Okinawa

Okinawa in 2026 is Japan's subtropical outlier, best done with a car for the north, a ferry booking for the Kerama Islands and a spare day for typhoons. Shuri Castle's rebuilt main hall opens to visitors on November 23, and the Tokashiki ferries and the departure tax both cost more than they did a year ago.

Updated October 2026

BootsnAll Scorecard

6.3 / 10

Okinawa is safe, warm in winter and easy to eat well in, but it scores low on getting around and timing, because outside Naha you need a car, and the rain, the typhoons and sold-out ferries set the terms from May to October.

Value
6.5
Between the 5 and 8 anchors, since dorms run US$10 to $34 and the monorail tops out at ¥390, but a basic rental car from ¥9,350 a day and Kerama ferry returns of ¥6,270 to ¥7,510 eat into the savings fast.
Getting around
4.5
Just under the 5 anchor, because the 19-station Yui Rail covers Naha and Shuri well, but beyond it the island has no railway, buses can be sparse, and the express bus to Churaumi takes about three hours.
Crowds and timing
5
At the 5 anchor, with May and June averaging 9.7 and 11.2 inches of rain, six to eight typhoons a year passing within 300 km, and Kerama ferries that both island villages say can book out from Golden Week through October, though winter highs of 68°F (20°C) keep the off season open.
Safety and hassle
8
At the 8 anchor, since crime against visitors is low and the documented risks are the nightlife touts and drink spiking the UK government warns about across Japan, plus heavy traffic and strict drink-driving laws once you rent a car.
Food and drink
7
Below 8 only because the range is narrower than in Osaka or Fukuoka, but Okinawa soba, goya champuru and rafute are everyday food, and Makishi Public Market will cook the fish you buy downstairs.
Indie fit
7
Closer to 8 than 5, because Zamami's family-run minshuku, Naha's market arcades and the southern war sites by bus reward a curious traveler, but resort limousines and a new theme park make the packaged path the easy one.

Editorial scores, 1 to 10, against the same written anchors for every city. Half points allowed. The overall is the plain average of the six.

Overview and Things to Consider

Okinawa, for most visitors, means Okinawa Island and its capital, Naha, a city of about 313,000, plus the Kerama Islands an hour offshore by fast boat. It doesn't feel like the rest of Japan, and it shouldn't. For four and a half centuries the palace at Shuri ran the Ryukyu Kingdom, and since 1945 the United States military has held land here, today with around 26,000 personnel. The result is a place where you eat pork-rib noodle soup for lunch and taco rice for dinner.

You'll love Okinawa if you snorkel or dive, don't mind driving, want warmth in January, or care about the history of the Pacific War. You'll hate it if you expect mainland Japan's trains. Outside the 17-kilometer monorail in Naha there's no railway at all, and the island's traffic, its May and June rains and its typhoon season all shape a trip more than any single sight.

The 2026 moment is a rebuilt castle and a theme park that hasn't paid off yet. Shuri Castle's main hall, destroyed by fire in October 2019, opens its restored interior on November 23, 2026, by timed ticket only. Up north, Junglia opened in July 2025 on an old golf course and drew about a million visitors in its first year, well short of the 1.5 million its owners forecast. Meanwhile the Kerama ferries and the national departure tax have gone up, and Shuri's admission rises on November 23.

Some things are overrated. Kokusai-dori, Naha's two-kilometer main street, is mostly souvenir shops and hotels, and the covered arcades that branch off it are better. Junglia costs ¥8,800 for an adult day ticket on its English-language site, which is more than a return fast boat to Zamami, and only one of those comes with a coral reef.

How Okinawa Got Here

Naha was the trading port of the Ryukyu Kingdom and Shuri, on the hill above it, was the seat of power. Shuri Castle served as the royal palace from 1429 until 1879, when Japan annexed the kingdom as Okinawa Prefecture. The castle has been destroyed five times, in 1453, 1660, 1709, 1945 and 2019, and what you see is a reconstruction begun in 1992 and rebuilt again since 2020. Even the food carries the kingdom with it. Rafute, the soy-braised pork belly on every izakaya menu, started as a dish of the royal court.

The Battle of Okinawa, from April to June 1945, killed an estimated 200,000 people, including more than 100,000 civilians and 12,500 Americans. Japan's 32nd Army ran its defense from a bunker beneath Shuri Castle, and the worst of the last weeks happened in the south, where the Peace Memorial Park stands now. The United States administered Okinawa until 1972 and kept its bases after reversion. That's why the central coast has an Americana shopping complex, Chatan's American Village, which opened in 1998 on redeveloped former military land, and why taco rice is an Okinawan dish.

