kinawa has a bunch of beautiful natural sights and beaches and a growing collection of manmade attractions geared toward tourists. The island itself offers enough to keep you busy  without the need for fabricated sights to grab your money and more importantly – time.

Below are my humble opinion of the places to see or skip. Of course, depending on your trip length you might be able to see everything. But shorter trips it’s maybe better to prioritize. Guidebooks often talk-up some of the most boring places ever.

Naha – See

Okay, so it doesn’t fall into the ‘natural’ bucket it’s still a super fun to walk the streets, languish in a bar over some cocktails or wander in and out of the shops and cafes. The big hotels, swimming pools and the party atmosphere while not as intense as Tokyo or quirky as Tyokyo is still a lot of fun.

Street view in Naha

Manza Beach – Skip or See

A photogenic beach in front of the LARGE ANA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort – one of the highest-end hotels in Okinawa. Although visitors can use the 300-meter beach freely and it supposedly has soft white and clear water, water sports rentals, etc.. you can’t overlook that there’s a big white hotel looming behind you… You can see it from the Cape Manza cliffs.

The view over to ANA Intercontinental

Emerald Beach – See

It is a man-made beach next to the Ocean Expo park where the Churaumi Aquarium is also housed. It’s got a large sandy beach and supposedly emerald green waters. The day I was there (during a typhoon) the water was a mixture of storm-cloud gray, oil-black and barf-green and (besides the weather) the beach just seemed somehow fabricated.

I only took a quick look at Emerald before running from the rain

Kouri Beach – See

Kouri Island is accessible from the long scenic Kouri bridge. It’s a bit remote at the northern tip of the island but the fave beach I visited, a hike down a rocky and unstable path leads you to a split beach with a few caves (or overhangs really), the ‘Heart Rocks’ a scenic rock formation of two heart-shaped rocks close to the shore and some bike rental companies, vending machines and of course a fantastic ice-cream seller. Snorkeling may be allowed, but the stormy day we went nothing much was on offer and the seas were very rough.

Coral on the beach

Umbrellas, not snorkels..

Cape Manza – See

On the west side of the island and looking out to the China sea is a limestone cliff with an elephant trunk formation that makes for some amazing photos. Only 20 meters high, it feels lots taller. Set in a lush green field with tall grasses and rare plants only found on Okinawa – this is the one sight not to miss.

Beautiful cliffs – don’t miss!

If I’m visiting a city, sure I love to visit the man-made attractions – museums, aquariums, even zoos. But when you’re out on an island in the middle of China Sea it just seems weird to hop from one tourist attraction to the next when there are so many beaches and Capes to visit.

Okinawa World – Skip

A theme park that also encompasses the Gyokusendo Cave. The cave appears to be the most interesting part with a chamber that’s nearly 900 meters and full of stalagmites and stalactites. But a theme park selling souvenirs and snake liquor? Hrm. Suspect.

Shuri Castle – Skip

This is one of the primary tourist attractions in Naha City and was the home of the Ryukyu Kingdom rulers back in the 14th century. However the castle is not original. It was destroyed several times and ‘restored’ in 1992. Somehow knowing it’s only a couple of decades-old somehow zaps away some of the magic.

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium – Skip

If you’ve never been to an aquarium, or just love them – then this is a huge one with a tank that measures over 7,000 cubic meters. It’s home to rays, turtles, sharks, and other marine life. If your trip doesn’t include snorkeling or diving – this might be a good stop Maybe you can even strap on some snorkel gear and fake some photos!. But having been to several aquariums in Europe I gave this a miss in favor of going to see some beaches.

American Village – Skip

A former US base turned into a bad theme park and filled with Americana and overpriced stores. This place is sprawling popcorn bucket full shops, a movie theatre, a Ferris wheel, and karaoke rentals. It’s just an outdoor mall that was confusing and offering goods that are expensive but underwhelming. At night there are bars and restaurants but they close pretty early and with Japan’s strict drinking laws unless you’re staying relatively close…

Manmade beaches – Skip or See

Bibi Beach Itoman, and Toyosaki Chura Sun Beach opened in 2006 and 2010 are manmade beaches that offer BBQ and cooking equipment (and the food to cook on them), also the same bevy of watersport rentals and you would expect in touristy beaches. For me – I’d rather explore and find beaches further afoot surrounded by jungles and with rock and coral formations.

Naga Pineapple Park – Skip unless you have children or a fetish for pineapples

While Pineapples have been cultivated in Okinawa for over a century the introduction of lower-priced pineapples from overseas has turned this farm into a tourist attraction. It’s a small theme park full of Pineapple mascots and all-things-pineapple as a promotion effort. And this park IS heavily promoted on the island as a must-see. I’m pretty happy skipping this and just looking at a few pineapples in the grocery store. 😉

A few beaches I didn’t get to step foot on, missed altogether, or just looked out from my rainy rental car window because of the typhoon:

Sesoko Beach

Located on a remote small island but still accessible by a bridge. The clear water beach is popular for snorkeling and sunsets. You’ll have to do your homework to see if snorkeling gear is for rent or if you need to bring your own

Zanpa Beach

Located at the Cape Zanpa Lighthouse – a scenic landmark I sadly missed. This popular beach offers white sand, clear water and is surrounded by a large coral reef. Supposedly various beach rentals and facilities are available on this beach.

Mibaru Beach

Is one of the least touristed beaches, surrounded by natural growth and supposedly amazing rock formations. This beach is also surrounded by coral reefs and there’s a glass-bottom boat that offers views of the coral.

Miyako-Jima

For longer stays – this island gets a lot of visitors due to having some of the most beautiful beaches. If you want to get away from it all and just languish in a small island paradise and sunbathe this appears to be the place. It also offers snorkeling, diving, kayaking and water sports.

Iriomote

If you’re into hiking and visiting remote jungles this island has a thick interior jungle you can visit by join hiking tours, also you can kayak around the island. This island isn’t experiencing beach life, instead, it’s for getting a glimpse of Okinawa’s rural life and going jungle hiking.

Whale watching

I visited in September but if you’re here from January to March the seas around Okinawa are known for its Humpback whales that swim of the southern coast that have migrated from Alaska to Japan. You can book whale watching tours that allow you to get up close and personal with these amazing mammals.

Cape Hedo

Finally, on my list of places to see (that I didn’t get the opportunity to) – visit the northernmost point of the island to visit this rugged cape that has huge rock formations and fantastic views of the China Sea to the west and Pacific ocean to the East. It’s a step back in time and free of the modern energy of the mainland.

I was so much more enamored with the natural sights of the island than the man-made ones. I wish more islands would keep their natural state.