Why this ride
It goes by way of Nakijin-jô site, Zakimi-jô site, Tamaudun and back through Zakimi-jô site.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Northern part of Okinawa Island and Tamaudun
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 281 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 53
- 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. 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 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 44 km into the recorded legs. Next is Zakimi-jô site.
3. 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
about 109 km into the recorded legs you reach Zakimi-jô site. Next is Tamaudun.
4. Tamaudun
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.
Read the complete Tamaudun write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tamaudun, about halfway. Next is back through Zakimi-jô site.
5. 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 sits at 163 km, about halfway. Next is back through Nakijin-jô site.
6. 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 comes up about 237 km into the recorded legs. Next is Northern part of Okinawa Island.
7. 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
Northern part of Okinawa Island closes the day.
Leg by leg
Northern part of Okinawa Island to Nakijin-jô site
Northern part of Okinawa Island → Nakijin-jô site is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Nakijin-jô site to Zakimi-jô site
Nakijin-jô site → Zakimi-jô site is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Zakimi-jô site to Tamaudun
Zakimi-jô site → Tamaudun is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tamaudun to back through Zakimi-jô site
Tamaudun → back through Zakimi-jô site is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Zakimi-jô site to back through Nakijin-jô site
back through Zakimi-jô site → back through Nakijin-jô site is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Nakijin-jô site to Northern part of Okinawa Island
back through Nakijin-jô site → Northern part of Okinawa Island is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.