Getting There and Around

Naha Airport (OKA) sits about 4 kilometers west of Naha's city hall, runs 24 hours and added a second runway in March 2020. From Tokyo, flights take about 2.5 hours, and for October 4 to November 2, 2026, japan-guide found Peach and Jetstar Japan one-way fares from about ¥7,550, averaging near ¥16,900, against JAL and ANA regular fares of around ¥48,000. Peach, Jetstar Japan, Japan Transocean Air and others also fly from Osaka and Fukuoka. Watch the Naha Airport news page in summer, because the terminals shut for the whole of August 7, 2026, as Typhoon No. 13 approached.

From the terminal, take the Yui Rail monorail. It runs 19 stations from Naha Airport to Tedako-Uranishi in 37 minutes, and from the airport it's ¥290 and 13 minutes to Prefectural Office at the west end of Kokusai-dori, ¥320 and 16 minutes to Makishi at the east end, and ¥360 and 27 minutes to Shuri. QR tickets come from the station machines, as does the 24-hour pass at ¥1,000 and the 48-hour pass at ¥1,800, timed from purchase. Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and the other national IC cards work at the blue reader, as does Okinawa's own OKICA, which carries a ¥500 deposit. Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover and UnionPay contactless cards work at the pink reader, with no discounts.

Entry is easy on the five passports most readers carry. Citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and EU countries enter visa-free for up to 90 days, and UK, Irish, German and Austrian citizens can apply inside Japan to extend to six months. There's no pre-arrival authorization as of October 2026, though Japan plans one by March 2029. Use Visit Japan Web to skip the paper forms, expect fingerprints and a photo, and carry your passport at all times. Leaving costs more since July 1, 2026, when the International Tourist Tax rose from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000.

Outside Naha you're on buses or behind a wheel. The bus network centers on Naha Bus Terminal by Asahibashi Station, and at the airport, platform 2 has expresses 111 to Nago and 117 to the Churaumi Aquarium, while platform 1 handles resort limousines and the Junglia Express. Service on many lines is infrequent. Taxis are simple but add up, and the Peace Memorial Museum quotes ¥5,000 to ¥5,500 for the 22 kilometers from Naha to Mabuni in the south.

For the north, rent a car, and expect the rental lots to be off-airport, reached by shuttle buses that Wikivoyage says can take half an hour each way through suburban traffic. Bring your home license plus an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Drivers from Belgium, France, Germany, Monaco, Switzerland and Taiwan need an official Japanese translation of their license instead. OTS Rent-a-car lists its smallest Yaris-class cars from ¥9,350 for 24 hours. The Okinawa Expressway from Naha to Nago charges about ¥1,000 one way and saves you from rush-hour traffic in Naha and the central towns. The UK government notes Japan's drink-drive limit is about a third of Britain's, and passengers who knew can be arrested too.

What's Changed Since 2016

October 2019 to November 2026: Shuri Castle burned and came back. A fire on October 31, 2019, destroyed the Seiden main hall and the Hokuden and Nanden beside it, and rebuilding began in February 2020. From November 23, 2026, the restored hall's interior opens by date-and-time reservation through the Shuri Castle Park ticket page, the park closes on November 22 for the ceremony, and adult admission rises from ¥400 to ¥1,000.

March 2023: Makishi Public Market reopened. The postwar market off Kokusai-dori, which began as a black market after the war, reopened in a rebuilt building. Fishmongers and butchers fill the ground floor and restaurants the second, and it's open 8am to 10pm, closed on the fourth Sunday of most months.

July 2025: Junglia opened. The theme park sits on 60 hectares of a former golf course straddling Nakijin and Nago in the north and charges overseas visitors more than residents. Its English-language site sells adult day tickets at ¥8,800 and ¥11,550 with the spa. For the year to June 2026 its parent company reported a net loss of about ¥17.3 billion, and the park drew about 1 million visitors in its first year against 1.5 million expected.

