Okinawa

Okinawa is an amazing and surprising part of Japan. The Okinawa archipelago is a collection of islands in Southern Japan, some 600km south of the main islands. Okinawa has a subtropical climate and with beautiful clear waters and forested mountains, it is often called the ‘Hawaii of Japan’.

Okinawa, with the presence of the US military base are used to English speaking tourists. You’ll find more menus in English and many shop owners and tourist sites with English guides.

Okinawans have one of the longest life expectancies in the world! It is reported that the reasons for this are a healthy diet, exercise, sunlight and happiness! The Okinawa diet is traditionally high in vegetables, fish and a little of the local pork. Okinawans are generally less stressed and have a positive outlook on life, you will notice it is more relaxed in Okinawa than busy Tokyo, what a great place for a holiday!

Arriving in Okinawa

Okinawa can be accessed by plane or ferry. The ferry leaves from Kagoshima and takes 26 hours so may only be an option if you have lots of time to spare…

Japan has a great deal that tourists can fly anywhere within Japan for ¥10000 per person. JAL and ANA both offer this deal, however, more budget carriers are offering cheap domestic flights for tourists. Check out the Japan Guide website for more details.

Getting around Okinawa

Okinawa public transport includes mostly, buses and taxi. Most people will hire a car in Okinawa. The great thing for Aussies is that in Japan, they drive on the same side of the road as we do! Many car accidents in Japan are caused by foreigners, however this is mostly Americans who are used to driving on the other side of the road. Car hire companies will put a great big magnet on your car to identify that you are a foreign driver.

Where to stay

Naha is the capital of Okinawa and a larger city than you might expect. Many tourists prefer to stay in central Naha and more and more hotels are popping up as tourism increases. However, if you are after a beach holiday then staying further out of the city may appeal. We stayed further north on Tiger beach in an awesome Airbnb (our house was the blue one).

Things to do in Okinawa

Snorkelling and Scuba diving

Okinawa boasts white sand beaches and coral reefs. There are a number of places where snorkelling can easily be accessed and a number of scuba tour companies.

This was our first time snorkelling with the kids but we were able to walk in and stand most of the time, it was calm and safe and we saw most of the cast from Finding Nemo, and a few deadly ones as well!

The kids loved snorkelling here and still talk about going back.

Nagusuku Castle ruins

The day we visited Nagusuku Castle ruins it was overcast and wet and this gave the place a mysterious almost haunting feel. We felt like we were up in the clouds looking down over the town below.

There are a number of castle ruins in Okinawa, often with great views of the surrounding area. Once the fog lifted we could see the coastline both to the East and West from the Nagusuku ruins.

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

Okinawa aquarium is a huge park with kids play equipment, dolphin shows, a museum (which the kids found fascinating) and a huge main tank with many different fish and sharks including a whale shark.

There was lots to see and do, we spent the morning here and then moved on to the pineapple park and glass blowing, however, the kids could easily spend a full day here, there is lots to see and do with great play equipment outside.

Pineapple Park

Pineapple park is a pineapple farm with a little ride on a train through the middle. After your train trip the shop is something else! They have everything pineapple you can think of – pineapple soap, burnt pineapple soap, pineapple face mask, pineapple hand cream, pineapple chocolate, dried pineapple, pineapple cake, pineapple juice, pineapple alcohol! We just had to taste a pineapple icecream! This was a cute little park and we still talk about it now but be warned the theme song does get stuck in your head pppppppppainappuru, pppppppppainappuru…

Glass Making

Okinawa is known for Ryukyu glass. There are a number of places in Okinawa where you can make your own glasses to take home. For full details about this awesome experience see our blog here. I’d strongly recommend this if you are in Okinawa, it was my favourite activity!

Visit one of the Okinawan Islands

This is something we didn’t have time to do, we had enough to explore on the main island, however, taking a ferry out for a day trip to one of the smaller islands is a popular activity. Check out Yaeyama Islands (including Ishikagi), Miyako, Kume and Kerama Islands.

Eat!!

Sea grapes, purple sweet potato, pork belly, fish, sashimi the list goes on! Across Japan, local areas have their local specialities and Okinawa is no different. In Okinawa there is a greater focus on vegetables. It was all delicious, ok perhaps not the Goya, but the rest was!

Who would enjoy this…

Okinawa is an amazing place for a holiday in subtropical climate. It combines the amazing Japanese culture with sun, sand and water! Remember to bring your sun cream! Although you may want to avoid typhoon season…

Need more info?

Okinawa Tourism guide
Ferry to Okinawa (Japanese)
Japan Guide
Japan Travel