Okinawa in winter – an itinerary and guide

If you think of Japan you may think of eclectic mega cities, “salary men” working themselves to coma and a excessive pop and entertainment culture.

That may apply for a big part of this nation, but in the far south there’s Okinawa – a prefecture geographically closer to Taiwan than “mainland” Japan, dominated by gorgeous beaches, nature and laid-back island life that seems worlds away from Tokyo. It’s Japans favourite summer beach destination with a growing popularity among other Asian countries (especially Korea and China) whereas Western visitors are a rather rare sight (except near the American military base). Tropical vibes in Japan? But how about winters in Okinawa? The climate chart says something about 15° C average temperature in January which sounds far from tropical but still quite comfortable. As my fiance and I were in Bangkok in January, we had not much of a choice anyways. Who knows when we will get so “close” again? So after 5 days on Okinawa Honto (which is the main island) I’m summing up some advice for what to do in Okinawa in winter:

1. Naha

Okinawa’s capital and largest city is also the prefecture’s transportation hub, so you’ll most likely start and end your trip in Naha. It looks like a typical Japanese city – convenience stores, malls, vending machines, lots of shops and restaurants – of course, everything is smaller and more relaxed than Tokyo or Osaka. The so-called “international street” Kokusei Dori is the main tourist attraction – a palm fringed shopping boulevard that offers anything souvenir-crazy Japanese could ask for! You may find some interesting gifts there too but it’s also worth to explore all the little side alleys for even more shops, cafés and restaurants.

If you’re looking for an authentic market experience, head over to Makishi Public Market which also has a big fish section. The vendors will be happy to serve you their freshest catch raw or cooked but it’s advisable to compare prices beforehand.

Unlike the rest of Japan, the public transportation in Okinawa isn’t as developed and reliable. At least Naha has a monorail that runs from the airport across the city. The rides are cheap, comfortable and you’ll get a good view!

2. Shuri Castle

The monorail also connects to one of Okinawa’s major sights – Shuri Castle: Originally the seat of the king of the Ryukyu Kingdom (which spanned most over of the archipelagos between Taiwan and “mainland” Japan) it now has become a popular visitor site and event space. After almost complete destruction during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 a replica has been built. Nevertheless, the castle is a beautiful structure with an interesting mix of Chinese and Japanese elements. Especially the vivid red paint stands out and there’s more to look at inside the castle which can be entered for an admission fee. Update 2019: Due to a terrible fire on October 31, the castle has been largely destroyed!

3. Churaumi Aquarium

You may have your opinion about aquariums or animals in captivation in general but once you’re in Okinawa it’s hard to resist a visit to the Churaumi Aquarium in Motobu, approximately 90 km north of Naha. Not only you’ll be reminded that this is Okinawa’s number one attraction thanks to guide books, brochures and TripAdvisor after all, also – it wasn’t much of beach weather and any indoor activity was very much welcome. Indeed, the size and arrangements of the tanks were impressive, showing marine life in different habitats. Churaumi’s symbol though are the whale sharks who live inside a huge tank (but no tank can replace the ocean) together with manta rays, other sharks and fish swarms. As someone who never saw whale sharks in the wild, I’d be lying if I tell you I wasn’t fascinated by them! In my opinion, the aquarium was definitely worth visiting and probably the best one I’ve seen! Moreover, the admission also gives you access to the Ocean Expo Park with a large outdoor area where you can decide whether you want to see one of their dolphin shows or not…

4. Coast and beaches

During our five days in Okinawa, the weather was changing rapidly between wind, rain and sunshine and temperatures never reached the Twenties (Celcius). So swimming was out of question. But Okinawa is known for their beautiful beaches and crystal-clear waters and it would’ve felt like we were missing out on something if we didn’t get close to the sea. The upside: The beaches were completely empty and the shades of blue can be admired at any season! There’s no need to do much detours to get a good glimpse of Okinawan waters: Right next to Churaumi Aquarium, you’ll find this pretty stretch of sand called Emerald Beach. You’ll see where it got its name from 😉

The island also boasts rugged, spectacular coast areas: Cape Manzamo – between Naha and Motobu – is Okinawa’s most iconic natural landmark where rough waves crush onto rock – one of them shaped like an elephant trunk! The mood becomes especially dramatic during sunset!

Mibaru Beach in the Southern part of the island was another beach we stopped by. It’s a nice beach with rocks and sand and makes a great place for a walk (although the weather wasn’t on the sunny side…)

5. Seifa Utaki

I’m not very familiar with the local history or religion but Seifa Utaki used to be the most sacred place of the Ryukyu Kingdom and still belongs to one of the most spiritual places in Japan. However if you’re looking for imposing temples and shrines, you’ll be disappointed because there’s none. The visitor centre is near the shore while the actual site is in the forest. After we bought our tickets we saw a little introduction video about the history and, more importantly, how to behave within the sacred grounds. Interestingly only women were allowed to enter Seifa Utaki during the Ryukyu period and even the king was denied access! Today everyone is welcome who want to pay respect to the ancient gods and look for a place of worship. Therefore you can see people praying at certain spots which are believed to have special powers!

