Since he had decided to leave this country, Eric would prefer to act earlier than later, but before he did so he needed to have a look at the direction, and his path.
Okinawa was found on a big island as the whole Country was nothing but a cluster of islands, so there were two paths for him to leave.
By the air, or by the sea!
By the air would be the easiest, simplest, and shortest way to leave. That, if he wasn't already a national criminal that everyone was trying to catch.
Even now, roaming through the place was extremely dangerous for Eric, because if he came across some expert that recognized him, he would have to either fight him to death or escape as soon as possible.
So the only way out of this country for him was through the sea. While that would be much more difficult, tiresome, and long he didn't have much of a choice.
