Why this ride
361 km from Katsuren-haebaru to Katsuren-haebaru, about 8 h 11 of riding. It goes by way of Sêfa-utaki, Nakijin-jô site, Northern part of Okinawa Island and back through Nakijin-jô site. An island ride, so the sea is never far.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Katsuren-jô site and Northern part of Okinawa Island
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 361 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 11
- 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. Katsuren-jô site
Katsuren castle stands on a limestone hill on the east coast of Okinawa, near the base of the Katsuren peninsula, and its curving walls step up the slope in a series of enclosures to a summit with sweeping views across the sea. It is one of the gusuku, the castles of the old Ryukyu kingdom and the warring lords who came before it, and it was inscribed in 2000 together with Nakijin, Zakimi, Nakagusuku, Shuri and several sacred groves.
Read the complete Katsuren-jô site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Katsuren-jô site is where the day begins. Next is Sêfa-utaki.
2. Sêfa-utaki
For the people of the old Ryukyu Kingdom, there was no holier place than Sēfa-utaki, a grove of forest and rock on the southeastern tip of Okinawa island. An utaki is a sacred site in the Ryukyuan religion, often a grove, a rock or a spring, where gods are believed to descend, and this one was the most important of all. The kingdom's highest priestess, the Kikoe-ōkimi, usually a woman of the royal family, was inaugurated here, and for centuries men were not allowed to enter.
Read the complete Sêfa-utaki write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sêfa-utaki comes up about 38 km into the recorded legs. Next is Nakijin-jô site.
3. 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
about 135 km into the recorded legs you reach Nakijin-jô site. Next is Northern part of Okinawa Island.
4. 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
Northern part of Okinawa Island, about halfway. Next is back through Nakijin-jô site.
5. 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 sits at 200 km, about halfway. Next is back through Sêfa-utaki.
6. back through Sêfa-utaki
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Sêfa-utaki write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Sêfa-utaki comes up about 321 km into the recorded legs. Next is Katsuren-jô site.
7. Katsuren-jô site
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Katsuren-jô site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Katsuren-jô site closes the day.
Leg by leg
Katsuren-jô site to Sêfa-utaki
Katsuren-jô site → Sêfa-utaki is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Sêfa-utaki to Nakijin-jô site
Sêfa-utaki → Nakijin-jô site is 97 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 back through Sêfa-utaki
back through Nakijin-jô site → back through Sêfa-utaki is 97 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Sêfa-utaki to Katsuren-jô site
back through Sêfa-utaki → Katsuren-jô site is 39 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.