---
title: Fukugi windbreaks
url: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/notes/fukugi-windbreaks/
lang: en
journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/okinawa-kominka/
---

# Fukugi windbreaks

A little of each town’s story　/　Motobu, Okinawa

In Okinawa, fukugi trees have long been planted around homes to shield them from typhoon winds. The fukugi-lined lanes of Bise, in Motobu, are said to date back more than 250 years, to the Ryukyu Kingdom era, when they were planted as windbreaks for the houses.

## This moment in the journey: A house ringed by fukugi trees

I sat down on the veranda and ate breakfast looking out at the garden. This is a traditional Okinawan house, surrounded by fukugi trees that shield it from typhoons.

In Okinawa, people have long planted fukugi around their homes to protect them from strong winds. A cat ambled across the garden, thick with fruit trees and herbs. Here, you really do live together with nature.

![The farmhouse veranda with red blossoms, and a cat stepping into the garden](https://karigurashijourney.com/img/okinawa-kominka/s33-1200.jpg)
- Sources: https://www.mlit.go.jp/sogoseisaku/region/tedukuri/pdf/Part25_H22/H22_ippan_22.pdf

Read this scene in the full journey: https://karigurashijourney.com/en/episodes/okinawa-kominka/