By November 2025 and in October 2026: the Kerama ferries got dearer. Zamami Village's fare table, posted November 25, 2025, has the fast Queen Zamami at ¥3,950 one way and ¥7,510 return, the slower Ferry Zamami at ¥2,900, and a ¥100 island tax on top. Wikivoyage still lists the Queen at ¥3,140 and ¥5,970. On October 1, 2026, Tokashiki Village raised its fares, blaming prices and fuel, and the Marine Liner Tokashiki now costs ¥3,300 one way and ¥6,270 return.

January 2027: a hotel tax arrives. Okinawa Prefecture is bringing in a percentage-based accommodation tax, 2 percent of the room rate, capped at ¥2,000 per person per night. In Motobu, Onna, Chatan, Miyakojima and Ishigaki, 1.2 percent goes to the town and 0.8 percent to the prefecture. School trips are exempt, and it's due to start in January 2027.

What the Usual Advice Gets Wrong

"The Yui Rail day pass is ¥800, and the two-day pass is ¥1,400." Those are old prices that Wikivoyage still lists. The QR 24-hour pass is ¥1,000 and the 48-hour pass ¥1,800, and from the airport a single ride is ¥250 to ¥390, so a pass only pays off after three or four rides. Tapping a contactless credit card at the gate works too, at full fare.

"Hop on a ferry to the Kerama Islands whenever you feel like it." Wikivoyage's Zamami page warns that the boats, the Queen most of all, can book out in Golden Week, summer, September and October, and Tokashiki Village says the same of Golden Week and June to October, adding that without a reservation you might not get on. Reserve online, then collect your ticket on the day, since both villages issue tickets only on the day of sailing. The Queen Zamami leaves from Tomari Port's north shore, about a 10-minute walk from the Tomarin ticket office.

"The Churaumi Aquarium is an easy day trip from Naha." It's at the far end of the Motobu Peninsula, about two hours from Naha Airport by car on the expressway and about three by express bus. That's five or six hours of travel for a ¥2,180 ticket. Sleep a night up north, or see it as part of a road trip around the north, rather than as an out-and-back from Naha.

"Shuri Castle burned down, so there's nothing left to see." The walls, gates and grounds stayed open through the rebuild, at ¥400. From November 23, 2026, the reconstructed main hall's interior opens to visitors with a timed reservation, and the park's admission goes up to ¥1,000. Book a slot rather than turning up, since slots for November 23 to December 31 went on sale in two batches on September 1 and October 1, and avoid November 22, when the park is closed.

"Kokusai-dori is the heart of Naha." It's a two-kilometer tourist strip named after a postwar cinema, the Ernie Pyle International Theater, and most of what's on it is souvenirs. The better Naha starts where the Heiwadori, Mutsumidori and Ichiba Hondori arcades branch off halfway along, past Makishi Public Market, where the souvenir shops give way to fruit stalls, hardware stores and bars that serve locals.

Ideas to Consider for Your Visit

Have you thought about having lunch cooked from the market floor? At Makishi Public Market, buy seafood or pork from the stalls downstairs and a restaurant upstairs will cook it for a small fee. Order the island standards on the side, like goya champuru, bitter melon stir-fried with tofu, egg and pork or Spam, rafute, the soy-braised pork belly that started as royal court food, and umibudo, the sea-grape seaweed that pops when you bite it. Then walk the arcades toward Tsuboya, where potters have worked for centuries.

Spend a morning in Shuri. Take Yui Rail to Shuri Station, see the castle, and then walk to Tamaudun, the 1501 stone mausoleum of the Second Sho Dynasty kings, which was damaged in the war and repaired. From November 23, 2026, book an interior slot for the rebuilt main hall. Finish at Shikinaen, the royal family's garden villa, which was almost wiped out in 1945 and rebuilt in the 1950s.

Give a full day to the south, by bus, and go in order. Take bus 89 from Naha Bus Terminal to Itoman for ¥670, then bus 82 to Heiwakinendo-iriguchi for ¥540, an hourly service, and walk five minutes to the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, open 9am to 5pm for ¥300. Outside, the Cornerstone of Peace lists the names of the dead from every side, Okinawan, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, American and British. On the way back, stop at the Himeyuri Monument and museum, ¥450, for the student nurses who died in the field-hospital caves. Save the Former Navy Underground Headquarters, ¥600, for another day, a 15-minute ride on bus 55 or 98 from Naha plus a ten-minute walk.

