Why this ride
From Nago it runs 348 km to Nago; allow about 9 h 04 of riding. It goes by way of Northern part of Okinawa Island, Katsuren-jô site, Zakimi-jô site and Nakagusuku-jô site. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Nakijin-jô site and Nakagusuku-jô site
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 348 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 9 h 04
- 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. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Northern part of Okinawa Island.
2. 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 comes up about 45 km into the recorded legs. Next is Katsuren-jô site.
3. 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
At least about 129 km into the recorded legs you reach Katsuren-jô site. Next is Zakimi-jô site.
4. Zakimi-jô site
The walls of Zakimi gusuku curve across the top of a hill in Yomitan like a ribbon of pale limestone, following the contour of the land in graceful arcs rather than straight lines. Built in the early fifteenth century by Gosamaru, a celebrated castle builder of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the fortress is small but beautifully made. Its arched stone gateways, held in place by a wedge-shaped keystone, are among the oldest stone arches in Okinawa. Zakimi is part of the UNESCO site of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, listed in 2000.
Read the complete Zakimi-jô site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Zakimi-jô site, about halfway. Next is Nakagusuku-jô site.
5. Nakagusuku-jô site
On the ridge above Nakagusuku Bay the walls of an old castle follow the curve of the hill in a long ribbon of pale limestone, and the shapes are surprisingly sophisticated. Nakagusuku was built, probably in the fourteenth century and extended in the fifteenth, by the lord Gosamaru, who was respected as a master builder, and its walls use a technique of fitted, curved stones with no mortar, in a pattern the Okinawans call nunozumi, cloth-laying, and a more rugged style called aikatazumi, which looks like a jigsaw. Six enclosures step up along the ridge, with gateways, a well and the foundations of halls.
Read the complete Nakagusuku-jô site write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nakagusuku-jô site sits at 161 km, about halfway. Next is back through Zakimi-jô site.
6. back through Zakimi-jô site
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Zakimi-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 Zakimi-jô site comes up about 194 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Katsuren-jô site.
7. back through 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
about 217 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Katsuren-jô site. Next is back through Northern part of Okinawa Island.
8. back through Northern part of Okinawa Island
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Northern part of Okinawa Island, late in the day. Next is Nakijin-jô site.
9. 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
The route ends here after 348 km.
Leg by leg
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 Katsuren-jô site
Northern part of Okinawa Island → Katsuren-jô site is 84 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Katsuren-jô site to Zakimi-jô site
Katsuren-jô site → Zakimi-jô site is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Zakimi-jô site to Nakagusuku-jô site
Zakimi-jô site → Nakagusuku-jô site is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Nakagusuku-jô site to back through Zakimi-jô site
Nakagusuku-jô site → back through Zakimi-jô site is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Zakimi-jô site to back through Katsuren-jô site
back through Zakimi-jô site → back through Katsuren-jô site is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Katsuren-jô site to back through Northern part of Okinawa Island
back through Katsuren-jô site → back through Northern part of Okinawa Island is 86 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Northern part of Okinawa Island to Nakijin-jô site
back through Northern part of Okinawa Island → Nakijin-jô site is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.