Kouri Bridge

When it opened in February 2005 the Kouri Bridge was the longest toll-free bridge to an island in Japan. Three later bridges passed it, and Miyako's Irabu Bridge in 2015 was the last. It still ranks as the second-longest bridge in Okinawa Prefecture. On a sunny morning you look down from the deck onto the shallow channel between the two islands.

On a bike the crossing takes a few minutes and feels longer in wind. The deck rises gently to a high point mid-channel and drops onto Kouri beside the main beach, where the island loop begins. Winter north-easterlies hit side-on, so riders heading back to Yagaji on a gusty February afternoon should hold a steady line and leave room for the cars.