Okinawa Island (沖縄本島 Okinawa-hontō) is the main and largest island of the Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. The island has the largest population in the prefecture.

Regions

Generally speaking, areas on the main island are placed in three categories: Southern Part (南部 Nanbu), Middle Part (中部 Chubu), and Northern Part (北部 Hokubu). The northern part is also referred to as Yanbaru, and together with Tokunoshima, Iriomote and Amami Oshima it was listed as a natural world heritage site by UNESCO in 2021.

Cities

• 1 Naha — the capital city of the prefecture and by far the largest city
• 2 Motobu — small town in northern Okinawa known for the Churaumi Aquarium
• 3 Okinawa City - east of Chatan, largest populated city besides Naha.
• 4 Nago

• 5 Itoman
• 6 Kitanakagusuku
• 7 Yomitan

Other destinations

• 1 Buckner Bay
• 2 Chatan - Home of the Mihama, American Village, and the Ferris Wheel.
• 3 Onna - great beaches and high-class resorts.
• 4 Okuma - an Air Force Resort, great for weekend trips to the beach.

Understand

Okinawa Island is by far the largest and most populated of Okinawa's islands, with over 90% of the population. For better or worse, the island is what people think of when they think of Okinawa: beaches and snorkeling, large resort hotels, US military bases and WW2 battle sites.

Talk

All Okinawans speak Japanese but many, especially older citizens, also speak Okinawan. Many mainland Japanese regard Okinawan to be a dialect of Japanese, but it is a separate language, part of the Ryukyuan branch of the Japonic language family, making it distinct from but related to Japanese.

Get in

Naha International Airport is the primary way to get into Okinawa Island, and is only 2 km from downtown Naha. See the main Okinawa article for details and the Naha article for local transport.

The increasingly few remaining ferries from mainland Japan stop at Naha and Motobu. See Okinawa#By ship for details.

Get around

Unusually for Japan, Okinawa does not have any train lines, except for a monorail in Naha that runs from the airport to the city centre, Shuri Castle and some stations beyond. If you're planning to travel outside Naha, a rental car will come in very handy.

By car

Route 58 near Nago

Main article: Driving in Japan

The main road is Route 58, which runs for 120 km along the East China Sea coast north-south from Naha to the northernmost tip of the island. During the summer months, the volume of rental cars can make traffic very heavy on Route 58. The Okinawa Expressway (沖縄自動車道), confusingly labeled E58 on maps, offers a separate, parallel route for 57 km between Naha and Nago, but charges ¥1020 for the privilege.

By bus

Okinawa Bus operates buses throughout the island, including "limousine" services direct from the airport to all larger towns. The focal point for most services is Naha Bus Terminal (那覇バスターミナル) in central Naha. Schedules tend to be sparse: particularly further away from Naha, it's not unusual to have to wait for 2 hours between services.

By bicycle

Cycling around Okinawa island is possible but not very practical. The island is very densely populated and car traffic is heavy almost everywhere. In Japan it's customary to ride your bike on the sidewalk instead of the road (supposedly due to the unsafety of doing the latter), but the sidewalk has the disadvantage of having to evade other pedestrians, overgrowth, the occasional antisocially parked car, and cars pulling out of driveways. Japanese drivers are polite and not aggressive, but have a habit of often not looking where they are going when pulling out of driveways or taking corners. The terrain is very hilly and becomes more challenging the further you move away from the coast. If you find yourself on the east side of the island and want to go to the west side or vice versa, you will have to cross the range of steep hills that runs along the length of Okinawa. A moped or motorcycle helps to overcome this, but it's still very important to stay alert and avoid obstacles or cars.

See

• Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. The UNESCO World Heritage is composed of nine sites around the island; in Naha the Shuri castle with its Shikinaen garden, Tamadun mausoleum and Sonohyan-utaki grove. Other sites are the castle sites of Nakijin (in Nakijin), Zakimi (in Yomitan), Katsuren (in Uruma) and Nakagusuku (in Nakagusuku) plus the Sefa-utaki place of worship in Utaki. 
• 1 Mihama American Village, 2 Chome-4-2 Mihama, Chatan-chō, Nakagami-gun. An Americanized shopping and dining complex made to resemble an American beach such as Venice Beach, Santa Monica, etc. Popular among U.S. military members due to its close proximity to many U.S. Marine bases. The area has a ferris wheel, a few hotels, many clothing and souvenir stores and restaurants of various cuisine, and Sunset Beach. Plus there is live entertainment almost nightly. 
• 2 Seifa-utaki, 知念久手堅 Nanjo. In Nanjo, rock formations including a natural corridor through a giant boulder leading to a point overlooking Kudaka Island (久高島), was once worshipped as the "island of the gods". 
• 3 Peace Memorial Park and Himeyuri Monument, Ihara, Itoman. Where the Battle of Okinawa ended in World War II. The Peace Memorial Park includes the Peace Memorial Hall and the Cornerstone of Peace. 
• 4 Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. This aquarium has a 7,500-m³ water tank with whale sharks and manta rays and is home to the world's largest living coral exhibit. 
• 5 Cape Zanpa, 1861 Uza, Yomitan-son, Nakagami-gun. Peninsula on the western side of the island near Yomitan Village. Has a lighthouse and a beautiful beach. Also is where the famous sweet potato-flavored cookies are made. 
• 6 Cape Kyan. The southern most point of Okinawa Island. 
• 7 Cape Hedo. Northern-most point of Okinawa Island, beautiful views from high cliffs. 
• 8 Nago Bay. Mid-island on the Western side. 
• 9 Haneji Inland Sea (羽地内海 Hanejinaikai). Enclosed by Yayagi Island and the western peninsula. Beautiful especially at sunset. 
• 10 Hamahiga Island (浜比嘉島 hamahiga-jima). East of Okinawa Island accessible by the Sea Road (a sight in itself). Hamahiga Island has many rock formations, many shaped like mushrooms. 