6. Okinawa Cave (+ Okinawa World)

Rather by accident we stopped by Okinawa World – a theme park that “collects” Okinawan culture and traditions at one spot at an artificial village. Although I’m not the biggest fan of such staged things that clearly targets tourists only, the cave that lies within the theme park looked so promising that we had to go. The little “cave tour” turned out to be a stunningly large cave with underground rivers and amazing stalactites and stalagmites – we were more than baffled! Although the cave was by far the best part of the park, it was quite entertaining to see a dance show, traditional handicraft, a brewery and a shisa collection. Shisa are lion-dog creatures that are ubiquitous in Okinawa (every house has at least one shisa figure) and originates from the Asian lion.

7. Café Hopping

Japan is known for its creative café scene and Okinawa fortunately is no exception (although it’s less crazy than in Tokyo!) There’s certainly no lack of cute cafés that serve really good food too. In the following I’m going to show you our favourites from around the island:

Café Kibako (caFe木箱)

We found this café by accident, walking from Shuri Castle back to the monorail and while it looked humble and inviting from the outside, it was super cozy inside! Besides tea and coffee, they also serve an excellent and healthy Teishoku (set meal complete with soup, rice and side dishes). It’s the perfect place to relax after a walk on the castle grounds.

Cat Café

I’ve always wanted to visit a “real” cat café and I somehow missed that on my last visit in Japan. Time to catch up! The whole operation of a cat café is way more professional than I thought – and even if you’re not into cats – it’s interesting to see how it works. Not surprisingly, the cats weren’t impressed by people and it took some time until I found who was willing to play with me 😀 Naha has a couple of cat cafés around but the one we went to was Café Nyansore.

Café Cahaya Bulan (カフェ チャハヤブラン)

If you’re looking for a lunch spot near the Churaumi Aquarium, this is a friendly café/restaurant serving Japanese set meals. The biggest draw though are the uninterrupted sea views thanks to its great location right be Emerald Beach!

Café Fuju (CAFE 風樹)

Yes, I have a weakness for cafés with great views and this café probably wins the prize! Not only I fell in love with the interior that reminded me of a tree house, also their lovely prepared food and the spectacular view over the turquoise ocean make a visit more than worthwhile!

Cave Café

The Valley of Gangala is another natural landmark of Okinawa but it can only be accessed on a guided tour. Due to lack of time we couldn’t make it to the tour but the café can be visited for free and it doesn’t happen too often that you get to sip coffee inside a limestone cave 😉

8. Okinawan delicacies

Just like Okinawa has kept its own culture, it’s not surprising that they also have their own cuisine that distinguishes from popular Japanese dishes we know. Some of the Okinawan staples include Okinawa Soba (a mild noodle soup with pork), Taco Rice (a popular American-Japanese fusion dish) and Okinawan doughnuts. The islands also grow a variety of fruit and vegetables – especially well known are their pineapples, bitter lemon, sea grapes and beni imo (purple sweet potato).

9. Useful travel information

• The international airport of Naha is connected by frequent flights from mainly Asian destinations like Japan, Korea, Taiwan but also Bangkok. From there you can fly to the other islands of the archipelago like Ishigaki, Miyako etc.
• Okinawa offers a broad spectrum of accommodation for every budget – from fancy hotels to little guest houses and AirBnb’s. You should book way ahead if you plan to visit during high season and try to avoid the Golden Week at the end of April/beginning of May as almost every Japanese will go on vacation! Click here to see a list of hotels in Naha.
• The climate is hot and humid during summers (April-October), which also is high season, and moderate but windy and changeable during the winter months (definitely bring a warm jacket and rain protection). I personally didn’t mind the cooler temperatures in January which was great for sightseeing. Number of visitors and prices were low. If your main reason of traveling is swimming and/or snorkeling you shouldn’t visit during off-season, not only because it’s too cold but also there’s limited offers of boat trips and water related activities.
• If you want to explore the island(s) and like to travel independently, you should consider to rent a car. Okinawa’s public transportation doesn’t reach Japanese standards, although there are buses that connect bigger towns. It might be difficult to figure out the bus schedules if you can’t read Japanese and I heard they’re rather slow. There’s no railway on the island, except for the monorail in Naha. We rented a car for very cheap here, however Japan doesn’t accept foreign driver licenses, so as a visitor you must bring an international license. Make sure you get familiar with traffic rules and signs (left-side traffic) and drive extra cautious. Japanese drivers are rather defensive anyways and very patient 🙂

Looking for walking tours and tips in Naha? You can download GPS supported itineraries to your smartphone through GPSMyCity.

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Further readings:

Welcoming spring in Ueno, Tokyo

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#outhere Pt. 2 – Bermuda beaches and facts