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 in Canada were still coping with 2025. May this year please be more peaceful then the last.

In Japan, people eat soba for New Year’s Eve. It’s called soba in the Ryukyu Islands, but made with a wheat noodle rather than the buckwheat used on the mainland.  The host at our guest house prepared a steaming bowl of soba for each of her eight guests as a New Year’s Eve gift. It was a perfect comfort on a night when 2025 was raging out its last breath in a violent storm. 

Many traditional decorations were set up around the house, including a Kagami Mochi. This is a traditional offering to the gods at the New Year. The two tiers represent the past and the future. The display is topped with a bitter orange to bring luck and prosperity for the new year. 

This morning we were served a traditional Japanese New Year’s breakfast. It included a sip of a delicious spiced sake served from a tiny pretty tea pot. Meals in Japan included a beautiful set of tiny dishes all with different foods. I never know exactly what I’m eating, but there were sweet red beans, sweet potato, pickled lotus root, and a mysterious gelatinous substance.  The New Year’s soup served at breakfast is called ozoni, and it features mochi rice cakes in a mild broth. As always, a bowl of rice accompanied the meal.  

The gale has continued into 2026, but that didn’t prevent us from going into the sea for our New Year’s swim. The beach near us was in the lee of the wind and sheltered enough for a dip. It was a wonderful snorkel with so many types of fish we have never seen before. Gord spotted a green sea turtle feeding and we watched as he gracefully swam through the soft coral beds. The visibility was better than the spot we tried the day before. The weather forecast has looked pretty bad this week, but we have managed to venture out to enjoy rides, walks and swims. It’s never cold, so even if it rains, it isn’t a tragedy. 

We are staying at this guest house for four nights, and most afternoons here I have been enjoying a cup of Genmaicha. It’s a Japanese tea with toasted puffed rice. I just love it’s smoky nutty flavor. 

We have been fortunate enough to try many of the local dishes found on the islands. The Ryukyu Islands are a “blue zone”, meaning that it has one of the longest lived and healthiest populations on the planet. The largely plant based diet is thought to play large role in their longevity. An article I read said that 67% of a traditional Okinawa diet was made up of sweet potatoes, with only 12% rice and 2% fish and poultry. https://www.bluezones.com/explorations/okinawa-japan/

One of the most common green vegetables here is the bitter melon gourd. It needs to be harvested young and prepared well to make the bitterness bearable. But the locals claim that it is what gives them their good health. 

One of Miyako’s specialties is a tofu made from peanuts rather than soy beans. It’s much creamier than regular tofu, and Gord and I are picking it up regularly. It’s good with savory or sweet sauces. 

We are currently sipping cups of tea and anticipating tonight’s dinner. 

Happy New Year Everyone!