Things To Do in Okinawa
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Okinawa Attractions
Buses for destinations in South Okinawa Island depart from Naha Bus Terminal.
In North Okinawa Island
Ocean Expo Park (Kaiyohaku Kinen Koen) -- This expansive park on the northwestern coast, site of the 1975 International Ocean Expo, contains several attractions, most important of which is the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (tel. 098/48-3740; www.kaiyouhaku.com; daily Mar-Sept 8:30am-8pm, Oct-Feb 8:30-6:30pm), which concentrates on the oceans and currents surrounding the Ryukyu Islands, from coral reef habitats to the deep sea. Highlights include huge whale sharks and manta rays, dolphin shows, a touch pond for kids, a movie theater, and a close look at the colorful tropical fish that call the surrounding waters home. Admission is ¥1,800 for adults, ¥1,200 for high-school students, and ¥600 for children. Plan on 1 1/2 hours here.
I also recommend strolling through the park's free Native Okinawan Village (Okinawa Kyoudo Mura), featuring more than a dozen sites modeled after a village from the Ryukyu Kingdom period, including thatch-roofed houses and storehouses, grand homes where the manor lord and priestess lived, and an utaki (sacred forest). Nearby, the Oceanic Culture Museum (Kaiyo Bunka-kan; tel. 098/48-2741; daily May-Aug 8:30am-7pm, Sept-Apr 8:30am-5:30pm), displays items relating to oceanic people from Asia through the South Pacific, including replica boats and canoes, fishing gear, money (like the Yap's stone currency), clothing, and more. Admission is ¥170 for adults, ¥50 for children. There's also Emerald Beach, where you can swim free (open only Mar-Oct).
To reach Ocean Expo Park, take express bus no. 111 from Naha Bus Terminal 105 minutes to Nago Bus Terminal, followed by a 55-minute ride on bus no. 65, 66, or 70.
- Theme Park
Okinawa World
Okinawa's largest theme park promotes the region's history, culture, and natural sciences with a variety of attractions, including Gyokusendo Cave, which you can walk through in about 30 minutes along an 890m (2,900-ft.) walkway suspended above water and filled with impressive… - Landmark
Shuri Castle Park (Shurijo Koen)
Naha's top attraction was first constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries and served as the epicenter of the Ryukyu Kingdom for about 500 years, until the establishment of Okinawa Prefecture in 1897. Serving as both a residence for the king and an administrative and religious… - Historic Site
The Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters (Kyukaigun Shireigo)
This is where the Japanese Navy, under Rear Admiral Ota, took its last stand in the Battle of Okinawa. A system of underground tunnels stretching 450m (1,475 ft.) and built by civilians using shovels and pickaxes, it remains almost exactly as it was, including the operations room and…South Okinawa
Okinawa Shopping
Okinawa is famous for a variety of crafts, including bingata (stencil-dyed fabric with bright tropical motifs made into clothing and accessories), pottery, Ryukuan lacquerware, Ryukyuan glassware, kariyushi shirts (the Okinawan version of the Hawaiian Aloha shirts), Shisha (lion dogs, used to ward off evil spirits), shuri-ori weaving, and awamori (a potent spirit made from Thai rice and black-koji mold). There are many souvenir shops along the 1.5km (1 mile) Kokusai Dori, but for one-stop shopping, be sure to visit Tenbusu Naha, in the Naha-shi Dento Kogei-kan building on Kokusai Dori at 3-2-10 Makishi (tel. 098/868-7866), with the Naha Municipal Arts and Crafts Museum with English-language descriptions of Okinawa's various crafts (open daily 9am-6pm; admission ¥300 adults, ¥200 students, ¥100 children); the Traditional Arts & Crafts Center where you can try your hand at Bingata stencil dying and other crafts; a shop selling local crafts; and a theater with performance art three times daily Monday to Friday.
Just a few minutes' walk south of Kokusai Dori via the covered Heiwa Dori shopping arcade is Makishi Public Market (Makishi Kousetsu Ichiba) with food items unique to Okinawa (including pig's face, feet, and stomach), while another 7-minutes' walk farther south on Heiwa Dori brings you to Tsuboya Yachimun Dori with its 20-some ceramic-art workshops and galleries, definitely worth the stroll.
