Naha · Shuri Castle · Zamami · Kerama Islands · Motobu · Churaumi Aquarium · Kouri Island · Manzamo · 10 min read
Okinawa Itinerary 6 Days: Naha, Zamami, Churaumi and Kouri Without a Car
6 days · 6 cities
Duration
6 days
Estimated budget
90,000 to 150,000 yen per person, no flights
Best time to go
April and October to November
Visa
Visa free up to 90 days for many passports
This 6 day Okinawa itinerary works without a car, because many travellers cannot legally drive in Japan and parking in Naha is a chore. There are two bases, Naha and Motobu, linked by monorail, boat and bus.
In short: Naha and Shuri Castle, a day on Zamami island, the north with Churaumi Aquarium and Kouri island, and the ride back down the west coast. Entry rules, seasons and food are at the end.
Day 1: arriving in Naha, from Kokusai-dori to Makishi Market
Kokusai-dori: Naha's main street
About an hour, free. From the airport to Kencho-mae station is 12 minutes on the Yui Rail, Naha's monorail, and the avenue starts right there. It runs 1.6 km of shops, awamori bars and souvenir stores to Makishi station.
It was rebuilt from nothing after the Battle of Okinawa in 1945 and earned the nickname Miracle Mile for how fast it rose again.
Makishi Public Market: buy fish downstairs, eat it upstairs
About 1h30, and it is dinner on Day 1. It is two minutes from Kokusai-dori along the covered Ichiba Hondori arcade, in a new building opened in 2023.
The system is unique: on the ground floor you choose colourful tropical fish, lobster, squid or Agu pork, and a restaurant upstairs cooks it for a per person preparation fee. Ask the price per kilo before choosing, because lobster and blue fish get expensive.
Day 2: Naha east to west, from Shuri Castle to Naminoue
Shuri Castle: the Ryukyu kings' palace under reconstruction
About two hours. Ride the Yui Rail up to Shuri station and walk 15 minutes to the Shureimon gate. The paid area costs 400 yen until 22 November 2026 and 1,000 yen from the 23rd, when the Seiden, the main hall, reopens inside.
The castle was the seat of the Ryukyu Kingdom for 450 years before Okinawa became part of Japan, and it is a World Heritage Site. A fire destroyed the Seiden in 2019. The red facade has stood again since 2025; until the reopening you can watch craftspeople at work on the lacquer and gilding, which is rare.
On the way out, walk down the Kinjo-cho Ishidatami-michi, a 300 metre 16th century stone lane between old walls and houses.
Tsuboya Yachimun: Naha's potters' street
Quick stop, 45 minutes, free. Take the Yui Rail back to Makishi station and walk 10 minutes south. The kingdom's pottery kilns were gathered here in 1682, and the stone street is still lined with workshops.
It is the best place to buy yachimun, Okinawan pottery, and a pair of shisa, the lion dogs that guard houses: one with its mouth open, one with it closed.
Naminoue Shrine: the shrine above Naha's beach
About an hour, free, 10 minutes by taxi or 30 on foot west of Tsuboya. It is the most important Shinto shrine in Okinawa, perched on a coral cliff above Naminoue Beach, Naha's only beach.
Climb to the shrine, then go down to the sand: the classic photo is taken from the bridge beside the beach, with the rock and the red roof. Stay for sunset; tomorrow morning Tomari port, where the boat leaves, is 15 minutes away.
Day 3: Zamami island in the Kerama archipelago
Furuzamami Beach: Kerama blue a day from Naha
The whole morning and early afternoon. The Queen Zamami fast boat leaves Tomari port at 9am and takes 50 minutes, for 3,950 yen one way or 7,510 return. Book on the Zamami village site, because it sells out at weekends, and check that month's timetable: it changes. The island charges a 100 yen entry tax.
From the port to the beach is 20 minutes on foot or 300 yen by bus. The water around the Kerama islands has a colour that gave its name to a shade, Kerama blue, and the coral starts a few metres from the sand. Rent a mask and snorkel on the beach and look for sea turtles. Swim only inside the netted area.
Kaminohama Observatory: the islands from above
About an hour, free, 15 minutes on foot from the port up the west coast road. From the deck you see Aka and Geruma islands and the channel between them. From January to March humpback whales pass here, and Zamami is one of the best places in Japan to see them.
Head down in time for the return boat, which leaves at 5.20pm in September. Rough seas cancel the boats; in typhoon season, keep this day in the middle of the trip so you can reschedule.
Day 4: north by bus, from Churaumi Aquarium to Bise
Churaumi Aquarium: the whale shark tank
About 2h30, 2,180 yen, open 8.30am to 6.30pm. The Yanbaru Express bus leaves Naha and reaches Ocean Expo Park in about 2h30 for a little over 2,000 yen: take the first one of the morning and drop your bags at your Motobu hotel first if it is on the way.
