Okinawa Nanjo
MODEL ROUTE

Three days. Four utaki.

2 nights, 3 daysRental carNight 1 in Tamagusuku/Hyakuna, night 2 in ChinenDay 3 is a full day on Kudaka Island

THE FULL COURSE

Why three days

Of the seven utaki said to have been made at the founding of Ryukyu, four are in Nanjo.
Pray at all four, once in the morning and once in the evening.That is the journey at the heart of this site.

Praying twice: morning and evening

This land has words for it: asakan (morning prayer) and yuukan (evening prayer). Pray in the morning, pray in the evening. Twice a day—this was an actual daily habit here (Utaki of Nanjo City, 2018).

The sun rises from a different point every day.Calculated for Nanjo (at Sefa-utaki):

SeasonSunriseBearing(due east = 90°)
Summer solstice (Jun 21)05:3863°　= north of due east
Around the equinoxes06:1390°　= almost due east
Winter solstice (Dec 22)07:13116°　= south of due east

Between the solstices the sunrise point shifts by 53 degrees.The time differs by 1 hour 35 minutes. Over a three-day stay the change is tiny—and yet, standing in the same place twice, you notice what you missed the first time.

Sunrise times and bearings are calculated values (Sefa-utaki, 26.169°N 127.827°E).To be verified on site.

Make morning and evening a daily habit while you are here.
Stand at the same hours, knowing that people here have done the same thing twice a day. That alone makes the sky in front of you look different.
You take home something other than a count of sights.

Why Kudaka Island takes a whole day

Kudaka requires two boat crossings, and the sailings are few.

  • From Azama Port　Ferry 08:00 / 11:00 / 15:00 (approx. 25 min) · Fast boat 09:30 / 13:00 / 17:00 (approx. 15 min)
  • From Tokujin Port　Ferry 10:00 / 14:00 / 17:00 · Fast boat 08:30 / 12:00 / 16:00

Even on the first boat of the day, the next way back is hours later. There are no traffic lights and no convenience stores on the island.You spend those hours walking, cycling, or sitting and looking at the sea.

Those hours you cannot leave are the best thing about Kudaka. You cannot hurry even if you try, so you end up keeping the island's time.

Sailing times from Kudaka Kaiun open data.To be checked against the current timetable.

  1. Day 1

    It begins at the sea

    Amamikiyo is said to have come ashore in this stretch of coast; that is where you start.

    • Afternoon　Hamagawa-utaki and Yaharazukasa (Hyakuna)At high tide Yaharazukasa is under water. Check the tide first
    • Evening　Yabusatsu-utakiAccess is being confirmed
    • Before sunset　At Mibaru Beach, put your hands together facing the seaThe first yuukan（evening prayer）
    • Night　Stay around Tamagusuku or Hyakuna
  2. Day 2

    Morning light, and the inland utaki

    • Sunrise　Sunrise over the eastern seaNanjo is on the east side of the island. Agari (east) is the direction the sun comes up
    • Morning　Amatsuzu-Tentsugi-utaki (Tamagusuku Castle ruins)Beyond a gate carved out of a single rock. The stone steps are steep
    • Midday　Kakinohana-hijaa spring, or Ou Island
    • Afternoon　Sefa-utakiTickets at the Nanjo Local Products Center. Allow about 60 minutes. Sangui is currently closed to entry
    • Evening　Look out to Kudaka from Chinen Cape ParkPray from afar to the island you will cross to tomorrow
    • Night　Stay in Chinen
  3. Day 3

    To Kudaka Island

    Please read Prayer on Kudaka, and what the islanders ask of you (JA) before you cross.

    • 08:00 or 09:30　Boat from Azama PortFerry approx. 25 min / fast boat approx. 15 min. The pier is a 2-minute walk from the Azama-ko bus stop
    • Morning　Walk the island. Fubo-utaki is prayed to from the entranceNot entering is how you pay respect here
    • Midday　Ishikihama BeachThe beach where a jar holding the seeds of the five grains is said to have washed ashore. Nirai Kanai is said to meet this world here
    • 16:00 or 17:00　Boat back from Tokujin PortDecide your return sailing before you start walking

    Boats are often cancelled for wind and waves. On a cancelled day, pray toward the island from Azama Port, Chinen Cape or Sefa-utaki. Praying from a distance is itself a practice (JA) are in Nanjo. It is not a day you failed to go. It is a day you prayed that way.

One thing at night, one in the morning

Nothing difficult. Just one thing.

At night, at your lodging

Open the page for tomorrow's place—just one. You need not read it. Simply having it open changes what you see the next day.

In the morning, before you leave

Recall the name of one thing you saw yesterday—just one. 「ibi」「utoushi" or "agari"—one is enough.

