Why this ride
A 271 km round trip from Naha - roughly 5 h 54 in the saddle. On the way it passes Nakijin-jô site, Northern part of Okinawa Island and back through Nakijin-jô site.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Naha day out · Northern part of Okinawa Island
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 271 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 54
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Naha
Naha is the capital of Okinawa, a low, bright, warm city at the southern end of a long, thin island that for centuries was the Ryukyu Kingdom, independent and rich from trade between China, Japan and Southeast Asia. Its royal seat was Shuri Castle, on a hill above the city, with red lacquered halls in a style that mixes Chinese and Japanese ideas. A fire destroyed the main buildings in October 2019, and reconstruction is under way, though the walls and gates and the view over the city remain. The castle site belongs to the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, listed by UNESCO in 2000.
Read the complete Naha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Naha is where the day begins. Next is Nakijin-jô site.
2. Nakijin-jô site
On a hill on the Motobu peninsula in northern Okinawa, the long, curving walls of Nakijin castle follow the contours of the limestone like a stone dragon. In the fourteenth century, Okinawa was divided into three kingdoms, and Nakijin was the seat of the northern kingdom, Hokuzan, until it was conquered by the Chuzan kingdom in the early fifteenth century. The site is part of the UNESCO-listed Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, which celebrates the unique culture of the Ryukyu islands, shaped by trade with China, Japan and Southeast Asia.
Read the complete Nakijin-jô site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nakijin-jô site comes up about 91 km into the recorded legs. Next is Northern part of Okinawa Island.
3. Northern part of Okinawa Island
The northern third of Okinawa island is called Yanbaru, and it is nothing like the beach resorts and American bases the south is known for. It is forest, thick subtropical evergreen forest with giant ferns and trees dripping with moss, rolling over steep hills that drop straight into the East China Sea. It is also one of the richest places for wildlife in Japan, with species found nowhere else in the world, including the Okinawa rail, a flightless bird only found by scientists in 1981, and the Okinawa woodpecker. Together with Amami and a few other islands, the area was added to the UNESCO natural heritage list in 2021.
Read the complete Northern part of Okinawa Island write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 136 km into the recorded legs you reach Northern part of Okinawa Island. Next is back through Nakijin-jô site.
4. back through Nakijin-jô site
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Nakijin-jô site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Nakijin-jô site, late in the day. Next is Naha.
5. Naha
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Naha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Naha. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Naha to Nakijin-jô site
Naha → Nakijin-jô site is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Nakijin-jô site to Northern part of Okinawa Island
Nakijin-jô site → Northern part of Okinawa Island is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Northern part of Okinawa Island to back through Nakijin-jô site
Northern part of Okinawa Island → back through Nakijin-jô site is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Nakijin-jô site to Naha
back through Nakijin-jô site → Naha is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.