NAHA Marathon 2026 (Dec 6): Watching, Road Closures and Getting Around

Race day: Sunday, December 6, 2026
Entries: closed (no waitlist)
2026 road closures: not announced yet
Best time: December (mild, typhoons very rare)

Stand on Kokusai-dori (国際通り), Naha's main shopping street, on the morning of Sunday, December 6, 2026, and the 40th NAHA Marathon comes up the street toward you. The field has room for up to 30,000 runners, and here they are only a few kilometers into a full marathon that runs south through five towns and cities to the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, then turns back to finish inside the athletics stadium at Onoyama Park.

This guide is for travelers who will be in town that weekend and for friends and family coming to cheer. It covers what the organizers have confirmed, what is still to come (above all the 2026 road closures), where to watch and how to get around.

Best for

Friends and family cheering for a runner
Travelers in Naha on December 5–6, 2026
Anyone flying out of Naha on race day

40thRace in 2026. It has run since 1985
30,000Maximum number of runners
42.195 kmFull marathon on a course certified by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations
6 h 15 minTime limit, from the 9:00 start to the 15:15 finish cutoff

As of October 2026, NAHA Marathon official site

The race weekend

Race weekend, December 5–6, 2026

Sat, Dec 5, 10:00–20:00Runner check-in at the Okinawa Prefectural Budokan (県立武道館), Arena building.
Sat, Dec 5, 13:30Opening ceremony on the stage in the same building.
Sun, Dec 6, 9:00Start at Onoyama Park (奥武山公園) in Naha.
Sun, Dec 6, 15:15Finish closes inside the park's athletics stadium.

As of October 2026, official site (race outline)

Check-in is for registered runners. We could not confirm on the official site whether the check-in area is open to non-runners, so treat that as unconfirmed.

Entries are closed. Registration ended on July 11, 2026, and the organizers say there is no waitlist, no extension and no transfer of race numbers. If you want to run, aim for a future year.

What the NAHA Marathon is

The race has run since 1985, and the organizers call it a festival of "sun, sea and joggers." They name the route the Peace Memorial Park course, because the halfway point is inside the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park in Itoman.

The course passes through five towns and cities, in this order:

Naha: the first few kilometers run right through the center, including Kokusai-dori.
Haebaru and Yaese: the course heads south.
Itoman: the halfway point at Peace Memorial Park, then the turn back.
Tomigusuku: on the way back to the finish in Naha.

It is a big local event, not just a race. People line the roads in many neighborhoods to cheer, and the whole of southern Okinawa feels it that day.

Cutoff points

The official course page lists two cutoff points, and runners who don't reach them in time must stop. The page doesn't say which year these times are for, so treat them as a guide until the 2026 details come out.

Cutoff points (year not stated on the official page)

12:151st cutoff: inside Peace Memorial Park, at 21.3 km.
14:102nd cutoff: Naha Nursing School (那覇看護専門学校), at 34.3 km.
15:15Finish: Onoyama athletics stadium, 42.195 km.

As of October 2026, official site (course page)

The same page lists "retire buses" that pick up runners who drop out and take them back to Onoyama Park. They can be slow when the roads are busy.

Road closures: what we know

The 2026 road closures have not been announced yet (as of October 2026). The official course page says the details for the 40th race will be posted later on the news page. The race is in early December, so the details usually appear closer to race day. We will add them here when they are published.

Last year's closures (for a rough idea only)

To help you picture the day, here is the full list of closure sections (A to J) from last year's race (the 39th, on December 7, 2025), as shown on the official course page. This is 2025 information, not 2026. These were planned times, and each section reopened after the last runner passed. Overall, roads along the course were closed from around 8:15 to around 15:15, depending on the section.

A — Route 58, from Onoyama Park to the Kumoji intersection (the start): 8:15 to about 10:00.
B — Kumoji → Kokusai-dori → Makishi monorail station → Himeyuri-dori → Kohagura: 8:30 to about 10:45.
C — Kohagura → Madanbashi → the Naha East Bypass (Route 329) → the Nakaima intersection: 8:45 to about 11:15.
D — Nakaima → Tsukazan in Haebaru → Haebaru-minami IC → Kochinda in Yaese → the Gushikami intersection: 9:00 to about 12:05.
E — Gushikami → Peace Memorial Park (the first cutoff point): 9:15 to about 12:15.
F — Peace Memorial Park → Himeyuri Tower → Ryukyu Glass Village → Itoman Rotary: 9:30 to about 13:45.
G — Itoman Rotary → Naha Nursing School (the second cutoff point): 10:00 to 14:10.
H and I — the Aharen intersection → Naha Nursing School → the Oroku Bypass → the Akamine intersection: 10:00 to about 15:15. This is the stretch closest to the airport roads. Last year, cars could not turn from the Nakachi intersection onto the Oroku Bypass, and one lane of the bypass was closed.
J — the last stretch, from the Akamine intersection past AEON Naha to Onoyama Park: 10:30 to about 15:15.

(All 2025 race times, as of October 2026, official site.)

The official page also lists more detail for some sections (which lanes close, which crossings are blocked). Check it before you drive: https://naha-marathon.jp/course

Last year, the organizers also set up detours for reaching Naha Airport while the course roads were closed. They published them as PDF maps in Japanese, English and traditional Chinese, plus a Google My Maps version, all linked from the course page. Last year's page also said a multilingual call center for traffic questions would open two days before the race. Look for the 2026 versions on the same page.

