Naha is the capital of Okinawa, and the hill above it carries the story of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Sonohyan-utaki Ishimon is the stone gate in front of a small sacred grove at the foot of Shuri castle, and it was where the Ryukyuan kings said a prayer for safe travel before leaving the castle. Built in the early sixteenth century, it is a stone archway with a rounded top and a pair of wooden doors, set into a low wall with a stand of trees behind it. Behind the gate there is no building, only trees and a quiet space, because in Ryukyuan religion the divine presence lives in groves and rocks, not in constructed temples. These sacred places are called utaki, and they were tended by priestesses called noro, a tradition that has not entirely disappeared.
It is a UNESCO site, part of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. The rest of the complex, including Shuri castle, was damaged by a fire in 2019, and reconstruction of the main buildings has been under way since, so it is worth checking what is open before travelling.
Okinawa is a good place to ride, though Naha itself is busy, with heavy traffic, lots of traffic lights and a limited monorail line that crosses the city. Driving is on the left, and drivers are generally polite, but lanes are narrow and parking is tight. Once you leave the city, the roads along the coast, particularly the road north toward Cape Hedo, are scenic, with sea views, sugar cane fields and sections of forest. In summer it is hot and humid, typhoons can arrive from July to October, and sudden squalls can make the road slippery.
Tomigusuku, a city of fifty-five thousand, and Naha, with three hundred thousand, offer fuel, shops, restaurants and everything else, and there is no shortage of petrol stations on the main roads. The local food is distinct from mainland Japan: goya champuru, a stir-fry with bitter melon, rafute, slow-cooked pork belly, Okinawa soba in a pork broth, and awamori, a strong rice spirit. Look out for the shisa, lion-dog statues perched on roofs to ward off evil spirits.
Walk the old stone-paved lane up to the castle if you can, and linger at the gate in the late afternoon, when the light filters through the trees.