After going to Japan several times and mostly seeing Tokyo and Kyoto, I finally made it a point to go to the beautiful islands of Okinawa this time!
As a professional traveler and avid seeker of lesser known paradise adventures, I had known about Okinawa for quite a while. I’m happy to say it did not disappoint! However it was a bit difficult to figure out logistically, so I hope you will appreciate this easiest possible guide to Okinawa, Japan!
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Where is Okinawa?
Okinawa is a small chain of islands located southwest of the main island of Japan. It belongs to Japan and is easy to get there via domestic flights or even international ones.
How to Get There
I was already in Malaysia when I decided to go to Okinawa, but I easily found a flight using Skyscanner that only had a quick layover in Taipei.
If you’re planning to go to mainland Japan, it’s probably cheapest to just search for a roundtrip flight to Naha. You can try both airports in Tokyo to see which one is cheaper.
You can also play around with Skyscanner to see if flying to Okinawa is cheaper than flying to Tokyo from wherever you’re coming from! Then just do a one-way flight to Tokyo from Naha, or even straight back home or onward!
When to Go to Okinawa
I accidentally went to Okinawa during low/off season, which meant less people, but also less things open. None of the boat tours were running yet, and many restaurants had strange operating hours. I prefer this though because I hear it gets extremely crowded!
When I went it was the end of March, and allegedly beaches “weren’t open” but, they were. They officially open in April.
High season is July and August when most Japanese people have their summer vacation.
How to Get Around Okinawa
Rent a Car
If you are planning a trip to Okinawa far in advance, you should be able to reserve a car. There are some US/EU car rental companies that will make it easier to navigate their website, but they book up fast, so definitely reserve one as soon as possible!
Having a rental car in Okinawa was definitely the easiest way to get around. Finding a rental car ahead of time though isn’t so easy as most websites are in Japanese.
You must have an International Driver’s Permit to rent a car in Japan. If you have a regular licence, you can easily get one online or in person at AAA for $20 (valid for one year).
I didn’t know about the lack of rentals in time and ended up paying a sketchy Pakistani guy to rent one… it literally ended up being his (very dirty) car, and he tried to charge me an extra day, then wouldn’t stop whatsapping me, so yeah. Rent from a reputable company.
Taxis
If you don’t want to drive, there are taxis, but mostly in the main area of Naha. If you’re not staying right in the city center, they might be harder to find. Also they do not speak English, so be sure you have where you want to go pinned on the map to show them, or translate the name into Japanese. Taxis take cards or cash (yen).
Bus
I heard there was a pretty good bus system in Okinawa, however I did not figure it out. These days I just opt to spend a little more for a taxi or rental car, but I did try! I waited and waited, but the bus never came, so I walked.
Walking
If you’re staying in the main area of Naha, things are pretty walkable, but that’s it. You can’t walk to any of the good beaches on the main island, and you also can’t really walk everywhere on the smaller islands. Unless you’re SUPER into walking.
Which Areas and Where to Stay in Okinawa
The main hub of Okinawa is Naha. There’s a lot of restaurants, hotels, shops, etc., however there are not any beautiful beaches. I went to one city beach and it was kind of pretty, but it definitely had a highway overpass going over it.
I stayed in Naha because I didn’t have a super easy Okinawa travel guide like this one to tell me otherwise. If I knew the nicer beaches were towards the top of the island I probably would have opted to stay up there longer, BUT I have no regrets!
This is because the best food I had was in Naha, as well as the best eyelash extensions I’ve ever had in my life. It’s been two months since I got them there, and they’re still on!
Oh Naha is also the most affordable! The best price I could find for my required level of comfort and convenience was Tissage Hotel. It was a bit far from the main area, but just a twenty five minute walk or quick taxi ride.
I only stayed in one other area further north called Onna. This I also just guessed because I couldn’t find adequate information online, but it was a pretty damn good guess. I knew it was where some of the mega fancy and expensive resorts are, so it had to be a good area, and I just found an affordable hotel near the expensive ones.
When I got to the place I booked randomly, Odyssey Onna Hotel, I wish I would have stayed there more nights. It was massive, on the beach, and had a spa jacuzzi in it! The beach here was beautiful, and it was closer to more beautiful beaches that I drove to.
The only downside was that it was harder to find places to eat because there aren’t many restaurants nearby.
Other areas near Onna to check for hotels near the beach are; Nago, Motobu, and Nakihn.
What to Eat in Okinawa
Obviously if you go to Japan, you must eat all the sushi! Unless you don’t like fish…then you’ll be having a lot of ramen or other meat dishes that I can’t tell you about because I don’t eat meat.
In Naha the best sushi restaurants I ate at were:
- Yume Sushi
- Tama Sushi
- Chinuman (this one is a chain and there are two of them)
In Onna the only options were:
- Oji (Izakaya)
- Nakama Shokudo
Tokashiki at Ahren Beach:
- Sea Friend Seafood
How to do the Best Island Day Trip: Tokashiki Island
My absolute favorite thing that I did was going to Kerama Islands, specifically the one called Tokashiki. Normally there are several boat tour options, but I was there in off season, so they weren’t running.
Instead I figured out how to take the ferry and then rent a car! Both of which were way easier than expected, but it’s still probably easier to just take a tour.
If you want to take the ferry, you need to walk, taxi, or drive to Tomari Port. You can buy ferry tickets there, which is the safest option in my opinion, because the website can be glitchy. When I was there it said the fast ferry wasn’t running but when I got to the port, it was. If you want to try to book tickets online, click here!
Anyway, below is an example of the ferry times (Marine Liner is the faster option):
Once you arrive at the Tokashiki island port, you can take a bus that stops at the main beaches for very cheap. The only thing is that they aren’t very frequent, so you have to wait a while for the next one to go to different areas.
I rented a car for about $40, and it was way easier than expected. There were people holding signs in mostly Japanese, but if you look closely, some say “car rental” in English at the bottom. Go with them on their bus which takes you to a small office, and easily rent a car. Again, you need an International Driver’s Permit!
In my opinion, Tokashiku Beach was the best. I went there first, and pretty early, so there was literally no one there (again, in off season). The water is crystal clear and the sand is bright white. It’s really just beyond incredible!
The other beach which is the more popular one, is Ahren Beach. Here you can find a couple of restaurants as well, but the beach isn’t nearly as beautiful as Tokashiku. I’d recommend going here second for lunch.
Best Beaches in Okinawa (Main Island)
While Kerama Island was my favorite for beautiful beaches, I also wanted to explore as many as possible on the main island. Here’s the ones I went to:
Naha Beach
Again, not my favorite, but if for some reason you are stuck in Naha, you can check out this beach. There’s a nice shrine there as well
Kariyushi Beach
Located in Onna and where my hotel was. There’s a handful of hotels on the water there and one that has chairs for rent as well as an inflatable water park.
Sesoko Beach
This beach is located right at the entrance of Sesoko Island. You cross the overpass, park in a lot on the left, then walk down sketchy stairs under the bridge to find it. The water was really beautiful here but the beach is small. They have kayaks and a cool contraption with umbrella over it that they were rowing people on.
Emerald Beach
North of Sesoko was Emerald Beach, which is actually manmade and part of a resort. It was pretty, but a bit too commercialized for me, especially after seeing Kerama island.
Where I Got My Eyelash Extensions
The burning question everyone wants to know; where I got my eyelash extensions that are still on after two months! It was at a cute posh salon called Little Tree near Tissage Hotel. Whatsapp them to make an appointment in advance, because even during off season, they were very busy
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xx, Alyssa
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