Things to do in Okinawa
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Okinawa
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best window overall: warm sea, falling typhoon risk, lower humidity and fewer crowds.
Second best window: warming water, sea opening ceremonies and whale season tailing off in March.
Whales and baseball camps in February, with Japan's earliest cherry blossom in the north in late January to February.
Rainy season May to mid June is hot, humid and rough at sea. Late June is a sweet spot as it ends.
Peak sea but peak typhoon risk, heat, jellyfish and crowds, especially August around Obon.
Quiet, cheap non swimming season with whales from late December, lantern festival and good golf.
What's on
- Naha Great Tug-of-War Festival October holiday weekend
A giant tug with a roughly 200m rope, preceded by martial arts and flag ceremonies.
- Yomitan Matsuri late October
A late October festival in Yomitan.
- Shurijo Festival early November
Ryukyu court processions in Shuri.
- Miyako beach opening first Sunday of April
Traditional sea opening ceremony at Yonaha Maehama.
- Naha Haari early May
Dragon boat races in Naha harbour during Golden Week.
- 10,000 Eisa Dancers Parade first Sunday of August
Eisa dancers parade on Kokusai-dori at the peak of eisa season.
Best things to do in Okinawa
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
The Kuroshio Sea tank with whale sharks and mantas makes this big aquarium worth the trip north.
Shuri Castle
The rebuilt Ryukyu royal palace anchors a half day of gates, stone lanes and the old Shuri district.
Peace Memorial Park
The museum and Cornerstone of Peace explain the Battle of Okinawa and modern Okinawa better than any other stop.
Himeyuri Peace Museum
A small, affecting museum remembering the teenage student nurses mobilised in 1945.
Sefa-Utaki
Okinawa's holiest Ryukyu prayer site is a quiet forested grove of rock formations facing Kudaka Island.
Valley of Gangala
A guided walk through a collapsed cave valley of giant banyans gives deep time geology near Sefa-Utaki.
Kokusai-dori
Naha's main souvenir and nightlife street is best as one evening stroll rather than a destination.
Daiichi Makishi Public Market
Stalls of reef fish, pork and sea grapes introduce Okinawan ingredients, with cooking upstairs.
Where to stay in Okinawa
Onna / Yomitan
first resort trip, all-round west coast base
Best beaches, dive shops and Blue Cave access, with quiet evenings and a car essential.
Naha
first-timers without a car, food-first trips, ferry days
Monorail, Tomari Port ferries and the deepest eating and drinking are at your door.
Motobu / Nago
Churaumi, Yanbaru, slow trips and families
Aquarium, Bise and Kouri are on your doorstep, though nights are quiet and the airport is far.
Ishigaki town
Yaeyama extension for Taketomi and Iriomote
Walkable town full of izakayas beside the ferry terminal for the outer islands.
Think twice about
- Matsuyama, Naha
Naha's adult entertainment district, with touts, hostess bars, noise late at night and inflated bill pitches.
- American Village / Mihama, Chatan, as a sole base
A purpose built mall complex in bad Route 58 traffic with chain food. Good for one evening, not five nights.
- Remote east-coast and far-north-east stays without a car
Infrequent buses, few restaurants open late and no dive shop cluster leave car-less first-timers isolated.
- Near Naha Airport, Akamine / Oroku
Aircraft noise, big box stores and a commute to everything, with none of central Naha's food.
Best restaurants in Okinawa
Kishimoto Shokudo
A century old soba shop serving hand made noodles in strong bonito broth, the standard for Okinawa soba.
Yunangi
The classic first Okinawan izakaya dinner, with goya chanpuru, rafute, jimami tofu and awamori done properly.
Jack's Steak House
Operating since 1953, this no frills steak house is a piece of post war Okinawan American history you can eat.
Ryukyu no Ushi
The benchmark splurge yakiniku for Agu pork and island wagyu, best booked as a set course in Onna.
