Nanataki Falls (Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)
Shioya Bay in Ogimi Village is known for its scenic beauty. Selected as one of Okinawa’s eight best landscapes, or “Okinawa Hakkei,” the peaceful water dotted with small peninsulas is beautiful to look at, especially from the Mutabaru Observatory.
Better yet, you can sail on the peaceful water, just like Okinawans did back in the past.
Hentona Sabani
(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)
(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)
(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)
On a hot day in July, I visited Hentona Sabani, a studio on Miyagi Island, a small remote island that is connected to the mainland by Route 58. The owner, Teppei Hentona, is a craftsman of sabani, a traditional Okinawan boat.
“From the old days, sabani is utilized for fishery and transportation,” said Hetona as he showed me a sabani boat in the making. If you have experienced a Dragon Boat race, you may be familiar with sabani, as it is used for some of the races as well.
Hentona opened his studio on Miyagi Island in 2020 after learning from a craftsman on Ishigaki Island.
“It’s like falling in love with the craft. Its beauty impressed me. I love the ocean and water activities,” said Hentona, as he explained that he mostly makes “Hokake Sabani,” a sailboat type of Sabani. “Sailing on a ship I made with my own hands sounded romantic.”
Hentona said that in the old days, “kuribune,” a way to make a boat by carving out a boat from one big tree, was common. In the late 19th century, however, a technique called “Honhagi” was introduced to put together wooden boards without using metal nails.
It is this “Honhagi” method that Hentona applies to his boat. As an example, he showed me that the side of a boat is made with two boards put together, one for the top and the other for the bottom, with wooden wedges and bamboo nails to bond them. The smooth, gapless surface that the two boards make is impressive. According to the craftsman, it takes three to four months to make one sabani boat.
While working on his craft and passing it down to the younger generation is his goal, Hentona also offers a sabani tour to visitors.
“The biggest appeal is to sail comfortably on a wooden boat made from natural materials, being carried by wind,” Hentona said.
Once the 20-minute briefing on the boat was over, we went to the east coast of the island where a sabani sailboat was moored, like a beautiful small yacht.
When we were about to get on board, the craftsman advised me to sit on the edge of the boat, facing outwards. First-timers may need to be careful when they get on board, he noted. I tried my best to follow his instructions, but I was a little nervous and almost toppled backwards, failing to locate a bench to sit on. Thankfully, the boat was very stable, and I sat back up easily.
For a 70-minute ride, there are two possible routes, one to sail within Shioya Bay, and the other to go out of the bay and cruise to the west side of Miyagi Island.
Hentona makes the choice depending upon the weather and sea conditions, as well as participants’ skill level and experience. On this day, we cruised inside Shioya Bay.
Hentona said the bay’s water can be about 15 meters deep in some sections, so safety and precautions were still important even if this was the safer route.
Wearing a Kubagasa, a traditional Okinawan hat made from Chinese fan palm leaves, I rowed with an oar and posed like an Umiacchaa (fisherman) from the old days.
If you are a member of a dragon boat race team, you would dream of venturing out to the broad ocean. Some of those Okinawan fishermen used to sail as far as 40 to 50 kilometers out. For a novice like me, however, a cruise within the bay worked perfectly.
The water was very peaceful, and the breeze carried the boat very smoothly. Although I was ready to row hard, that was not necessary thanks to the wind that carried us smoothly. Since the sailboat was equipped with an outrigger, it felt even more stable.
The bay has calm waters thanks to Miyagi Island blocking high waves coming from the outer sea, Hentona said. With no other boats around, it felt like having the whole bay to myself.
At one point, we approached one of the small peninsulas that dotted the bay. As we got close, Hentona got out of the boat and took a photo of me from the shore.
Although I just sat there in the boat alone without the steersperson on board, I felt very safe and comfortable. When the wind picked up its strength, carrying the boat and me a couple of meters away from the shore, Hentona got back on board, and we headed back to the shore.
On our way back, an Ajisashi (Common Tern) bird approached us. The migrating bird spends the summer in Okinawa for child rearing, before flying to Southeast Asia and other regions in the south in the fall, Hentona told me. It circled around us as if to check on a stranger that I was.
As we arrived back on Miyagi Island, even though I was sweating, I felt refreshed.
Hentona Sabani
GPS Coordinates: 26.667697, 128.103831
Sailboat tour: 7,700 yen (approx. $50, tax included,13 years old and above), 5,500 yen (tax included, 12 years old and under)
Phone: 090-9787-7926
*Each tour accepts two to six participants. Solo participation is accepted if the fee for two people (15,400 yen) is paid.
*Mr. Hentona speaks English and provides a briefing in English.
*Tour is about two hours total, including short brief and 70-minute boat ride.
*Participants should expect to get wet, so they need to put on water shoes or some other suitable footwear, as well as bring along a towel and a change of clothes.
Nanataki Falls
(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)
(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)
Once the sabani boat tour was over, I decided to swing by Nanataki Falls by taking a 15-minute drive north from Miyagi Island. According to a tourism association of Ogimi Village, the name means “seven falls,” a reference to its water flow that changes direction seven times before it reaches the basin.
It had been on my bucket list for a long time but I had avoided it because of the narrow roads you have to drive to get to the falls. After such a relaxing boat ride on Shioya Bay, I decided it would be a great day to take a risk and head over. Driving along the narrow streets of Kijoka District, which is known for bashofu, a traditional Okinawan fabric made from banana fiber, I reached a parking area about five minutes away. I parked and walked through the torii gate down a slope to the waterfalls. Though not large, the waterfalls were a beautiful sight. According to the tourism association, the waterfalls are themselves worshiped as a god by locals. Feeling a soothing vibe that the location exudes made me think about the worship that folks have been devoting to the location.
Although all seven turns that the waterfalls take could not be seen, this was a very satisfying visit.
GPS Coordinates: 26.701446, 128.148940
Airstream Okinawa
(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)
(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)
Heading back from Nanataki Falls, a metal trailer stood out along the waterfront. It was Airstream Okinawa, a restaurant housed inside an old-fashioned 1930s American Airstream trailer.
I had to stop and check it out. Inside, the trailer was like a “good ol’ American” time capsule with Americana décor, like flags, Life magazine covers and a Radio Flyer tricycle.
The menu items include caramel toast (800 yen, approx. $5), “hotto sando (hot sandwich)” (800 yen), açai bowl (1,500 yen) and more.
I decided to try an açai bowl and made it a set (1,700 yen) with an iced coffee.
The açai bowl was beautifully served with banana, blue berries, raspberries, mangos, pasted açai and cereal. It was a refreshing treat for a traveler like me.
The sweet taste of the açai paste went very well with the sour flavor of the berries and added another layer to sweetness that the slices of banana had.
Sitting by a small window looking out over the beach, it was a sweet ending to a peaceful day exploring the area.
*Closed on an irregular basis.