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.

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.

Kerama Islands

Crystal Clear Waters and Pristine Beaches

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

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-...

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...

Himeyuri Peace Museum

The Student Nurses of 1945 in Their Own Words

A museum beside the Himeyuri Monument in Itoman, founded in 1989 by the alumni association of the...

Iejima

Iejima: Climb the 172 m Tatchu Rock, 30 Minutes by Ferry from Motobu

A flat farming island off the Motobu Peninsula, 30 minutes by village ferry, with one steep rock ...

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 ...

Junglia Okinawa

Dinosaurs, balloons and jungle rides in the Yanbaru hills

Okinawa's newest theme park, opened in July 2025 on a former golf course in the northern hills. A...

Katsuren Castle Ruins

Tiered limestone walls rise like a stone ship above the Katsuren Peninsula. The World Heritage ru...

Kudaka Island

Kudaka Island: Ryukyu's 'Island of the Gods', 15 Minutes by Boat

A small, flat island about 8 km around off the south-east coast of Okinawa Island, revered since ...