Tamaudun is the royal mausoleum of the Ryukyu kings, a walled complex of grey coral limestone at the foot of Shuri hill, and it feels a little like a stone ship, heavy, low and enclosed. King Sho Shin had it built in 1501 to house the remains of his father and later the kings of the Second Sho dynasty. The Ryukyu kingdom was an independent maritime state with ties to China, Japan and Southeast Asia, and its rulers were buried in a tradition that blended Chinese and Okinawan styles. The tombs have three chambers: one where the bones were laid, one where they were washed, and one for the remains of lesser royalty.
Much of the site was wrecked in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, and the mausoleum was rebuilt after the war, along with the nearby Shuri Castle, which has itself burned and been restored more than once. The two together are part of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, listed by UNESCO in 2000. Nearby lies Sefa-utaki, a sacred grove where the priestesses of the kingdom held ceremonies among tilted rocks and old trees.
Riding on Okinawa has its own character. Traffic keeps to the left, speeds are low, and roads in the south are busy with cars, buses and military traffic from the American bases. Heat and humidity are heavy from May to October, and typhoons between August and October can close roads and cancel ferries. Further north the roads are better for pleasure: the coast road from Naha to Cape Hedo passes beaches and cliffs, and the Yanbaru forest has curvy roads under dense green canopy. A light rain jacket is always useful.
Naha and its suburbs have all the fuel and food you could need, and Okinawa soba, goya champuru and awamori spirit are the local specialities. The mausoleum charges a small entry fee and is quiet and shaded, so it works well as an early stop. Watch for habu snakes if you walk off the path in the countryside, and avoid riding after dark in rural areas, where roads are unlit.