Have you thought about sleeping on Zamami instead of day-tripping? The Zamami Village ferries leave Tomari Port two or three times a day, and the Queen takes 50 to 70 minutes. Zamami has more than 30 small pensions and family-run minshuku, Furuzamami Beach is a 20-minute walk from the port, and a village bus runs to the beaches for ¥300. Snorkel in a lifejacket, because it stops you standing on the coral and killing it. Tokashiki, served by the Tokashiki Village ferries, is the other Kerama island with fast-boat service.

Go north by boat rather than in traffic. High-speed ferries run from Naha's Tomari Port to Toguchi on the Motobu Peninsula in 75 minutes for ¥1,000, some calling at Nago. From there you're close to the Churaumi Aquarium, ¥2,180, and its Kuroshio Sea tank. Past it lies Yanbaru, one of the largest tracts of subtropical rainforest in Asia, but you'll want a car up there.

Eat the base-era menu once. Taco rice, taco-seasoned beef, lettuce, tomato and salsa over rice, is cheap, filling and eaten with a spoon, and even the beach parlors on Zamami serve it. Orion is by far the most popular beer on the islands and rare outside them, and its brewery in Nago takes visitors. Awamori, the island's spirit at 30 to 40 percent, is distilled from long-grain Thai-style rice with a black koji mold found in Okinawa. Leave the habushu, sold with a whole snake in the bottle, to the souvenir shops.

The Part Most Guides Miss

Most guides sell Okinawa as a summer beach trip, but its best months for the islands may be the ones in which nobody swims much. From the end of December to the beginning of April, humpback whales come to the waters around Zamami to breed and calve, and whale-watching boats leave from Zamami port. January highs in Naha average 68°F (20°C) with 4 inches of rain, against 11.2 inches in June. The typhoon season is over, the ferries are easier to book than in the summer peak, and a minshuku room on the island goes back to being a quiet place to sleep.

Where to Base Yourself

Kokusai-dori and Makishi. The pick for a first trip without a car. Makishi and Miebashi stations on the monorail sit on either side, the market and arcades are on foot, and Hostelworld lists dorms near Kokusai-dori from about US$10 at KumojiSo to $24 at The Kitchen Hostel Ao. The catch is the strip itself, which is loud and souvenir-heavy, and many shops stay open until 10pm.

Asahibashi and Kumoji. Best for bus days and early ferries. Asahibashi Station sits by Naha Bus Terminal, where bus 89 for the south and the 111 and 117 expresses for Nago start, and the west end of Kokusai-dori, by the Prefectural Office, is a short walk. It feels more like a working downtown than a holiday strip, which is the appeal and the catch, since the evening eating is better toward Makishi.

Chatan and the central coast. For a car-based trip. Chatan's American Village has the restaurants and hotels, and you're on the way north before you hit Naha's traffic. The catch is that you're in base country, among chain restaurants and an American-themed mall, with little that's walkable and no monorail.

Realities to Be Aware Of

Japan-guide's sample daily budgets for one person, not counting transport, run ¥5,000 to ¥13,000 (about $32 to $82) at the low end, ¥13,000 to ¥28,000 ($82 to $177) mid-range and more than ¥28,000 for comfortable. Okinawa fits inside them for beds and food, with dorms from about US$10, but transport moves the total. Add from ¥9,350 a day for a small rental car, around ¥1,000 each way in expressway tolls to Nago, ¥6,270 to ¥7,510 for a Kerama return, and from January 2027, a 2 percent hotel tax.

The risks are low and specific. The UK government warns of drink spiking and padded credit card bills in nightlife districts across Japan, often after street touts called kyakuhiki steer people into bars, so don't follow anyone in off the street. Japan's drug laws are strict, and some common medications are banned, so check yours first. Same-sex activity is legal but there are no national anti-discrimination protections, and some local governments issue partnership certificates. In Naha, some clubs draw mostly US military crowds, and Wikivoyage warns that sandals won't get you in.

Plan around typhoons as well as rain. The Japan Meteorological Agency counted six to eight typhoons a year passing within 300 kilometers of a weather station in Okinawa Prefecture in each year from 2020 to 2025, mostly in summer and autumn. When one hits, it stops everything, and on August 7, 2026, Naha Airport closed both terminals for the day. Don't book a Kerama night or a self-drive day immediately before an international flight, and keep a free day at the end of a summer trip.

Crowds come in waves that move with the boats and the holidays. Golden Week, the summer holidays and September and October fill the Kerama ferries, and Tokashiki Village asks summer passengers to reach its Tomarin ticket office an hour before sailing, because buying tickets takes time. June 23, Okinawa Memorial Day, brings traffic restrictions around the Peace Memorial Park, as does the NAHA Marathon on the first Sunday of December.