Every page is built to be opened three times: before you go, while you are there, and after you return. Read it three times and it stays with you without any effort to memorise.

The four you pray at in these three days

  1. Around Hamagawa-utaki and Yaharazukasa → Yabusatsu-utaki
  2. Amatsuzu-Tentsugi-utaki
  3. Sefa-utaki
  4. Fubo-utaki (from the entrance)

Places you could not fit in can still be prayed to from afar.
Out of time. Boat cancelled. A bad leg. In every case there is utoushi (praying from a distance) (JA). Without going to the place, you pray from far away, facing its direction. This is not a substitute. It is a proper, long-established way of praying. A place you could not reach is not a place you missed. It becomes a place you prayed to that way.

The remaining three—Asumui-utaki (Kunigami), Kubou-dake (Nakijin) and Shuri-Madamui-utaki (Naha)—lie outside Nanjo. All are places of the same Ryukyuan beginning. If you plan to visit them, please see each area's own guidance.

Asakan and yuukan, agarikata (the east), Ishikihama and the jar of five grains: Nanjo City, Utaki of Nanjo City (2018) / Nanjo Digital Archive, Glossary of History and Culture.
Times and sailings are approximate; they will be confirmed on foot.

The three days, hour by hour

The order matters. Follow the order in which the god who came from the sea moved inland and the four become a single story.
Giving the whole of day 3 to Kudaka is what the boat timetable demands.

1It begins at the sea
  1. 13:00
    Leave Naha Airport

    About 40 minutes by rental car to the south.

  2. 14:00
    Hamagawa-utaki and Yaharazukasa (Hyakuna)

    Amamikiyo is said to have come ashore along here. At high tide Yaharazukasa is under water; check the tide first.

  3. 16:00
    Yabusatsu-utaki

    Access is being confirmed.Read more (JA)

  4. 18:00
    At Mibaru Beach, put your hands together facing the sea

    The first yuukan (yuukan).

  5. 19:00
    Stay around Tamagusuku or Hyakuna

    Stay in the city so you can see the next morning's light.Where to stay (in preparation)

2Morning light, and the inland utaki
  1. Sunrise
    Sunrise over the eastern sea

    Nanjo is on the east side of the island. Agari (east) is where the sun comes up. The time varies by about an hour and a half with the season (see the table above).

  2. 09:00
    Tamagusuku Castle ruins and Amatsuzu-Tentsugi-utaki

    Beyond a gate carved out of a single rock. The stone steps are steep.Read more (JA)

  3. 11:00
    Kakinohana-hijaa spring, or Ou Island

    A day for walking, or a day for looking at the sea.

  4. 12:30
    Lunch (Ou Island)

    Island tempura straight from the fryer, with the sea in front of you.

  5. 14:00
    Buy your ticket at the Nanjo Local Products Center

    This is the ticket office for Sefa-utaki. About a 7-minute walk to the entrance.

  6. 14:20
    Sefa-utaki

    Bow once at Ujoguchi before you go in. Allow about 60 minutes. Sangui is closed to entry.Manners

  7. 16:30
    Look out to Kudaka from Chinen Cape Park

    Pray from afar to the island you will cross to tomorrow.utoushi (praying from a distance) (JA)

  8. 17:30
    Check in to your lodging in Chinen

    Stay near the port so you make the morning boat.Where to stay (in preparation)

3To Kudaka Island

Please read Prayer on Kudaka, and what the islanders ask of you (JA) before you cross.

  1. 08:00
    Ferry from Azama Port

    About 25 minutes; the 09:30 fast boat takes about 15. The pier is a 2-minute walk from the Azama-ko bus stop.

  2. Morning
    Walk the island. Pray to Fubo-utaki from its entrance

    Not entering is how you pay respect here.How to pray (JA)

  3. Midday
    Ishikihama Beach

    The beach where a jar holding the seeds of the five grains is said to have washed ashore. Nirai Kanai is said to meet this world here.

  4. 16:00
    Fast boat back from Tokujin Port

    The 17:00 ferry is the last sailing.Decide your return sailing before you start walking.

  5. Evening
    Back to Naha Airport

    Driving times will be confirmed by actually making the drive.

Boats are often cancelled for wind and waves. On a cancelled day, pray toward the island from Azama Port, Chinen Cape or Sefa-utaki. Praying from a distance is itself a practice (JA) are in Nanjo. It is not a day you failed to go. It is a day you prayed that way.

Staying on this route

Two nights out of three: Tamagusuku or Hyakuna on night 1, Chinen near the port on night 2. Pick your dates and book.

Where to stay (in preparation)

Experiences we are preparing

Not on sale yet. We use the number of clicks to decide what to build first.

Verification status
  • Times are approximate and will be confirmed on the ground
  • Sailing times and access to Yabusatsu-utaki: not yet verified