Things to Do in Okinawa, Japan

Kokusai Street

Naha's Vibrant Main Shopping Street

A 1.6-kilometer shopping and entertainment street that is the heart of Naha's tourism scene.

Kerama Islands

Crystal Clear Waters and Pristine Beaches

A national park archipelago with some of Japan's clearest ocean water, excellent snorkeling, and ...

Okinawa World

A sprawling theme park featuring one of Japan's largest limestone caves, a recreated Ryukyu Kingd...

Shuri Castle

Ryukyu Kingdom's Royal Palace

The reconstructed royal palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, a mix of Chinese and Japanese architecture ...

Naha

Naha - Okinawa's Tropical Capital

The vibrant capital of Okinawa Prefecture and gateway to Japan's subtropical island chain.

Miyako-jima

Miyako-jima Island

A coral island in the far south, closer to Taiwan than to the Japanese mainland, ringed by white ...

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

Home of the World's Largest Whale Sharks

Built around the Kuroshio Sea tank, one of the largest in the world, which holds whale sharks and...

Ishigaki Island

A tropical island in the Yaeyama Islands with vivid coral reefs, white sand beaches, and crystal-...

Yanbaru

Yanbaru: The Forested North of Okinawa Island, Home of the Okinawa Rail, Two Hours From Naha by Car

The hilly, forested north of Okinawa Island, spread over the villages of Kunigami, Ogimi and Higa...

Yonaguni Island

Japan's Westernmost Island, Two Ferries a Week from Ishigaki

Japan's westernmost inhabited island, 111 km from Taiwan, with sea cliffs, free-roaming Yonaguni ...

Sefa-utaki

Sefa-utaki: Ryukyu's Holiest Forest, a Slippery Stone Path and a Rock Passage You Now See Only From the Front

The holiest site of the Ryukyu Kingdom: a forest on a limestone headland in Nanjo, where a slippe...

Iriomote Island

Iriomote Island: Jungle, Mangrove Rivers and a Ferry That Stays in Port When the Sea Is Rough

Okinawa's second-largest island, nearly all subtropical forest and mangrove, and part of a World ...

Shikinaen

Shikinaen: The Ryukyu Kings' Garden Villa Where Chinese Envoys Were Entertained, Quiet and Shut on Wednesdays

A royal villa and strolling garden on a hill in Naha, laid out in 1799 and used to host envoys of...

Tamaudun

Tamaudun: The Stone Royal Tomb of the Second Sho Dynasty, a Few Minutes From Shuri Castle and Far Quieter

The tomb of the Second Sho Dynasty kings, built around 1501 by King Sho Shin: a walled courtyard ...

Hateruma Island

Japan's Southernmost Inhabited Island, Reached by an Open-Sea Boat That Often Doesn't Run

The southernmost inhabited island in Japan: about 440 people, sugarcane fields, the white sand of...