Transport in Okinawa
On this page you will find some basic "how to" information on the most common transport options in Okinawa.
By Foot
Many of sites around Naha are sometimes better visited on foot, this way you get to know the various parts of the town much quicker and experience more of the local life style.
Travelling by Monorail
The Monorail is a convenient and relative cheap way to get around within
Naha.
It will take you from the Airport to the centre of Naha (Kokusai Dori) all
the way to Shuri, with several stops close to sightseeing venues along the
way. It also stops at Asato about 50 meters to the
Refine and Imperial Apartments.
Purchasing a ticket is relative easy, however the ticket machine has
a Japanese display only.
To purchase a ticket:
- have a look at the stations listed above the ticket machines and remember the Kanji characters relating to your station (left picture)
- touch the equivalent character on the touch screen (centre picture)
- make sure that station displayed on the next screen is correct (right picture) and enter the requested amount, either coins or paper money and click the blue button. The machine will give to the correct change and the ticket.
One you have purchased a ticket, feed it through the ticket validation machine on entry and also at exit of the departure station. Therefore keep hold of the ticket until departure, the machine will then swallow it for good.
At every Monorail station you'll find a map of the local area surrounding
the station in Japanese and English, opposite the ticket validation entrance
. The maps are very easy to read, maybe take a picture if you have digital camera with you and store/view it on your laptop computer for future reference.
Travelling by Bus
If you need to travel to places away fro the Monorail it is best to catch
a bus. There are many different bus lines and routes, therefore it is not
always easy to figure out which one to take.
The best way to approach this is to check it out first by studying the
Brochures and Maps mentioned on the
Sightseeing Page, most sightseeing places
in these brochures have also the bus numbers listed to get there.
As a rule it may be better to walk to the Naha Bus Terminal (left picture)
and catch the appropriate bus from there until you are more familiar with
the bus routes. This may avoid having to wait at a bus station for an hour
before realizing it is the wrong one.
Once you arrive at the bus terminal you may not find anyone speaking English, so you may have to point to maps/brochures etc to demonstrate your desired destination. There is also a display board (econd picture below) that displays the various terminal locations where the buses depart, be aware that there about four different departure locations within the terminal complex. The third picture below shows one of the terminal areas for buses to Okinawa World and other South-East, South-West bound buses.
The picture to the left was taken from the entrance of the
Refine Apartments and shows the Asato bus
station and behind the Asato Monorail Station.
Purchasing a Bus Ticket
When getting on a bus:
- pull a ticket (centre picture below) from the green ticket machine (left picture below)
- now sit down and wait until you get to your destination, during that time you may check the Zone display (right picture below) to see what the current cost is, as the bus crosses another zone the price changes accordingly. During that time you can also get some change from the grey payment machine and prepare to have the correct bus fare ready when reaching the destination.
- Once you have reached the destination or shortly prior to, compare your ticket number (centre picture below) with the equivalent number on the Zone display above the ticket machine (right picture below), the amount below the Zone number (2 in the example) below is the price you have to pay. Just throw the ticket and correct amount into the gray payment collection machine (left picture below) and exit. If you are travelling with a partner it is advised that you pay separately to avoid confusion and possible having to pay again.
Travelling by Taxi
Taxis are not very expensive and a good option if you are more of you.
For example we (2 of us) travelled from Gibon Monorail Station to Nishihara
and it did not cost any more than travelling by bus, in addition we would
have never found the place we were looking for, we found this out when we
took the bus back and paid about 1100 Yen for the two of us. I would say
if you are more than 2 take a Taxi if you can't walk it.
Recommend also that you have the destination written down, preferable in
Japanese as not all Taxi driver speak English.
Car Hire
Car hire is a good way to go if you want to see more of Okinawa in particular the North-East like Nago, Cape Hedo, etc.
We hired a small car for the day to see most of Okinawa and it cost around
5000 Yen for the day including all insurances and zero excess.
Have to mention though, that it may be better to pay a bit extra for the
next model up to get additional legroom and slightly stronger engine.
To hire a car:
- You will require an international drives license.
- Be aware that they are driving on the left side of the road in Okinawa.
- Be aware that the speed limit is rarely higher than 40 to 50 km/hour even on the Highway.
- You may need assistance from an Japanese speaking person to arrange the vehicle and with the paperwork, which is all in Japanese just to be sure what you are signing. Refer to Visitors Support Services for more information.
- Make sure to return the car with a full tank and in time
The car will usually be delivered to your doorstep or as agreed. You can agree where to return the car to, if you are renting an Apartment usually in the basement close to apartments staff/security.