After I returned from my holiday trip to Okinawa, my friend asked me to post my itinerary on my blog. This way, he can refer to it to his friends if they want to go to Okinawa. So I thought it’d also be a good idea to share.

I had an 11-day trip to Okinawa (including the flights), and seriously, I had fun. It is advisable to rent a car if you want an easy way of traveling around the island. But for me, I just used the monorail, the buses, and the available tours. Here is the itinerary of my Okinawan trip.

Day 1. I used the low-cost airline Jetstar Japan from Chitose to Okinawa with a stopover in Tokyo. The trip lasted almost a whole day, and I arrived in Naha, Okinawa, at night.

Day 2. I bought a 1-day pass in the Naha monorail worth 700 yen to go around the city. My first destination was the Shuri-jo Castle Park which can be reached from the Shuri station. The entrance fee to the park is 600 yen. I went next to the Okinawa Prefectural Museum. The entrance fee was discounted to 320 yen. This discount was because of the 1-day monorail pass. The last part of my trip was a short walk along the Kokusai Dori. There are many shops and restaurants.

Day 3. My third day was dedicated to the famous Churaumi Aquarium. I went there by using the Yanbaru Express Bus, which costs 2000 yen for a 1-way trip. You can ride this bus either from Naha Bus Terminal or near the Kencho-Mae monorail station. You should take note of the schedule of the bus as there are only 6 round trips per day. The trip takes almost more than 2 hours. The entrance fee for the aquarium is 1850 yen. Aside from the aquarium, there are also other things inside the Ocean Expo Park.

Day 4. I spent the day in the Chatan area of Okinawa, where the Mihama American Village and Sunset Beach are located. For 730 yen, you can reach them using bus numbers 28, 29, or 120 from the Naha bus terminal. In the American village, I entered the Bokunen Art Museum for a 500 yen entrance fee.

Day 5. I used the Okinawa Bus Tour on my 5th day. The terminal is just a short walk from Kencho-mae. I chose the bus tour going to the Okinawa World and War Memorial Sites, which cost 4900 yen. The 7-hour tour includes the theme park Okinawa World with the limestone cave Gyokusendo. It also includes the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park, Himeyuri Monument, and Outlet Mall Ashibinaa. The tour only covered the lunch and the ticket for the Okinawa World. The entrance fees are 300 yen for the Peace Memorial Museum, 450 yen for the Peace Hall, and 310 yen for the Himeyuri Museum.

 

Day 6. I flew to Ishigaki Island using Japan Transocean Air. The island is about 450 km far from the main Okinawa island. Upon arrival, it is advisable to get the 5-day bus pass ticket worth 2000 yen. This is a cheap way to go around the island. Before checking in to my hotel, I went to Kabira Bay to spend my day. Take note of the bus schedule so you will not get stranded.

Day 7. I took the Ishigaki Dream Tours tour package to three islands: Iriomote, Yubu, and Taketomi. The tour costs 13800 yen and includes all the boat fees, lunch, and water buffalo rides. It starts in Ishigaki Port and leaves at 8:15 a.m. As the tour ended at 4:10 p.m., I still had time to visit the Yoko Gushiken Memorial Hall, a museum dedicated to the Ishigaki-born boxer. The entrance fee is 400 yen.

Day 8. This was my last day in Ishigaki. After checking out from my hotel, I went to the Yonehara Beach camp using a bus. Then, I went back to the bus terminal in the Misaki-cho area. I wanted to do some short sightseeing in the “downtown” area of Ishigaki Island. I went to the Ishigaki Market, Tourinji temple, Gongendo shrine, Miyaradunchi, and 730 Monument by walking. I took my flight back to Naha in the evening using the Ryukyu Air Commuter.

Day 9. I went to the ruins of the Nakagusuku-jo and Katsuren-jo castles using bus numbers 30 and 52, respectively. I spent about 3000 yen for the entire bus trip (back and forth to Kencho-mae). The entrance fee for the Nakagusuku castle is 400 yen, and for the Katsuren castle, it is free.

Day 10. This is my last day in Okinawa. I again used the Okinawa Bus Tour with their tour package going to Churaumi Aquarium and Nakijinjo Ruins. This tour is going to Churaumi Aquarium, which I have already visited on Day 3. Nevertheless, I wanted to visit the Nakijin-jo castle and the Nago Pineapple Park included in this tour. This 9 1/2-hour tour is cheaper than taking the public bus going to those areas. The tour also includes a short stop at the Cape Manza. The cost of 5500 yen includes the buffet lunch. It also covers the entrance tickets for the castle and the pineapple park, but not for the aquarium.

Day 11. This was my flight schedule back to Chitose from Okinawa via Tokyo.

Of course, this is not a perfect trip since it was not really planned. I have missed going to Zakimi castle ruins, Sefa Utaki, Tamaudun Tombs, Shikinaen Garden, and the former Navy Underground Headquarters. You can include these in planning your own Okinawan trip. You can also snorkel and scuba dive.

As they say in Okinawa, Haisai!