How we spent four days in Okinawa Honto (main island)
At the end of our month in Japan, we left the cities and headed to the beaches of Okinawa for a week. We spent the first four nights in the northern part of Okinawa Honto (the main island), in Motobu.
When is the best time to visit Okinawa?
Due to the timing of the rest of our trip, we ended up in Okinawa during down season. May and June are some of the wettest months, but the temperature still remained in the high twenties even in bad weather.
If you want glorious sunshine, aim to visit in March or April when the beaches are open for swimming and the sun is still out ahead of the rainy season.
How long to spend in Okinawa?
We spent four nights on Okinawa's main island and three nights on Ishigaki. If we were there in March or April when the weather is better I would have probably skipped the main island altogether and spent all my time in the smaller islands like Ishigaki and Irotome.
Okinawa Honto is good in rainy weather as there are plenty of activities that are either indoors or don’t depend on the sun shining. On the remote islands, beaches, snorkelling, and generally being outdoors are the main attractions.
But the truth is, the main island of Okinawa is really built up and nowhere near as beautiful as the other Okinawa islands. So if you’re visiting outside of the wet season, consider cutting down your time on Honto and making the most of the beautiful weather in the Yaeyama and Ryukyu archipelagos.
How to get around Okinawa?
The best way to get around Okinawa is by car. There is some public transport but it won’t get you everywhere so having a car is far easier and more convenient. There are lots of car rental businesses located near Naha airport where you can hire a car fairly cheaply. We used OTS which also offers a free shuttle bus to and from the airport.
Where to stay in Okinawa?
After a lot of research, we decided to stay in Motobu towards the north of Okinawa. Naha is the main city which makes it a popular place to stay, but most of the beaches and other spots we wanted to visit were further north. Also, the further north you go the more beautiful the island is which makes it a nicer and more relaxing place to stay.
We considered Onna village, too. But this is more of a resort area and we didn’t want to stay in a huge hotel. In the end we settled on Motobu as it isn’t totally remote, but it’s close to the sea and some of the smaller islands off of Okinawa, but it’s still built up enough that there are shops and restaurants which are easy to access when you need them.
What is there to do in Okinawa?
These were our favourite things to do in Okinawa when it’s raining.
Gorilla Chop
We stayed close to the famous Gorilla Chop rock, named because that’s exactly what it looks like. The pretty beach here is next to a main road, but it’s a great place for snorkelling and is surprisingly calm and peaceful despite its urban surroundings. There’s also a park nearby, the Sakimobotu Green Space, where you can stop for a picnic.
Naha Kokusai-dori
We went to Naha’s main street on a rainy day so we didn’t get to see it in all its glory. But despite the wet weather Kokusai-dori still had a buzzy atmosphere. The street is lined with restaurants selling a combination of Japanese and American-inspired food and stores selling tropical Kariyushi shirts that are native to Okinawa. We didn’t come to Okinawa to spend a lot of time in the city but since the weather wasn’t on our side, Naha was an easy place to pass an afternoon.
Cape Manzamo
This beautiful stretch of coastline has been turned into a paying tourist attraction with a huge entrance hall full of shops and restaurants. The good news is you only have to pay ¥100 (about 50p) per person to see the cape. There’s a rock formation that looks like an elephant, beautiful views over the ocean, pandan trees, and a peaceful green area that only takes a few minutes to walk around but you can spend as long as you like out there. It’s a shame that this isn’t just a free space that anyone can wander in and out of but it’s still a lovely place.
Busena Marine Park Underwater Observatory
It could be argued that Busena, like Cape Manzamo, has been turned into a tourist trap when its natural beauty could have been left alone. But here, you can access the beach for free and the parts you have to pay for are well worth the money.
Instead of going to the ethically-questionable Churaumi Aquarium we came to the Busena marine observatory. The large tower is built into the ocean, so you descend and witness the fish in their natural environment rather than in a tank. If anything, you’re the one in the tank peering out from a range of round windows. From down there you can see hundreds of fish, including clownfish, blowfish, moorish idols, angelfish, different types of wrasses and more.
You can stay as long as you like and it costs ¥1050 (about £5.30). There is also a glass-bottom boat that can be booked separately or as a package, but we didn’t have time for that during our visit.
Nabee Beach
A lot of the beaches in Okinawa are dominated by large hotel resorts. But Nabee beach isn’t, plus it has a swimming net meaning it’s safe to go in the sea. Okinawa has a whole range of dangerous marine life that makes swimming outside of the nets a bad idea. Of course this isn’t the only beach on the island that’s free to use and swim at, but it was close to Cape Manzamo where the nearby Manza beach is largely run by a big hotel, which we wanted to avoid.
AEON MALL Okinawa Rycom
On a wet day in Okinawa, locals head to the Aeon Mall. This huge shopping centre is filled with all kinds of shops from big brand names to independent stores. There’s also a large food court where you can pick up a wide range of foods including traditional Japanese dishes, western foods including McDonalds, and sweet treats like Okinawam donuts.
Sesoko Island
Okinawa’s main island connects to lots of smaller islands that surround it by bridges. Sesoko is one of these islands, and if you’re in Motobu it’s really easy to get to. Sesoko Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Okinawa and is an amazing place to snorkel. There’s a netted area for safe swimming, with lots of coral on the seabed which attracts an amazing array of tropical fish. Parking is ¥1000 (£5) for the day and the lockers and showers aren’t free to use. The sun loungers are also very expensive (¥4500/£22.50 for the day) so bring a blanket.
Manza Beach Ocean Park
On a wet day when we still wanted to visit the beach, we decided to head to a water park. There are a number of ocean parks or aqua parks in Okinawa and they’re mostly owned by resort hotels. Though it’s not cheap at ¥5000 (£25) per day, the Manza Beach Ocean Park is by far the biggest and best. So we sucked up the price and spent an hour and a half here.
It was so much fun and you don’t even notice it’s raining since you’re getting wet anyway. Remember to check the website for tide times as it closes during low tide (during our visit this was 11:30-4:00 so a long stretch of the day).
Bise-Fukugi Tree Road
The streets in the seaside village of Bise are lined with carefully pruned trees, which are lovely to walk through – especially on hot days when you need the shade. It’s free to park in and visit the village, which is right near the aquarium.
Find out more about our full one month in Japan itinerary here.