Okinawa Ramen Riding

沖縄- Okinawa



I had work on a Saturday down in Okinawa. Of course, I took a few days off to get down there early for some R&R. R&R, isn't that what the military guys say? Seriously, there is a big, scary military presence down in Okinawa. But was I down there for the burgers and Filipino girly bars that line the roads outside the ominous barbed wire fences surrounding our service men? No way, I'm here to eat noodles and ride bikes.



This was my first time to Okinawa, and now I've been to all 47 prefectures of Japan. I think, for the traveler, Okinawa has a lot to offer if you have the time. Apart from the main island and Naha, accounts of amazing seaside villages and tranquility abound. But, I didn't have the time. A quick, two day blast on a rented Kawasaku Z800 would have to do.



But first, airport sushi! The sushi at Terminal 1 is much better than this one at Terminal 2.



A rental from Rental 819, the country-wide bike rental company we know and love. I was thinking of a cruiser, maybe a Honda Shadow 400, but this sporty beast was the same price. How was the ride? Maybe if you are more of a Japanese-sized guy, you'd enjoy it more. That seat felt small, and it was rock hard to boot. But the power to weight was awesome, and the torque was there at any speed. I wonder how it compares to a KTM Duke 690?

Anyways, if you are interested in getting a Z800, make sure you test ride it for a day first. I couldn't do more than 80km before my ass was sore.



Ramen! I hit up 1 ramen shop and 2 sokisoba (Okinawan style noodles) shops this trip. The reviews will be up later at www.ramenadventures.com.



My pension for the night. $40 and I woke up to this view. Not bad, except the Motobu area was completely dead. I managed to find the only friendly looking place to drink on the other side of that bridge.



Okinawan Awomori (泡盛) is prevalent.



The, one full day of riding and sightseeing.



I'd say skip the Okinawa aquarium. Yeah, it is super famous, but apart from the whale sharks, it was kind of small. Actually, I had just recently visited the Atlanta aquarium, which supplanted the Okinawan one as the biggest tank in the world. I think. The Atlanta one had jellyfish and a dolphin show that was more of an off-broadway production.

The above photo is from Okinawa, and below is from Atlanta. I think the same company built the massive acrylic windows.



Almost everything with a sign seems touristy. I veered off the main road to check out a waterfall, but they wanted 500 yen to see it. Further north, a cliff with a view was charging 870 yen for a look. I don't even know what this Okinawa Fruits Land is, but it was another 1000 yen.



Motobu is known as THE place to go for sokisoba, the Okinawan cousin to ramen.



山原そば.



Great soup and noodles. The meat was a little tough, but you can't beat the above bowl for 600 yen.



Another famous spot. きしもと食堂.



Their toppings were amazing, but the noodles were on the soft side. Everyone's a critic!



What a place. The north side had plenty of positively empty roads. I only passed one driver in about an hour, who just so happened to be the drunkest drunk driver I had ever seen in my life. This was at noon on a Friday. I contemplated being a snitch and telling a cop, but there were also no buildings for an hour.



I guess November is the off season. Though it was almost 30 degrees out, I had this resort beach all to myself for the sunset.



And I didn't even get kicked out for my tattoos! Also, what is that guy's ink of? A tribal butterfly crab?



See you again, next time my work sends me down.

Fuku (Fugu) in Yamaguchi

You've heard of fugu, the potentially deadly puffer fish?



Well, in Yamaguchi, the most famous place in Japan for the stuff, they call if fuku, meaning good luck. I always thought it would be pricey (the high end fugu shops in Tokyo cost around $300 a person), but was shocked to see how normal it is down here.



Deep fried fuku for 100 yen. That's just a buck!



The whole Shimonoseki fish market area is great. It might be more into the wholesale thing in the early morning, but at noon it was just shops selling sushi, fried fish, and beers, Mega cheap to boot. And, just a short walk away was a Ferris wheel and helicopter rides.



I ate enough fuku to numb my throat, then headed on to central Yamaguchi, about an hour away.



In any new town in Japan, I always try to find a welcoming bar, then ask them about restaurants and other bars in the area. This funky wine bar, called 和音, was the perfect start. What's that? You are having a Kumamoto wine fair? With complementary raw horse meat?



Solid! The friendly bartender recommended the most popular local izakaya. A few hours wait later and we were dining on local fish and drinking local sake.



If the whale bacon scares you, just wash it down with some fuku infused sake.



And dig into a pot of fuku nabe.



So much fukin fuku.



Random birthday party crash? You bet!



We managed to find the last pieces of Godiva chocolate at the local 7-11, a worthy birthday present.

Yamaguchi, people, make the trek.

Yakushima, the Magic Forest Island

屋久島



I visited Yakushima a few years ago, and have always held the desire to return. Yakushima is, of course, the Japanese island that inspired Miyazaki to create the seminal Mononoke Hime - Princess Mononoke. A mossy, wild island filled with unique flora and fauna. What's not to love?



Most visitors ferry it over from Kagoshima, head to the trailhead, and hike to Jomonsugi, a very, very old tree in the center of the island. It is an intense day hike there and back, or a leisurely overnighter spent free camping in the woods.



The idea this time around was more of the same, with the added benefit of a rented car and an extra day on the island. Solid.

Time to see some of the amazing trees of Yakushima. These trees are some of the oldest living things on earth.



On the first evening, I drove with my friend to one of the ancient trees accessible without a hike. Kigensugi (紀元杉) is just up the road from Yakusugiland, a tree-themed park popular with tourists who aren't interested in long hikes. Upon arriving at the 3000 year old tree, my travelling partner let out an unexpected comment:

That's it?

Well, the trees here aren't as impressive looking as, say, the giant redwoods of California or expansive banyan trees of Hawaii. Keep that in mind when dragging your friends here, they might not be impressed.



But while the trees themselves are what they are, the general beauty of the forest is nothing less than spectacular. No HDR needed on this shot of a mossy stream crossing.



Ah, who am I kidding. Eyeball explosion!



We decided to pass on the long hike to Jomonsugi (縄文杉), and instead opted for a loop around the Shirataniunsuikyo (白谷雲水峡) reserve. For the record, the hike up to Taikoiwa (対抗岩) rock, then back down to see Yayoisugi (弥生杉) was fantastic. Maybe 5 hours at a chill pace.



If you have a car, spend a minute and drive around to the various waterfalls on the south side of the island. All very different and all very scenic.



Negative ions!



Fresh air!





Okonotaki is considered one of the best in Japan.



Neighboring Tanegashima (種子島) is a flat island, home to Japan's space launch center, and probably not worth a visit. Completely randomly, my trip corresponded with the launch of the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft. Easily visible from the port town on Yakushima. Kind of super amazing to witness something like this.



Other spots on the island? There is a neat ocean-side onsen that is only accessible twice a day at low tide. I unintentionally held up a TV crew when I was soaking, as they didn't want my tattooed, naked body to be in their show. My bad!



If you hike, or drive, or do anything where there aren't buildings, you are bound to see a few yakushika (屋久鹿) and yakuzaru (屋久猿). Local deer and local monkeys that have, over the centuries, evolved into smaller, more docile versions of their mainland counterparts.



Cute!



Tame!



With no predators, these deer are easy picking for local hunters. If you stay at a local Japanese inn, expect to be served some tasty deer meat.



Even the local pizza shop has a mega-delicious stewed deer pizza. Seriously, this one was good.



The other local food is flying fish.



Quite nice when deep fried.



See you again!



If you are going, remember that the ferry is mad expensive, and a short flight from the Yakushima airport to Kagoshima is only about $10 more. There are also direct flights to the island from Fukuoka and Osaka.