Amateurs and experts flock to the shores of Okinawa to check out fledgling adrenaline sport

Kenji Tamaki, who chases whatever wave or wind that keeps his spirit aloft, knows a thing or two about kiteboarding in Okinawa, which is why, every year, he goes to Miyakojima, a far west island of Japan, to rest and recharge away from his busy life in Tokyo.

"Picture this: 5 or 6 meters above the water, hanging by a thread, dipping and twisting in the wind like airborne dolphins. It is more fun than any other kind of surfing or snowboarding or anything," said Tamaki, adding that the blindingly white sand beaches and crystal clear turquoise waters of Miyakojima suits the high-impact sport that uses wind power with a large kite to pull a rider across the water.

Although kiteboarding, also known as kitesurfing, is still regarded as a sport in its infancy, having had its first international association in 2008 and will only make its Olympic debut in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the use of the kite and the skill of surfing could date back thousands of years.

It is said that fishermen in Peru already knew how to surf back to shore using a watercraft made of reeds about three to five thousand years ago and the invention of kites was mostly attributed to Han Xin, a Chinese military general and politician who served Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), during the Chu-Han Contention and who contributed greatly to the founding of the Han Dynasty.

The earliest stories of kite flying are as follows: During a battle one night around two millenniums ago, General Han sent a square-shaped assemblage of bamboo and cloth into the air above Chu enemy territory to measure how much ground his men would need to tunnel through in order to breach their adversaries' defense line.

Yet, the combination of kite and surfing didn't appear until 1977, when a Dutch man named Gijsbertus Adrianus Panhuise received the first patent of the water sport using a floating board of a surf board type where a pilot standing on it is pulled by a wind catching device of a parachute type tied to his harness.

Since then, although it has experienced some twists and turns, kitesurfing has become one of the fastest-growing sports in history and today, more than 1 and a half million people participate, with kites crowding beaches in China, Japan, Brazil and South Africa; in the Caribbean and in Hawaii, so much so that they sometimes come close to colliding.

"I have to say that it is addictive, very addictive," Tamaki said, "Once you get up on your feet, when you lift yourself off from the water, it can be as extreme as you want it to be. It's whatever you want to make it."

According to Tamaki, Sanitu Beach on the west coast of Miyakojima is a perfect place for kitesurfing where the waves are huge and the winds are warm.

Located some 1,900 kilometers southwest of Tokyo and some 300 km from Okinawa Main island, Miyakojima is the fourth-largest island in Okinawa Prefecture where its sub tropical climate does the talking when it comes to appealing to tourists.

The airport of Miyakojima, located near the center of Miyako City, can be reached by direct flights from Tokyo in three hours or a 50-minute ride from Naha Airport, the gateway to all of Okinawa's islands in the capital of Okinawa.

Laid-back culture

As part of the laid-back Ryukyu culture, named after the independent kingdom that existed before it became part of Japan, Miyakojima's food, culture and architecture feels closer to China than to Japan because the Ryukyu Kingdom was China's "vassal state" until 1879 when Okinawa became part of Japan. The distance between Miyakojima to China's Taiwan is only one-third of that of it is to Tokyo.

A kiteboarding tour in Miyakojima could begin as early as 5 in the morning if the wind is right. Several kiteboarders had already arrived when Tamaki reached the Sanitu Beach near Yonaha Maehama, the shore is said to be the most beautiful beach of the entire Okinawan Archipelago.

Among the early-bird enthusiasts is a 20-year-old called Danny who said he went before dawn so that he can get some kiteboarding in before going to work.

"Locals including me never had a chance to see the real potential of this beautiful beach until recently," Danny said, adding that he is glad to see a growing number of people flocking into his hometown as well as kitesurfing flourishing along the coast.

To take part in kitesurfing, inflating a more than 10 meter long kite is the first step. Then the kite needs to be hooked by four flying lines to a harness. But the preparation takes a lot of work and room because the fly lines could easily get tangled.

For beginners, they may start practicing "body dragging" after the preparation, a move where the kiteboarder launches a ripstop nylon kite, configured in a U-like canopy parachute, and holds onto the fly lines while the kite drags him across the sand.

After mastering body dragging, it is time to get yourself wet. The flying exercises can be very different from those on the land and the hardest part is to be in control of the kite at all times while flying it to the right and the left or making turns.

The next step is to fly the kite and surf on the wakeboard at the same time. The kiteboarder needs to take the control bar in one hand and a board in the other and it takes some acrobatic skill to get the kite all the way into the air. The goal is to lift off from the water while holding onto the fly lines, becoming airborne with your feet attached to the board.

"At first it is recommended to have an experienced friend to help you launch the kite and safety equipment is a must in kitesurfing," said Tamaki.

In fact, despite of the adrenaline rush kitesurfing can offer, it can also be a very dangerous sport. For one thing, safety equipment always includes a parachute knife. This is used for cutting the fly lines in case of an emergency. Another risk is overly gusty conditions, winds that exceed a boarder's experience and tides and currents that are not visible put kiters at risk, not only for beginners but also for adventurous advanced boarders.

"A friend of mine lost a little finger in a kiteboarding accident," said Danny, "he was in the water but did not operate the line correctly. The kite relaunched and the lines pulled his finger off."

Danny said despite the accident, his friend did not give up kitesurfing, which shows just how attractive the sport is.

"It is no more dangerous than any other sport as long as you master the technical knowledge and physical skills, maintain your equipment and follow safety precautions. It is easy and anyone can do it, with the right wind, you can ride in the air all the time."