Getting around on race day

Race day: getting around

Flying out on December 6? The course runs close to the roads people use to get to the airport, especially near the end, in Naha's Oroku area. Until the 2026 details are out, plan to take the Yui Rail monorail to the airport rather than a taxi or rental car, and leave extra time. The monorail runs on its own track above the street, so road closures don't block it.
Don't drive to Onoyama Park. The organizers say the park's parking is for runners only and will be very crowded. They ask everyone else to come by bus, taxi or monorail, and not to park along the course.
Returning a rental car on race day? Ask your rental company how the road closures affect its return office, or return the car on Saturday, December 5.
Leave the rental car parked for the morning. The course covers much of the south of the island, so a "quick drive" to a beach or a sight in the south can get stuck behind a closure.

Yui Rail (monorail): the easiest way to move around Naha that day. Onoyama-koen Station and Tsubogawa Station are each about a minute's walk from the start and finish, according to the race organizers. Yui Rail had not posted any notice about December 6, 2026 on its site when we checked (as of October 2026). Check the Yui Rail notices page in the weeks before the race.
Buses: last year the organizers published a version of the closure flyer that included road-bus information. The 2026 bus changes are not announced yet (as of October 2026). Check the race site and your bus operator before you go.

Where to watch

The organizers don't list official spectator areas. These ideas come from the official course map. The times are last year's closure times, so they are only a rough guide to when runners pass.

Kokusai-dori and around Makishi Station (early): the course goes up Kokusai-dori and past the Makishi monorail station in the first few kilometers, and it's easy to reach by monorail. Last year this section was closed from 8:30 to about 10:45, so the runners pass in the morning.
Near the finish (afternoon): the last kilometers run past AEON Naha and into Onoyama Park, with Onoyama-koen Station right there. Last year this section was closed from 10:30 to about 15:15, so you can watch finishers through the early afternoon.
The south (for the committed): the halfway point is in Peace Memorial Park, and the course also passes Himeyuri Tower. Getting there that day is hard, because many of the roads you'd use are part of the course. We don't recommend it for visitors.

(2025 race times, as of October 2026, official site.)

Where to stay

If you're cheering for a runner, a hotel near a Yui Rail station in Naha is the easiest choice. You can walk to the monorail and reach both Kokusai-dori and Onoyama Park without a car. With room for up to 30,000 runners, expect a busy weekend in Naha and book early.

When to go: December weather

December is one of the calmest months in Okinawa. In Naha it averages 19.0°C (66°F), with highs around 21.5°C (71°F) and lows around 16.8°C (62°F). Average rainfall is 110 mm for the month. Typhoons very rarely approach Okinawa in December (Japan Meteorological Agency average for the month: 0.0, 1991–2020). Expect pleasant marathon weather, but bring a light layer for the morning and a rain jacket just in case.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg high	68°20°C	68°20°C	71°22°C	76°24°C	81°27°C	86°30°C	89°32°C	89°32°C	87°31°C	83°28°C	77°25°C	71°22°C
Avg low	59°15°C	59°15°C	62°17°C	66°19°C	72°22°C	77°25°C	81°27°C	80°27°C	78°26°C	74°24°C	69°20°C	62°17°C
Rain	4.0"102mm	4.5"114mm	5.6"143mm	6.3"161mm	9.7"245mm	11.2"284mm	7.4"188mm	9.4"240mm	10.8"275mm	7.1"179mm	4.7"119mm	4.3"110mm
Typhoons	–	–	–	–	0.4	0.6	1.5	2.2	1.9	1.1	0.3	–
Rainy season					●	●
Box jellyfish						●	●	●	●
Golden Kings	●	●	●	●	●					●	●	●

Typhoons: about 7.7 a year come near Okinawa, most in August and September. Flights and ferries can stop for a day or two — keep your plans flexible in late summer.
Rainy season: around May 10 to around June 21 in a typical year.
Swimming: Swim at managed beaches during their swimming season, when lifeguards keep watch and nets are set against box jellyfish. Many beaches have neither. Check the beach's official page before you go.
Box jellyfish: advisory June 1 – September 30 (2026); most stings in July and August; swim inside the nets and cover your legs.
Basketball: B.LEAGUE season runs fall to spring, with playoffs in May.
The nonstop: United's SFO–Naha nonstop starts March 27, 2027, three times a week. Some reports say it is seasonal; that is not confirmed yet.

Climate: Japan Meteorological Agency, Naha climate normals 1991–2020. Typhoons: JMA normals. Jellyfish: Okinawa Prefecture, box jellyfish advisory. Checked 2026-10-10.

Official info

We don't show the race's photos here. For pictures and the latest news, go straight to the organizers. The X and Instagram accounts below are the ones linked from the official race website.

NAHA Marathon official site (Japanese): https://naha-marathon.jp/
Course guide and traffic control (Japanese; 2026 details to come): https://naha-marathon.jp/course
News page (where 2026 road closures will be posted): https://naha-marathon.jp/news
NAHA Marathon on X: https://x.com/NAHAM_OFFICIAL
NAHA Marathon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/official_naha_marathon/
Yui Rail (monorail) official site: https://www.yui-rail.co.jp/

We could not find an official NAHA Marathon YouTube channel linked from the race site, so we haven't listed one.

We'll update this guide when the 2026 road closures, bus changes and monorail notices are published. If you're planning the rest of your trip, start with Okinawa 101.