King Tacos
Taco rice was invented here in Kin, and portions of the taco rice cheese yasai remain enormous.
Charlie's Tacos
Soft flour tortilla tacos served since 1956 in Koza, Okinawa's base gate music town.
Makishi Public Market
Buy sashimi, reef fish or pork downstairs and have the upstairs food court cook it for a small fee.
Nuchigafu
Multi course Ryukyu court cuisine in a registered historic house with a garden in Shuri.
Outdoor things to do in Okinawa
Kerama Islands
Kerama Blue national park water offers the best snorkelling and diving near the main island, often with turtles.
Blue Cave
An accessible sea cave where light turns the water electric blue, best on the earliest tour to avoid crowds.
Yanbaru National Park
UNESCO subtropical forest for guided river treks, waterfalls, mangrove kayaking and endemic wildlife.
PGM Golf Resort Okinawa
Widely called the main island's best course, with pristine conditions, challenge and ocean views.
Kanucha Golf Course
Two contrasting nines inside Kanucha resort suit mixed ability groups staying on site.
The Southern Links
A clifftop links style course in the south where you walk from the hotel to the first tee.
Chibana Golf Course
A short, no tee time needed course with rentals and a range, ideal for beginners and a cheap holiday hit.
Pinaisara Falls
Kayak the Hinai River then trek to the prefecture's tallest waterfall and swim in its plunge pool.
Best hotels in Okinawa
Halekulani Okinawa
The consensus best resort in Okinawa, with sea facing rooms, multiple pools and service praised across Japan.
The Busena Terrace
An older money classic with a private beach and underwater observatory, quieter than newer Instagram resorts.
Hoshinoya Okinawa
Villa style rooms behind a protected beach, with no televisions and activities built around local craft and horses.
Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island
A whole small island resort with a lagoon pool, beach and a breakfast buffet strong on Okinawan dishes.
Hotel Nikko Alivila
Spanish colonial style resort with direct access to netted Nirai Beach, the mid range west coast benchmark.
The Ritz-Carlton, Okinawa
A north base splurge in Kise with East China Sea and golf course views, not a Naha city hotel.
Hotel Collective
Large rooms and a pool at the best Kokusai-dori address, the top tier for staying in central Naha.
JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom Naha
A reliable mid range city workhorse on Kokusai-dori, monorail adjacent with a good breakfast.
Is Okinawa expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ¥9,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ¥22,000 a person |
| Splurge | ¥60,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: a few days ahead
- Valley of Gangala: a few days ahead
- Kerama Islands: weeks ahead
- Blue Cave: a few days ahead
- Yanbaru National Park: a few days ahead
- PGM Golf Resort Okinawa: weeks ahead
- Kanucha Golf Course: weeks ahead
- The Southern Links: weeks ahead
- Book rental cars months ahead in peak season, and Kerama ferries 2 to 4 weeks ahead in season.
- Reserve Yunangi, Ryukyu no Ushi and Nuchigafu dinners days ahead, and Gangala tours in advance.
Is Okinawa safe?
- Swim at netted, patrolled beaches in habu jellyfish season, roughly June to October.
- Watch for rip currents, stonefish and coral cuts. Wear reef shoes and never stand on coral.
- Habu snakes appear in Yanbaru at dusk and after rain. Stay on trails and use a torch.
- Typhoon instructions from hotels and operators override any itinerary.
Okinawa travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Kokusai-dori souvenir pricing for goods made elsewhere. Buy in Shuri, Tsuboya and island markets instead.
- American Village as a full day, Cape Manzamo as a long detour, and operators guaranteeing turtles, mantas or whales.
- Tout bars in Matsuyama and Koza offering a free first drink or a price quoted only verbally.
Getting around Okinawa: public transport and more
- Rent a car for any day you leave Naha, with a Geneva Convention International Driving Permit.
- Inside Naha use the Yui Rail monorail and walk Kokusai and Shuri instead of driving.
Who Okinawa suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Okinawa your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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