7 Days in Okinawa: Main Island Plus One Outer Island

Two ways to spend a week

• Main island only. Two nights in Naha, the capital, then a rental car for the central coast and the north. The slower plan, with fewer bookings.
• Main island plus a Kerama day trip. The same island, with one day on a small island by boat from Naha and one spare day kept free in case the boats don't run.

Ishigaki and Miyako, the bigger outer islands farther south, need their own flights and are a different kind of trip. We'll cover them in separate guides. The Kerama Islands are the ones you can reach by boat from Naha and be back from by evening. Our Kerama Islands guide has the full details on the boats.

Both plans start without a car. In Naha you won't need one, and the monorail runs from the airport into town.

Days 1–2: Naha and Shuri

Tickets. The monorail's QR passes cost ¥1,000 for 24 hours and ¥1,800 for 48 hours, counted from the moment you buy them, not by calendar day (as of October 2026, official site). That's about $6.30 and $11.40.

Shuri Castle. The rebuilt main hall, the Seiden, opens to the public on November 23, 2026. Entry to the hall is by a timed slot booked through Webket, linked from the park's ticket guide. The park suggests booking a slot 40–50 minutes after you expect to reach Shuri Station, and allowing about 90–120 minutes for the visit (as of October 2026, official site). If slots are left, same-day tickets are sold online until 15 minutes before the slot, or at the Kofukumon ticket window (as of November 2026, official site). Hours and prices are in our Shuri Castle guide.

Day 3: a day on the Kerama Islands

The boats leave from Tomari Port in Naha. Tickets are sold inside the port's terminal building, Tomarin. Each island has a high-speed boat (faster, passengers only) and a slower, cheaper ferry.

How long you get on the island. Tokashiki's high-speed boat leaves Naha at 9:00 and arrives at 9:40. On the summer timetable (March 1 to September 30) the last boat back leaves the island at 17:30; on the winter timetable (October 1 to the end of February) it leaves at 17:00. On the ferry, which arrives at 11:10, you'd leave again at 16:00 in summer or 15:30 in winter (all as of October 2026, official site). The high-speed boat gives you the longer day.

Zamami in fall 2026. The Queen Zamami is out of service for dock maintenance from October 20 to December 3, 2026. Until then only the Ferry Zamami runs (as of November 2026, official site). The village hasn't posted a spring 2027 timetable yet, so the Queen Zamami's spring times are unconfirmed — check the Zamami Village timetable (Japanese) for your date.

Getting to the port. Both villages point you to the monorail and a short walk. The high-speed boats leave from the port's North Bank, not from in front of Tomarin, so allow time for the walk:

about 12 minin all

¥250fare

Notransfers

1. StartMakishi Station

   Makishi Station is at the east end of Kokusai-dori. From the west end, board at Prefectural Office (Kenchomae) Station instead: also 250 yen, about 1 minute to Miebashi.

2. MonorailYui Railabout 2 min¥250
3. Walkabout 10 min
   More about this ride

   Ferries leave from in front of Tomarin, but the high-speed boats (Marine Liner Tokashiki and Queen Zamami) leave from the North Bank (Hokugan) of the port, about 15 minutes' walk from the station according to Zamami Village. Marine Liner Tokashiki tickets are sold at counter 4 on Tomarin's 1st floor from 8:00 and at a booth by the boat on the North Bank from 1 hour before departure (as of October 2026, official site). Allow time for the walk between the two. By taxi, Tokashiki Village says to go straight to the North Bank if you are taking the Marine Liner.

4. Get offTomarin (Tomari Port terminal building)

For reference only. Travel times depend on traffic, and routes and fares change. Check the operator's official site before you go (as of October 2026, official sites).

Cash. Tokashiki Village says there is no ATM near Aharen Beach. The post office on the island has one, closed on Sundays and holidays, and the Lawson store at Tomari Port has an ATM (as of October 2026, official site). Bring yen.