The centrepiece is the Kuroshio tank, holding 7,500 tonnes of water, where whale sharks and manta rays swim behind an acrylic panel over 8 metres tall. Catch the shark feeding, held twice a day; times are posted at the entrance.
Emerald Beach: the beach inside the park
Quick stop, 45 minutes, free, a 5 minute walk north of the aquarium inside the same park. The water has the green that names the beach, and Ie island sits on the horizon with its cone shaped peak.
The swimming area, with lifeguards and a jellyfish net, runs from April to October.
Bise Fukugi: tree tunnels against the typhoons
Quick stop, one hour, free, 10 minutes on foot from the park's north exit. Bise villagers planted around 20,000 fukugi trees around their houses to break typhoon winds, and the sandy lanes turned into green tunnels.
Bikes can be rented at the village entrance. The lanes end at the sea, and it is the best sunset of the day.
Day 5: Nakijin and Kouri island
Nakijin Castle: the walls of a northern kingdom
About 1h15, 1,000 yen, 10 minutes by taxi from Bise or by local bus. The ruins are of a 13th century gusuku castle, seat of one of the three kingdoms that divided Okinawa before unification, and a World Heritage Site.
What stays with you is 1.5 km of limestone walls following the curve of the hill with no right angles. From the top you look out over the northern sea. Go early, before the heat.
Kouri Bridge and island: the turquoise north
The rest of the day, with beach time. From Nakijin it is 20 minutes by taxi, or the local bus linking Nakijin, Yagaji and Kouri. The bridge runs 1,960 metres over shallow turquoise water, and the crossing is the attraction itself.
On the other side, Tinu Beach has the Heart Rock, a rock with a heart shaped gap made famous by a TV commercial. Go at low tide to get close. Have sea urchin on the island, the local speciality in early summer, and head back to Motobu in the late afternoon.
Day 6: back down the west coast, from Manzamo to American Village
Manzamo: the elephant trunk cliff
Quick stop, 45 minutes, 100 yen. From Motobu take the bus to Nago and then line 120, which runs down the west coast on Route 58; allow about two hours to Onna with luggage.
The cape is a raised coral plateau, and the short trail ends at a cliff with an arch that looks like an elephant's trunk. The name comes from a Ryukyu king who supposedly said its meadow could seat ten thousand people.
American Village: late afternoon in Chatan
About two hours, free, an hour further south on the same line 120. The waterfront district grew on land returned by the US bases and has wooden buildings, a Ferris wheel and restaurants facing the sea.
It is the place for taco rice and the burgers the American presence brought to Okinawa. Eat here and head to the airport, about 40 minutes by taxi or an hour by bus.
Do you need a visa for Japan?
Citizens of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the European Union and many other countries enter Japan visa free for tourism for up to 90 days. Brazil's exemption was extended in 2026 until September 2029 for holders of electronic passports.
Fill in Visit Japan Web before you fly: it generates the immigration and customs QR codes and shortens the queue at the airport. Okinawa has no extra requirements beyond the rest of Japan.
Can you drive in Okinawa as a tourist?
Only with an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, the kind issued in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, alongside your licence. Permits issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention, such as Brazil's, are not accepted, and rental companies will refuse the car.
This itinerary does not need one. Naha works on the Yui Rail monorail and on foot, Zamami is by boat, and the north is served by the Yanbaru Express bus plus local buses and taxis in Motobu. If you can drive, a car saves time in the north; if you would rather not deal with timetables, swap Day 4 and Day 6 for a one day bus tour from Naha covering Manzamo, Churaumi and Kouri.
What is the best time to visit Okinawa?
April and October to November. These months have sea warm enough to swim, less rain and a lower typhoon risk. In 2026 there is one more reason to go in November: the Seiden of Shuri Castle reopens inside on the 23rd.
Mid May to June is the rainy season. July and August are hot, 30 to 33 degrees with strong sun, and typhoons start, peaking in August and September and cancelling boats and flights for a day or two. January to March is too cold for swimming but is humpback whale season at Zamami.
How to get to Okinawa
Most long haul travellers fly into Tokyo or Osaka and connect on a domestic flight of about 2h30 to Naha; Japanese low cost carriers fly the route cheaply. There are also direct flights to Naha from Taipei, Seoul, Hong Kong and Shanghai, handy if you are combining Japan with another Asian country.
From Naha airport to the centre is 12 minutes on the Yui Rail. Get a rechargeable transit card for the monorail and buses, and carry cash for local buses in the north and for small fees like Zamami's and Manzamo's.
