost 32,000 yen (HK$2,370) on weekdays and 37,000 yen on weekends. Setouchi Seaplanes, which claims to be the first new company of its kind for 50 years, plans to expand its services to link the Inland Sea region to Tokyo and Osaka in the not too distant future.
Onomichi is also the starting point for the Shimanami Kaido Bikeway, a 60km, bike-friendly expressway that winds across several small islands and nine bridges to the main island of Shikoku. There’s even a dedicated hotel for touring cyclists. The 28-room Hotel Cycle offers ride-through check-in, repair facilities and ceiling hooks in most rooms so you can keep your bike with you 24/7. It’s part of the new Onomichi U2 complex (onomichi-u2.com/en), which also contains the Giant bike rental shop, restaurants, cafés and a bakery within a converted warehouse.