Okinawa: Best Things to Do
SIGHTSEEING
As an island city, Okinawa has plenty of sightseeing spots for tourists. The Shuri Castle is one of them. This castle is one of the historical heritages that is still preserved well until today. You can explore this castle and learn a lot about the history while enjoying the refreshing vibe of Okinawa.
Shuri Castle
DOWNTOWN
The city center of Okinawa is in Naha where you can easily find many cafes, bars, restaurants. While you are in the downtown Okinawa, you must visit Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum. This museum displays historical items related to Okinawa’s nature, archaeology, arts and crafts, history, and folk traditions.
Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum
SHOPPING
If you are looking for places that sell souvenirs, Naha Kokusai Dori Shopping Street is the answer. Naha Kokusai Dori Shopping Street is a located in the downtown Okinawa, so it has an easy access for first time travelers. Tourists can easily find department stores, restaurants, services, and general stores there.
Naha Kokusai Dori Shopping Street
FOOD & DRINK
For culinary destination, it's a must to try Goya Champuru while you're in Okinawa. This is a bitter melon stir fry. The original taste of the melon is bitter but it is perfectly blend with other seasonings. You can get this Goya Champuru in almost all places in Okinawa. For the drink, Awamori is the most recommended one. It's an alcoholic beverage, perfect to drink with water and ice.
CULTURE
The culture of Okinawa was influenced by Southeast Asia and especially by China through trading activity in the past centuries. The main language in Okinawa is Japanese. But English is also understood by people at many tourist attractions and hotels.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
The best time to visit Okinawa is from March to May to enjoy the spring breeze while strolling around the city.
HOTEL
The Busena Terrace is one of the most recommended hotel in Okinawa. This hotel is located in Nago city which offers a clear beach view from every terrace's room. This hotel is only around 7 minutes walk from Busena Marine Park's underwater observation tower. Kaiza hotel is the right place to stay when you are looking for a peaceful and beautiful view of the green private forest. This hotel only has few rooms so you have to book a room earlier.
The Busena Terrace
海坐 kaiza
RESTAURANT
Yakiniku Honpo Shimagyu is the best restaurant serving Yakiniku. It's authentic Japanese food similar to Barbecue. It's the best to come here during lunch time. But when you want to try Japanese sushi, you can visit Yume Sushi which is located at the downtown. This restaurant also serves the famous bluefin tuna.
Yakiniku Honpo Shimagyu
Yume Sushi
CAFE
Hamabe no Chaya offers a beautiful ocean view from its windows that you can enjoy while sipping iced coffee and a bite of Campagne Sandwich. The sea breeze, birds chirping, and the wind blows are something you can freely get when you spend your afternoon in this cafe. But when you are looking for an American style cafe, you can come to Seaside Cafe' Hanon to grab some freshly baked pancakes and freshly ground coffee while enjoying the sea breeze from this blue decor cafe.
Hamabe no Chaya
Seaside Cafe' hanon
BAR AND NIGHTLIFE
Sakanashi bar is the right bar to go when you want to try an authentic cocktail of Okinawa or the 21 years old Japanese whiskey. This bar is located at Kokusai Street which opens until late at night. But when you are craving for craft beers, you must visit Helios PUB located not too far from Sakanashi bar. This bar serves craft beers along with salad and pizza.
Bar The Authentic 坂梨
Helios PUB
INTERESTING PLACE
Churaumi Aquarium is one of the most interesting places in Okinawa. It's the largest aquarium in Japan where you can observe the world's largest whale shark. Okinawa Peace Memorial Park is the next must-visit place in Okinawa. In this memorial park, you can learn the history of World War II which was happened in Okinawa.
Churaumi Okinawa Aquarium
Okinawa Peace Memorial Park
INSTAGRAMMABLE SPOT
Upload some pictures from Okinawa World to your Instagram feed. This place has authentic beauty of Gyokusendo cave. Besides, you can also do some fun activities such as pottery workshop, wool dyeing, bamboo work, and many more. You should also take some pictures in Kouri beach. You can find the Kouri bridge that is perfect for your Instagram feed.
Okinawa World
Kouri Beach