Where to eat in Okinawa: local dishes and what to order
Okinawan food is not the food of mainland Japan. There is more pork, more bitterness and Chinese and American influence, and it is the diet linked to the island's famous longevity. What to avoid: the brightly lit restaurants on Kokusai-dori with picture menus and tourist prices; walk two blocks inland.
Okinawa soba is not buckwheat soba: it is thick wheat noodles in a pork and katsuobushi broth, topped with braised pork belly or ribs in the soki soba version. Okinawan emigrants took it abroad, and in Campo Grande, Brazil, the dish became part of the city's official heritage.
Goya champuru is the home dish: bitter melon stir fried with firm tofu, egg and pork. Champuru means mixed, and there are many versions. The bitterness is the point, not a flaw.
Rafute is pork belly braised for hours in awamori, soy sauce and brown sugar until it falls apart. It was a dish of the Shuri court.
Umibudo, sea grapes, is a seaweed of tiny beads that pop in the mouth, served raw with vinegar sauce. Order it at Makishi Market, where it is fresh.
Taco rice is taco filling, seasoned mince, lettuce, tomato and cheese, over white rice. It was born in Okinawa in the 1980s near the US bases and is now an everyday dish.
For a snack, sata andagi, a round fried doughnut that cracks open as it cooks, crisp outside and dense inside, sold on almost every corner.
To drink, awamori, a spirit distilled from long grain Thai rice, at 25 to 43 percent, served with water and ice; and Orion, the island's beer.
Is 6 days enough for Okinawa?
It is enough for the main island and one of the Kerama islands without rushing, and without a car: Naha and Shuri Castle, a full day on the water at Zamami, the north with Churaumi, Nakijin and Kouri, and the ride back down the west coast. That is the honest limit when you rely on buses and boats.
What was left out and deserves more days: the south of the island, with Sefa-utaki, the most sacred site of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and the Peace Memorial Park on the Battle of Okinawa; Cape Maeda and the Blue Cave for snorkelling; the Yanbaru forest and Cape Hedo in the far north; and the Miyako and Ishigaki islands, an hour's flight from Naha.
For a first trip to Japan, Okinawa pairs well with the classic mainland route, and we have an 8 day itinerary through Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Osaka. Save this itinerary on Galmund to fit the days to your own calendar.
Estimated budget per person
Prices checked on 24 September 2026. Check current prices at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, horários e ingressos · Parque do Castelo de Shuri, tarifas (inclusive a de 23/11/2026) · Prefeitura de Zamami, barcos Queen Zamami e Ferry Zamami · Ocean Expo Park, tarifas · Embaixada do Japão no Brasil, isenção de visto · Polícia Nacional do Japão, habilitação estrangeira.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 6 day trip to Okinawa cost?+
Between 90,000 and 150,000 yen per person excluding international flights, counting a mid range hotel in a double room, food, transport and tickets. Transport adds up to 14,000 to 20,000 yen, the biggest item being the boat to Zamami at 7,510 yen return. Tickets come to 5,000 to 8,000 yen: Churaumi Aquarium costs 2,180, Nakijin Castle 1,000 and Shuri Castle 400, rising to 1,000 from 23 November 2026.
Can you see Okinawa without a car?+
Yes. In Naha everything works by monorail and on foot. Zamami is reached by boat from Tomari port. The north, with Churaumi Aquarium, Bise and Nakijin, is served by the Yanbaru Express bus, about 2h30 from Naha, plus local buses and taxis. Kouri and Manzamo have local buses and west coast bus lines, or you can join the one day bus tours that leave from Naha.
When does Shuri Castle reopen after the fire?+
The Seiden, the main hall destroyed by the 2019 fire, reopens inside on 23 November 2026. The rebuilt facade has been visible since 2025, and the castle park never closed: until the reopening, the visit shows craftspeople working on the reconstruction. The paid area costs 400 yen until 22 November 2026 and 1,000 yen from the 23rd.
How do you get from Naha to Zamami island?+
By boat from Tomari port in Naha. The Queen Zamami fast boat takes about 50 minutes and costs 3,950 yen one way or 7,510 return; the regular ferry takes about 2 hours and costs 2,900 one way. Book on the Zamami village site, because weekends sell out, and check that month's timetable, which changes. The island charges a 100 yen entry tax, and rough seas cancel sailings.
When is typhoon season in Okinawa?+
The season runs from July to October, peaking in August and September. A typhoon usually cancels boats and flights for a day or two, and hotels keep guests safe indoors. If you travel in those months, buy travel insurance that covers changes, keep the Zamami day in the middle of the trip and follow the Japan Meteorological Agency forecast. April and October to November carry less risk.
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