Hiji Falls

• 11 Hiji Falls (比地大滝). In the northern part of the island, a 45-minute hike from the visitors center taking you by a river dam, over a suspension bridge, and finally to the falls itself. 
• 12 Okinawa World (おきなわワールド), 1336, Tamagusuku Maekawa, Nanjo-city (30-minute drive from Naha Airport; 8-minute drive from Okinawa Expressway, Haebaru Minami Interchange; 1 minute walk from Gyokusendo-mae (玉泉洞前) bus stop on bus routes 51, 54, 81, 82 & 83), ☏ +81 98-949-7421. 09:00-18:00. Theme park based on Okinawa wildlife and culture, built alongside a stunning natural cavern. Walk for nearly 1 km underground and gape at the limestone formations; see snake handlers abusing habu (the local poisonous reptile) for your amusement; admire the skill and energy of the folk dancers and musicians; try your hand at folk craft; enjoy the local beer and liquor; and a few other fun attractions. ¥1100-1600 for adults, ½ price for children. 

Naha

• Kokusaidori Street. Naha's main street filled with shops, restaurants, and nightlife. 
• 13 Shuri Castle Park. Castle of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Also nearby is the 14 Shikina Gardens. 

Beaches

Being an island, there are plenty of beaches to choose from. The most highly recommended include:

• 15 Emerald Beach (エメラルドビーチ) (A short walk from Churaumi Aquarium). 
• 16 Zanpa Beach (残波ビーチ). 
• 17 Renaissance Beach (ルネッサンスビーチ). 
• 18 Manzamo Beach (万座ビーチ). 
• 19 Ikei Beach (伊計ビーチ). 

Castle ruins

With the ancient Ryukyu Kingdom which once ruled Okinawa, there were many castles around the island.

• 20 Shuri Castle (首里城, shuri-jō) (Accessible by monorail within the city.). An icon of Naha and home to Shureimon. 
• 21 Katsuren Castle (勝連城, katsuren gusuku) (on the eastern side near the Sea Road). 
• 22 Zakimi Castle (座喜味城 Zakimi jō) (on the western side in Yomitan Village). 
• 23 Nakijin Castle (今帰仁城 nakijin gusuku) (on the western side in Nakijin Village on the large peninsula). 
• 24 Nakagusuku Castle (中城城 nakagusuku-jō) (on the eastern side in Nakagusuku Village). 

Do

• Go to the island's many beaches.
• Scuba diving is one of the most popular activities on the island with an abundance of dive shops across the island. Chatan and Kadena have ports leaving for the Kerama Islands. Bluefield [1] and Reef Encounters [2] offer diving service in English. In addition the English speaking staff at Onna Sensui Diving Shop cover the Cape Manza area in Onna.
• Spear fishing is another popular activity on the island.
• Take a glass bottom boat tour, offering views of corals and fishes.
• Ocean Expo Park— Will give you a better idea of the creatures native to the waters surrounding Okinawa Island.

Buy

Kokusaidori Street in Naha and Mihama American Village have plenty of shops. One of the popular items to buy is an Okinawan shirt, similar to Hawaiian shirts, at the Mango House, which have various locations throughout the island, but most of them in Naha.

Eat

In Okinawa, pork is very popular. A must eat is the tebichi soba, which is pig's feet with noodles. Various other Okinawan pork products are popular there.

For sushi, Yoshi's is an excellent restaurant. It is in Chatan off Hwy 22. The Yoshi Roll is definitely worth a try! CoCo Curry House is a great cheap alternative. Try it with cheese, it's great. Yoshi's sushi is geared more to American's tastes than traditional Japanese sushi. For more traditional Okinawan sushi, Fenutin in the Mihama American Village is an excellent choice. Try the sea grapes there. They also play traditional Okinawan music there which is worth listening to, and CDs are available for purchase.

American fast food is available, including A&W.

For dessert, have Blue Seal ice cream. Many flavors are available, including sweet potato (beni-imo), the local flavor in Okinawa. Also, sweet potato-flavored cookies are popular and can be found just about anywhere.

Drink

Orion Beer is brewed locally in Okinawa. Available in just about all stores, restaurants, bars, and many vending machines. Aside from beer, a local favorite is awamori, or aged rice wine, similar to Japanese sake. Awamori differs from sake in that the former is brewed using rice from Thailand and black yeast, while the latter typically uses locally produced rice and white yeast. Most available awamori is aged at least five years, with more expensive brews being aged fifteen. Locals consume awamori with ice and water.

Go next

Check out other Okinawan islands, such as Ishigaki, Taketomi, Kume, and Iriomote.