hln

I have been wanting to visit okinawa in my next trip to japan but i am concerned exactly about how to plan the trip and select and choose the right beaches etc...
some areas i have been told feel very "constructed"-
what is the best -naturally speaking- area ?

evergrn

You first must ask yourself if you just want to visit the main island, or if you want to venture out to other far-off islands such as Miyakojima or Ishigakijima.

If you just stick to the main island, you still have many great beach options, I think. Mind you I'm not an Okinawa expert and I've only been there once.
I went to Sesoko Beach and loved it. The sand is nice, it's equipped with all the facilities you want, you can rent a parasol for 1000yen I think, water is clear, and there's all kinds of tropical fish swimming in the water. Therefore you can snorkel but, if you just have swim goggles, you could just hold your breath and go diving and check out all the fish. Go at your own risk, though, because I got bitten many times by this super annoying blue/yellow fish that like to bite people. My foot was actually bled from it, but that didn't ruin my visit.
Another beach I wanted to go to was Emerald Beach, but we didn't make it.
You pass by many beaches as you drive along the western coast from Naha up towards Sesoko Island. I stopped by a couple of them, and they were very nice.
The best beaches and snorkeling are supposed to be in Kerama islands, and there are tours and ferries that go there from Naha. I signed up for a tour, but then the tour operator decided at the last minute that it was too windy that day to go to Kerama islands, which was a major bummer.
I did my research just by looking at this Okinawa travel magazine (in Japanese). I just made a list of beaches that looked nice on photo and have showers and most importantly jellyfish nets.

Although not necessarily imperative, I think it'd be nice to have water shoes for the beaches since there're many dead coral pieces and shells and also the aforementioned fish that like to bite.

hln

Oh my! i have small children and this sounds like a nightmare ! biting fish, and scary jellyfish.
i may have to change destination.
thank you !

kaka

or dont go to the beaches, okinawa (as a prefecture) has a lot more to see than beaches.

evergrn

Don't let this talk you out of enjoying the beaches in Okinawa!
As long as there's jellyfish nets, you should be fine with jellyfish (the beaches I went to had the nets rolled up, but I presume that's because there were no jellyfish in the ocean during that time period or something). Tons of jellyfish in South of France, yet people flock to the beaches there. I went to the beach in south of France just about everyday the entire summer and think I only got bitten once.
As far as the biting fish, I think you'll be fine as long as your kids stay in the shallow water near the sands. Also, I was the only one in my family who got bitten. I don't know why. Every time I went swimming, I got bitten. But my kids spent hours in the water and they didn't get bitten once. Maybe it's because I thrashed around as I swam.

Honestly I wouldn't worry about it. You've gotta go to the beach when in Okinawa.

hln

ahah thank you. Well, it may happen. We are deciding to go , if november or december. and it may be too cool in december i have heard.
thanks for the tips though !

evergrn

I would think that the water would be too cold to enjoy in Nov or Dec.

kapooncha

Great thread and just what I was looking for. Planning on 4 or 5 nights in Okinawa in early April 2019. With that amount of time in mind, anyone have a good suggestion for itinerary and where it would be best to base for the 5 nights? Someone suggested first night Naha, 2nd and 3rd nights in Nago, last 2 nights in Naha.

evergrn

It kind of depends on what you're looking for.
I'm not sure if you're a beach person like me. I'm all about the beach and watersports and relaxation. So if it were up to me, I would've spent 80% of my time up around Onna or further up by Nago. Most of the best beaches on the main island seem to be up in that area and on/near the peninsula where the aquarium is. However, I was there in July. You're going in April, which seems to be just on the cusp of entering beach-appropriate temperature.

The reason I spent half the time in Naha and the other half up north is that my outbound flight arrived late at night (many Naha hotels are accessible by the monorail from OKA) and that hotels are a lot cheaper in Naha than those resort hotels up north. I found Kokusai-dori interesting to hang out at. Other than that, nothing else interested me all that much in Naha. But you might be different.

One other possibility is to look to go do your beach outings and diving/snorkel tours in Zamami Island, in which case you might consider just spending all your nights in Naha. You can do day trips to Zamami Island on ferries, and most diving tours in Zamami Isles depart from Naha. You could do day trips from Naha to Kouri Island, Sesoko Island, aquarium, etc... but then be prepared for long drives. It looks like a small island, but it actually takes a long time to drive through the island.

This is coming from someone who's mostly into beaches and resorts and outdoors and not much into history/museum/old things.

kapooncha

Well I am a beach person but don't think you think 2nd week of April is a bit early for beaches?

evergrn

Well that's sort of what I said.
I've read that April is around the time when some people start heading to the beaches and the water starts getting warm enough to swim in. However, it seems like it's an early shoulder season and June/July-Sept is still the most ideal for the beaches temp-wise.

If you're not doing the beach, there must be others who're better-equipped to help you here!
But some popular attractions include:
Kokusai-dori street in Naha (fun place to stroll, buy trinkets and sweets)
Shuri castle in Naha (I went... not my thing)
Aquarium and the nearby park (did not go)
Okinawa World (cave was interesting, but everything else underwhelming)
Ryukyu-mura (did not go)
American Village (by saying I liked it here but not Shuri castle, I may lose all credibility)
Katsuren Castle (did not go)
Hamahiga Island (supposed to be a nice drive via a long bridge, some spiritual spots, etc.. did not go, too far out of the way)

The drive along the coast up past Onna towards Kouri and Sesoko Islands was really scenic on a sunny day.
Since you'll be in wetsuits, diving/snorkeling may very well be feasible in April.

I think, based on the distribution of these attractions, the plan to split your stays between Naha and Nago/Onna area is a good one.

kapooncha

Thanks. I like your suggestion of doing a day snorkeling tour to Zamami island from Naha. Sounds very good.

freecia

Lol. I'm guessing beach time won out over the Aeon Rycom?

Hyatt Seragaki just opened up near Onna https://goo.gl/maps/gsXhGY9MGiM2 A little surprised the review mentioned a 500 JPY per hour /2000 JPY max parking fee but it seems they were a day visitor. Not sure if that will also be the case for overnight guests. My upcoming Hyatt Seragaki reservation already separately lists a service fee (Additional Tax, Fees & Service Charges: SERVICE CHARGE: 10.00% SALES TAX: 8.00% TAX ON SVC CHRG: 0.80%) It seems a little resort-fee excessive to charge for parking on top of all of that.

evergrn

hehe... but if I ever go to Okinawa in January when beaches are shut down, you know where to find me.

evergrn

I'm sure Hyatt will be amazing!

(Parking was free at Hilton Chatan btw.)