What things cost in Okinawa

Prices checked October 2026. Each links to where we read it.

ItemPriceSource
Hostel dorm bed, Naha and aroundUS$10-34 (about ¥1,650-5,300) a nightHostelworld Okinawa listings, Oct 2026
Yui Rail, Naha Airport to Makishi¥320 (about $2), 16 minutesOkinawa Urban Monorail fare table, Oct 2026
Yui Rail QR 24-hour and 48-hour pass¥1,000 and ¥1,800 (about $6.30 and $11.40)Okinawa Urban Monorail, Oct 2026
Queen Zamami fast boat, Naha to Zamami, one way¥3,950 (about $25), plus ¥100 island taxZamami Village fare table, Nov 2025
Marine Liner Tokashiki, return from Naha¥6,270 (about $40), from October 1, 2026Tokashiki Village fare revision, Oct 2026
Small rental car (Toyota Yaris class), 24 hoursFrom ¥9,350 (about $59)OTS Rent-a-car Okinawa, Oct 2026
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, adult¥2,180 (about $14)Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Oct 2026
Shuri Castle Park paid area, adult¥400 (about $2.50) until November 21, 2026, then ¥1,000 (about $6.30)Shuri Castle Park, Oct 2026
Peace Memorial Museum permanent exhibition¥300 (about $1.90)Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, Oct 2026

Dollar figures use about ¥158 to US$1, the European Central Bank cross rate of October 2, 2026.

If Okinawa Is Part of a Longer Trip

Naha is the hub for the rest of the Ryukyu chain. Japan Transocean Air and ANA Wings fly to Ishigaki and Miyako, the jumping-off points for the Yaeyama and Miyako islands, and JTA's Osaka-Itami route resumes on October 25, 2026. Getting here by sea from Tokyo is no longer possible, since that ferry now carries cargo only. If you're combining Okinawa with mainland Japan, fly in from one city and out to another rather than doubling back.

Naha also works as a short hop into the rest of East Asia. EVA Air, China Airlines, Peach, Starlux, Tigerair Taiwan and JTA fly to Taipei's Taoyuan airport, Korean Air, Asiana, Jeju Air and Jin Air fly to Seoul's Incheon, and HK Express, Hong Kong Airlines and Greater Bay Airlines serve Hong Kong. China Eastern and Spring Airlines fly to Shanghai, Thai AirAsia, Thai Lion Air and Thai VietJet to Bangkok, and Scoot to Singapore. Kaohsiung gets new routes from Jetstar Japan on December 6, 2026, and Starlux on January 1, 2027. A route like Tokyo to Naha to Taipei and on through Asia is easiest priced as one multi-stop ticket, which is what AirTreks builds.

Sequence the Okinawa part with the weather in mind. Put the Kerama night in the middle of your stay, not at the end, so a cancelled boat costs you a beach day instead of a flight. Rent the car only for the days you're going north or to the south's war sites, since you don't need one in Naha and parking there is a chore. If you're heading on to Taiwan, end in Naha so the last night is near the airport and the monorail.

Yearly Things to Consider

Rain and wind set the calendar. Winter is mild, with January highs of 68°F (20°C), though it's not beach weather for most people. The rainy season brings the year's wettest months, 9.7 inches in May and 11.2 in June, and July and August average 89°F (32°C) with typhoons starting to arrive. September is nearly as wet as June at 10.8 inches and still deep in typhoon season, and the Kerama ferries stay busy into October. Golden Week, Japan's spring holiday run, fills the boats and the hotels.

The counterintuitive pick is November to March. November highs are 77°F (25°C) with 4.7 inches of rain, the typhoons have mostly passed, and from November 23, 2026, the rebuilt Shuri main hall is open. December through March adds the humpback whales off Zamami and the lowest rainfall of the year. It's not sunbathing weather, but it's the best time to walk the south's war sites and Shuri without the summer heat.

