Kiteboarders take flight

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.