Kaichu Doro

An American oil company built the road across the shallows in 1971 so it could reach its new terminal on Henza, and islanders who had waded across at low tide or waited for boats suddenly had a road to the main island. The prefecture rebuilt it in 1999 with two lanes each way and a 280 m bridge in the middle so boats can still pass through. Kin Bay opens to the north, and the water on both sides turns pale green over sand at low tide.

Umino Eki Ayahashi-kan opened in 2003 at the midpoint, in a building shaped like a maaran trading ship. Downstairs sells Uruma produce and snacks, and the Sea Culture Museum upstairs holds models of the wooden boats that once carried goods around Okinawa. The road park around it has a footbridge over the traffic, steps down to the water and a strip of sand people use for windsurfing and stand-up paddling.

On a bike the crossing is flat and fast, and the wind decides how hard it feels. From December to March the north-east monsoon comes across Kin Bay, so the ride out to Henza is a crosswind and the run back can be a push. At night the road is lit in colours that change with the season and with events, and Uruma's tourism association suggests watching from the Yabuchi Ohashi across the water.