Okinawa month by month

MonthTempRainfallSeasonNotes
January68°F (20°C)4.0 inLowMild. Whale season around Zamami.
February68°F (20°C)4.5 inShoulderStill whale season. Quiet ferries.
March71°F (22°C)5.6 inShoulderWarming up. Whales leave by early April.
April76°F (24°C)6.3 inShoulderA good month, before Golden Week.
May81°F (27°C)9.7 inShoulderGolden Week crowds, then the rainy season.
June86°F (30°C)11.2 inLowWettest month. Memorial Day on June 23.
July89°F (32°C)7.4 inHighHot. Typhoon season under way.
August89°F (32°C)9.4 inHighPeak beach season and typhoon risk. Book ferries.
September87°F (31°C)10.8 inShoulderSecond rain peak, typhoons, busy ferries.
October83°F (28°C)7.1 inShoulderWarm sea, late typhoons, busy boats. Book ahead.
November77°F (25°C)4.7 inShoulderShuri main hall opens November 23, 2026.
December71°F (22°C)4.3 inLowNAHA Marathon first Sunday. Whales return late.

Ideas for Itineraries

3 Days in Okinawa

Day one, take the monorail from the airport to Makishi, drop your bag, and eat lunch at Makishi Public Market from the stalls downstairs, then walk the arcades to Tsuboya and finish on the quieter side streets off Kokusai-dori. Day two, ride to Shuri for the castle, booked ahead from November 23, 2026, then Tamaudun and Shikinaen, and stop at the Former Navy Underground Headquarters on the way back. Day three, take buses 89 and 82 south to the Peace Memorial Park and the Himeyuri museum, and be back in Naha for dinner.

5 Days in Okinawa

Use the first three days as above, then add the Kerama Islands. On day four, take the Queen Zamami from Tomari Port in the morning, about 50 to 70 minutes, walk to Furuzamami Beach and snorkel, and sleep in a minshuku. On day five, take a morning swim at Ama Beach and the afternoon boat back to Naha. If Zamami is full, Tokashiki's Marine Liner is the backup, and in winter swap the snorkeling for a whale-watching trip.

1 Week in Okinawa

A week adds the north. Pick up a rental car on day six, take the expressway to Nago for about ¥1,000, and be at the Churaumi Aquarium for opening time. Sleep up north, and on day seven drive into the Yanbaru forest before heading back down the west coast, stopping in Chatan's American Village. Return the car early, since the rental lots near the airport are a shuttle ride from the terminal.

2 Weeks or More in Okinawa

With two weeks or more, base yourself in Naha around Makishi or Asahibashi for the first week, where you can live off the monorail, the market and the bus terminal. Spend three or four nights on Zamami or Tokashiki rather than one. Then fly from Naha to Ishigaki or Miyako for the outer islands, or onward to Taipei, Seoul or Hong Kong. For weekends, the Toguchi ferry gets you to the Motobu Peninsula without a car.

Sources

What this guide is built on. Every page below was read for this guide; prices and rules were checked in October 2026.

Okinawa Travel FAQ

No. Okinawa Island has no JR lines, or any railway apart from the Yui Rail monorail in Naha, so a JR pass is useless once you land. Don't count Okinawa days when working out whether a pass pays off for the mainland part of your trip.

On the monorail, yes, along with PASMO, Kitaca, TOICA and the other national IC cards, and you can also tap a contactless credit card at the gate. Okinawa's own card, OKICA, costs a ¥500 deposit, and refunds aren't handled at stations, only at the Naha Bus office inside the airport terminal, so if you already hold a Suica or ICOCA, there's little reason to buy one for a short stay.

One, Naminoue Beach. Wikivoyage calls it clean but not the most beautiful, and the swimming area can be small depending on the season and weather. For clear water and coral, go to Zamami, where Furuzamami Beach rents parasols, loungers and snorkel gear and is the only beach on the island with facilities like that.

Not from Tokyo anymore, since that route now carries cargo only. Wikivoyage lists A-Line Ferry and Marix Line sailings from Kagoshima, calling at islands such as Amami Oshima and Yoron, but they take most of a day or more and are hard to book without Japanese. Check the operators' current schedules before you plan around them, or fly.

Flights, ferries and buses stop, sometimes for a full day or more. On August 7, 2026, Naha Airport closed both its domestic and international terminals for the day and said it would decide on reopening the next morning. Check your airline's announcements as well as the airport's, and if you're on Zamami or Tokashiki when a storm comes in, be ready to stay put until the boats run again.

Use the airport buses. From platform 1, the LIM-A limousine runs to the Ginowan and Chatan area and LIM-C to the Onna resort area, and from platform 5, local routes 120 and 143 serve Chatan and the west coast toward Nago. Platform 2 has the 111 and 117 expresses for Nago and Churaumi.