Day 4: the spare day

This is the day that makes the island trip safe to plan. If the Day 3 boats were cancelled, rebook for Day 4. If you went, use it for an easy day in Naha:

• Naminoue Beach, Naha's city beach. Swimming runs from April to October, 9:00 to 18:00, with lifeguards on duty (as of October 2026, official site).
• Kokusai-dori and the market, if you only saw them by night.
• Sleep. The second half of the week has the long drives.

Days 5–6: the central coast and the north

The aquarium has no scheduled closing days through March 31, 2027, but it can close for typhoons. Parking at Ocean Expo Park, around the aquarium, is free (all as of October 2026, official site). For admission, the order of the afternoon stops and the buses, see our Churaumi and Motobu guide. Our Cape Manzamo guide covers the cliff stop on the Onna coast.

Before you drive. Japan drives on the left, and a US license alone isn't enough. Japan's National Police Agency accepts only International Driving Permits issued under the Geneva Convention, and only the paper original, not a copy on your phone. Get one in the US before you fly. Our driving guide has the rest.

Day 7: back to Naha and the flight home

Spend the last night in Naha or Chatan if you can, so the final day starts close to the airport. Return the car with time to spare: your contract gives the return office and time, and an office outside the airport means a shuttle ride too. Then check in for your flight.

The flight days. United has announced San Francisco–Okinawa from March 27, 2027, three times a week on a Boeing 777-200ER, and says all new routes are subject to government approval. Its announcement doesn't give the days of the week (as of November 2026, official site). Aviation Wire, a Japanese aviation news site, reported departures from SFO on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with returns from Naha on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays; United hasn't confirmed that, so treat it as a maybe. If the reported days hold, a trip that lands and leaves on the same weekday gives you eight days, not seven. Use the extra one as a second spare day. Our SFO–Naha flight guide is updated every month.

Where to stay each night

Every move costs you a packing session and part of a day. Here is what each choice means in practice for the Kerama plan:

The two-hour figure is the aquarium's own estimate from Naha Airport via the expressway (as of October 2026, official site), before traffic or stops. Our plan uses the third column. Our where to stay guide compares Naha, Chatan, Onna and Motobu.

What to book first

Zamami takes no same-day bookings. Tokashiki also sells tickets on the day, from 8:00 at its window in Tomarin, and asks you to buy at least 30 minutes before departure (as of October 2026, official site). After the boat, book the rental car and your hotels as soon as your dates are set; that order is our advice, not a rule.

When to go

A week has room for one bad-weather day, not three. Japan's weather agency puts Naha's average high at about 24°C (76°F) in April, 28°C (83°F) in October and 25°C (77°F) in November.

• Typhoons: about 7.7 come near Okinawa in an average year, most often in August (2.2) and September (1.9). These are the months the Kerama boats are most likely to stop.
• Rainy season: usually from around May 10 to around June 21.
• Box jellyfish: Okinawa Prefecture's advisory runs from June 1 to September 30. Swim at managed beaches with lifeguards, inside the nets.
• The flight: United's nonstop starts March 27, 2027. United hasn't said whether the route is year-round or seasonal.

Weather backup days

• Keep the island day early. With the boat on Day 3 and a free Day 4, a cancelled sailing costs you one day, not the island.
• Check on the morning. Tokashiki decides at 8:00 on the day and posts it on its ferry portal. Its high-speed boat may be cancelled at waves of 3 meters or more, its ferry at 4 meters, and cancelled sailings are refunded (as of October 2026, official site). For Zamami, check the village's operation page or call 098-987-2614.
• Swap indoor and outdoor days. The aquarium is indoors, so the north day works in rain, short of a typhoon. Move the beach and the walk up to Shuri to the driest day.
• In a typhoon, follow the Japan Meteorological Agency's warnings and your airline. We don't forecast storms.

Official info

• Tokashiki Village — information for visitors (English)
• Tokashiki Ferry Portal — booking and operation status (Japanese)
• Zamami Village — operation information and timetable (Japanese)
• Shurijo Castle Park — ticket guide
• Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium — hours

Shorter trip? See our 3-day and 5-day itineraries. New to the island? Start with Okinawa 101.