Ruth: Apologies for getting this summary out so late. There has been a lot to process after the recent deaths of both of my parents. We started and ended our cycling and island hopping adventure on Okinawa. After a week on the island of Kumejima we returned to explore Okinawa by bike. Yambaru National Park in the North of the Island was a particular highlight. ...
Our trip to Japan has been bookended by the loss of both my parents. My mother died on December 5th, just a day after we arrived in Naha on Okinawa. She chose MAID after a tough year of pneumonia and a recent lung cancer diagnosis. She was 88 years old. Our relationship was complicated. I was very close to her for much of my life, ...
January 13, 2026 - Hoshizuna Beach - 33 km day ride - Terrace Iriomotejima January 14, 2026 - Hoshizuna Beach, Iriomote to Ishigaki, Ishigaki - 43 kms - Hotel Patina January 15, 2026 - Ishigaki - no cycling - Hotel Patina - island count: 16, with the addition of Taketomi January 16, 2026 - Ishigaki - 46 km day cycle - Hotel Patina - total ...
Gordon: Our guidebook says "If you visit only one of the Yaeyama islands (the islands of the Ishigaki group) make it Iriomote. This is where the wild things roam". An invitation like that cannot be ignored, so we are spending most of a week on this UNESCO designated island. The poster child of the wild things is the Iriomote cat, a housecat sized feline found ...
Gord tried the goat sashimi but I stuck with the beef. The beautiful North peninsula! January 5, 2026 - near Hirara, Miyakojima to Shiraho Beach, Ishigaki - 25 kms - Plus Life Shiraho January 6, 2026 - Shiraho Beach - 51 km day ride - Plus Life Shiraho January 7, 2026 - Shiraho Beach - 28 km day ride - Plus Life Shiraho - island ...
January 2, 2026 - Bora, Miyakojima - 59 km day ride - Minnkayado Intoparitosura January 3, 2026 - Bora to near Hirara, Miyakojima - 28 kms - Hotel Pink Hibiscus January 4, 2026 - near Hirara, Miyakojima - 40 km day ride - island count: 13, with the addition of Kurimajima - total distance cycled: 873 kms Ruth: We have been having fun every day ...
Our host with the Kagami Mochi. December 30, 2025 - NW Miyakojima to Bora, Miyakojima - 30 kms - Minnkayado Intoparitosura December 31, 2025 - Bora, Miyakojima - 37 km day ride - Minnkayado Intoparitosura January 1, 2026 - Bora, Miyakojima - rain and wind day, no cycling - Minnkayado Intoparitosura - total distance cycled: 746 kms Ruth: 2026 arrived in Japan while people back ...
December 28, 2025 - Miyakojima - 48 km day ride to Ikemajima - Guesthouse Re-Spect December 29, 2025 - Miyakojima - rain day, no riding - Guesthouse Re-Spect - total distance cycled: 679 kms - island count: 12, with the addition of Ikemajima Ruth: Awamori is a distilled rice drink that is central to the Ryukan culture on Miyako island. Whether you are a participant ...
December 26, 2025 - Naha, Okinawa to Miyakojima - 11 kms - Hotel Pink Hibiscus December 27, 2025 - day ride from Miyakojima to Irabujima and Shimojishima - 47 kms - Hotel Pink Hibiscus - total distance cycled: 631 kms - Island count: 11, with the addition of Miyakojima, Irabujima and Shimojishima Gordon: Yesterday we flew 300 kilometres southwest of Naha to the island of ...
December 21, 2025 - Ada to Kouki Beach - 60 kms - Best Western Kouki Beach December 22, 2025 - Kouki Beach to Uruma - 45 kms - Seatopia House December 23, 2025 - Uruma - 49 km day ride - Seatopia House December 24, 2025 - Uruma to Naha - kms - 36 kms - Chura Ghana House December 25, 2025 - Naha - ...