沖縄 Okinawa Circumnavigation Full Trip

沖縄 Okinawa Circumnavigation Full Trip

沖縄 Okinawa Circumnavigation Bike Camping

This Flip Flop Navigator Adventure is my day bike camping trip around the island of Okinawa in Southern Japan.

The 500 plus kilometer trip starts and ends on the west coast in Yomitan Village and goes clock wise around the island with side trips to 6 other islands connected to the Okinawa mainland by bridges.

Of the 6 nights on this trip 3 nights were spent wild camping, one night was at a campground, I had gracious hosts 2 of the nights; I stayed in the house of one of them and camped on the front porch of the other. The trip was in mid December and the temperatures ranged from 17 – 22’C

Oki circumnavigation kms

Day 1 67.68km to Motobu Beach
Day 2 67.21km to Yagaji Beach (134.89)
Day 3 65.24km to Sosu Beach (200.13)
Day 4 92.39km to Kin Town (292.52)
Day 5 to Ikei Island 65.35 (357.87)
Day 6 to Itoman Beach 100.28 (458.15)
Day 7 to Yomitan Beach 53.23 (511.38 KM)

Michi No Eki
Road side station for purchasing local products

My Surly Bridge Club is 16 kg with the racks, 47.5 with all my gear and 137kg with the fat guy in the seat. That’s why they say it is “Fit for Fatties”

Mozuku
Seaweed usually eaten with vinegar or in tempura

Onegaishimasu
Please

Arigatou gozaimas
Thank you

Beni imo
Purple Sweet Potatoes famous in Okinawa

Gate Ball
A game where you hit a hard baseball sized ball with a mallet like croquet played by most seniors in Okinawa

* Morning, afternoon, and evening music
* Asa no ongaku
* Hiru no ongaku
* Yoru no ongaku

Mensore
Welcome in Okinawa dialect

Uchi na guchi
Okinawa dialect

Unagi
Eel

Okinawa Soba

Okinawa noodle soup with port or ribs

Onegaishimasu
Please

Vending machines are used by many restaurants in Japan

Dou suru kaa naa
What should I do – which should I choose

Onegaishimasu
Please

Hai (learning Japanese)
Yes or an acknowledgment

Hotate (learning Japanese)
scallops

Uni (learning Japanese)I
Sea urchin

Goya chanpuru (Okinawa Culture)
Bitter melon stir fry usually with spam and egg

*Spam was given to Okinawans and Hawaiians for food after World War II and it has become a part of both of the food culture for both places.

Gochisou sama (learning Japanese)
Kuwachi sabitan (learning Okinawa dialect)
Thank you for the food, it was delicious

Blue Seal Ice cream

A&W

Day 2 Motobu Beach to Yagaji Beach

My tent is a Hilleberg Tarra.

On day 3 of my Okinawa bikecamping adventure I wake up to strong winds at a campground on Yagaji Island pack up my gear and head north against the wind to Ogimi village where I visit the Bashofu workshop and ride through the village that has the most centenarians in the world. After a bento lunch in the parking lot of a local store I head to Hedo Point, the northernmost point in Okinawa then the road turns south down the east coast to my second wild camping night of the trip.

The Bashofu workshop is a must see place.

There are 9 steps to Bashofu, each requiring a high level of craftsmanship and a deep understanding of traditional techniques.

Ganbattte! = do you best/keep fighting/keep going!

Day 3 was a rough day of riding against the wind then up and down the hills of Okinawa’s Northeastern coastline, I will sleep well tonight.

Check out day 4 of my Okinawa bikecamping circumnavigation. With 200 kilometers behind me from the first 3 days I head south up and down rolling hills hoping to make it to Kin. On my longest and toughest day of riding so far I finally got to see a rare Yanbaru Kuina (bird) and an inoshishi (wild boar).

These veggie stands in Okinawa are called “yōgō” or “trust stands”. You pay on the honor system.

“Yasuragi” (やすらぎ) means peace, calm, serenity, tranquility.

“gaijin jutaku” (外人住宅), which means “foreigners’ houses” were built in Okinawa post-WWII, particularly during the U.S. military occupation (1945–1972). The houses reflect the influence of American military culture on Okinawa during that time. Many are still in use today.

Mozuku is seaweed grown in shallow ocean areas on nets imbedded with the seeds. Sometimes locals enjoy visiting the beach to collect the mozuku that fell off the nets and washed ashore.

The wall at the entrance of an Okinawan yard is called a “kōri” (塀) or “ōkōri” (大塀), depending on its size, and is commonly found in both residential homes and agricultural properties in Okinawa.

This is an Ishigantō (石敢當) is a protective stone found in Okinawa, parts of southern China, and Taiwan placed at T-junctions which are believed to be points of spirit gathering. You will also find them at road intersections, and entrances to homes or villages.

Okinawa sata andagi (サーターアンダギー) are deep-fried doughnuts that are a popular traditional sweet in Okinawa.

The name comes from the Okinawan language:
“Sata” (サーター) = Sugar
“Andagi” (アンダギー) = Deep-fried

沖縄 [Day 6 Ikei Island to Itoman Chura-Sun Beach]

沖縄 [Day 7 Itoman Chura-Sun Beach to Yomitan]

#沖縄 #Okinawa #BikeCamping #OkinawaAdventure #YomitanVillage #OkinawaIslands #WildCamping