Visit Okinawa by car

In Okinawa, you can get around by bus, car or bicycle. A monorail takes you into the city center of the capital, Naha. But to get around the whole island, the car remains the best option.

What to choose when visiting Okinawa

To visit Naha and the city center, the Yui monorail is more than sufficient. A dozen kilometers long, it serves the city's main tourist sites from Naha airport. From its point of departure to the terminus, Shuri, the journey takes around 30 minutes. We strongly recommend taking the monorail if you're visiting Naha in summer, the island's peak tourist season. With no rail system, Okinawa's main island often suffers from traffic jams, and parking prices soar. Please note: 1 or 2-day tickets are available for the Yui monorail.

Exploring Okinawa

For those wishing to travel outside the capital, the car is the ideal means of transport: with no time constraints, it's very practical for group or family trips. Fast and economical, renting a car in Okinawa will enable you to explore places accessible only by road. For example, to reach Cape Hedo, in the very north of the island, the drive from Naha airport will take just 2h30.

On the roads of Okinawa

In Japan, as in England, you drive on the left. Getting to Nago in the north from Naha in the south takes around 2 hours on Highway 58, and one hour on the expressway. As Okinawa has no trains, traffic on the roads is all the heavier: be careful not to drive in the bus lanes, which can however be used by cabs and two-wheelers. You could be fined between 6,000 and 7,000 yen (€45-50). To avoid the crowds as much as possible, plan your stay outside national vacation periods such as Golden Week (late April-early May), Obon (mid-August) and autumn.

Driving in Japan

What to see around Okinawa

Okinawa's main tourist attractions are in the south and center of the island. Shuri Castle and the Peace Memorial are just a 30-minute drive from Naha airport. Numerous UNESCO-listed relics and the Mihama American Village are less than an hour's drive from Naha. Finally, two hours from the capital, enjoy Japan's largest aquarium, Churaumi.

Apart from the most visited sites, enjoy the road and, above all, the typical Okinawan landscape. Cape Manzamo, some 50 km from Naha, near the town of Onna, is known for its spectacular scenery and is a particularly popular spot for watching the sunset.

The sea road, Kaichu road

Starting from Uruma in the center of the island, Kaichu-doro or Kaichu road, is a 5-kilometer open-air road crossing four different islands: Henza, Hamahiga, Miyagi and Ikei. Head to the last of these islands for a seaside break on Ikei beach. Free access, about an hour's drive from Naha.

Okinawa from island to island

Continue your walk northwards over the Kouri bridge: one of the most popular spots on car tours around Okinawa, this footbridge leads to the islet of the same name. A trip around Kouri won't take long - around 15 minutes at most - andaccess is free. Journey time: approx. 2 h from Naha, 20 min from Churaumi Aquarium.

From Kouri, you'll pass byYagaji Island. Rather than return the same way, turn off towards Nakijin : you'll find yourself on another bridge, Warumio. This 315-meter-long bridge opened in 2010.

Follow Route 58 to the extreme north of the island, to Cape Hedo. From the coast, you'll have a breathtaking view of the waves of the Pacific Ocean and China Sea crashing against the cliffs. On a clear day, you can see the islands of Yoron and Okinoerabu. The cape is also part of the Okinawa Kaigan quasi-national park.

You can also rent a vehicle on the islands of Miyako and Ishigaki.

The main island of the Yaeyama archipelago, Ishigaki is covered in mountains and is best known for its coral reef. Kabira Bay has the clearest waters in Okinawa.

All you need to know about driving in Japan