Why this ride
From Nanjō it runs 421 km to Nanjō; allow about 9 h 45 of riding. On the way it passes Zakimi-jô site, Tamaudun, Nakijin-jô site and Northern part of Okinawa Island. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Sêfa-utaki and Northern part of Okinawa Island
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 421 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 9 h 45
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Zakimi-jô site.
2. 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 comes up 49 km in. Next is Tamaudun.
3. 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
98 km in you reach Tamaudun. Next is Nakijin-jô site.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Northern part of Okinawa Island.
5. 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 sits at 196 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 245 km in. Next is back through Tamaudun.
7. back through Tamaudun
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
294 km in you reach back through Tamaudun. Next is back through Zakimi-jô site.
8. 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, late in the day. Next is Sêfa-utaki.
9. 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
The route ends here after 421 km.
Leg by leg
Sêfa-utaki to Zakimi-jô site
Sêfa-utaki → Zakimi-jô site is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Zakimi-jô site to Tamaudun
Zakimi-jô site → Tamaudun is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tamaudun to Nakijin-jô site
Tamaudun → Nakijin-jô site is 81 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 41 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 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Nakijin-jô site to back through Tamaudun
back through Nakijin-jô site → back through Tamaudun is 81 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Tamaudun to back through Zakimi-jô site
back through Tamaudun → back through Zakimi-jô site is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Zakimi-jô site to Sêfa-utaki
back through Zakimi-jô site → Sêfa-utaki is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.