Okinawa Main Island: Churaumi Aquarium, Naha (Okinawa) and Getting Around

Most trips to Okinawa start in Naha (Okinawa), the capital, near the airport at the south end of the main island. The best-known sight, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, is far up the coast in Motobu (Okinawa), so the trip there takes planning. This guide sets out what the aquarium, the bus companies, the monorail and the hotels say on their official pages: tickets and hours, how to get there from the capital, its main shopping street, getting around, and two hotels in the city. The photos on this page were taken by the site owner.

This page may contain affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The main island at a glance

The airport, the center of Naha (Okinawa) and the monorail are all in the south. The aquarium is in Ocean Expo Park, at 424 Ishikawa, Motobu (Okinawa), on a peninsula in the north. Between them, the expressway runs up the middle of the island toward Nago (Okinawa).

Many visitors rent a car for the north, but the island also has express buses to the aquarium and a monorail around Naha (Okinawa). Both are covered below.

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: hours and tickets

The aquarium's best-known sight is the huge Kuroshio Sea tank, home to whale sharks and manta rays. Here is what its official pages say about a visit:

• Hours: 8:30 to 18:30, last entry 17:30. The aquarium also opens on New Year's holidays, with the same hours planned.
• Buying tickets: at the ticket desk on the day, or online through the aquarium's web ticket page on asoview, linked from its official site.
• Paying at the ticket desk: credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club and UnionPay) and transport IC cards such as Suica are accepted.
• Re-entry: allowed on the same day only; show your ticket at the entrance.
• Coin lockers: on the left after the entrance (Coral Lobby), from 300 to 1,000 yen depending on size, paid by cashless payment.
• Free audio guide: the aquarium offers commentary on each tank that you can listen to on your own smartphone.

Holders of a Japanese disability certificate, and one caregiver, enter free on showing it at the ticket desk. If you hold a card from another country, ask at the ticket desk whether it is accepted.

Getting to the aquarium

The aquarium's access page lists these options from Naha Airport:

• Okinawa Airport Shuttle: boards at Naha Airport and at Kencho-Kitaguchi in Naha (Okinawa). You can pay at the stop, but the company recommends booking online, because buses can be very busy and you can board without a booking only if seats are left. On board, you pay by credit card, electronic money, QR code or cash (yen). Children (age 6 to the end of elementary school) pay half the adult fare.
• Yanbaru Express Bus: no reservations. You can pay with IC cards such as Suica, PASMO and ICOCA (but not Okinawa's own OKICA card), or by tapping a contactless credit card.
• Route buses 111 and 117: leave from bus stop 2 at Naha Airport. The aquarium page also lists Nago Bus Terminal as a stop for buses on these two routes bound for the aquarium.
• By car: the aquarium says all parking at Ocean Expo Park is free, and asks drivers to use the Central Gate car parks (P3 and P5).

Buses stop at Kinen-koen-mae, and the aquarium notes that the walk from the stop to the entrance takes about 10 minutes. Driving? Read our guide to driving a rental car in Okinawa first: Japan drives on the left, and some lanes around Naha (Okinawa) turn bus-only at rush hour.

Kokusai-dori and the market in Naha (Okinawa)

Japan's official tourism site describes Kokusai-dori (the name means "International Street") as a street that stretches 1.6 kilometers through the center of Naha (Okinawa), with many shops open until 11 p.m. From the airport, take the monorail to Kencho-mae Station for one end of the street; for the other end, get off at Makishi Station. The street is closed to cars on Sunday afternoons, which our rental car guide explains for drivers.

Just off the street is the Daiichi Makishi Public Market, where you can buy fresh fish or meat on the 1st floor and have it cooked upstairs. We describe how that works, and local dishes such as Okinawa soba, on our Okinawa destination page.

Getting around: Yui Rail, buses and rental cars

The Yui Rail monorail runs from Naha Airport Station to Tedako-Uranishi Station, with 19 stations. According to Yui Rail:

• IC cards: Suica and other nationwide cards (such as PASMO and ICOCA) can be used. You can top them up at ticket windows and some ticket machines, but you can't buy or refund a Suica at Yui Rail.
• Day passes: a 1-day pass (1,000 yen, children 500 yen) is valid for 24 hours from purchase, and a 2-day pass (1,800 yen, children 900 yen) for 48 hours. Both are sold at every station; Yui Rail suggests buying them just before you ride.

The monorail covers only Naha (Okinawa) and the area around it. For the north and the beaches, you'll use express buses or a rental car. If you drive, check first that your license is valid in Japan; our rental car guide covers that and the local rules. For the sea itself, see Okinawa's sea safety guide.

Where to eat: Okinawa soba in Onna (Okinawa)

Okinawa soba is made with thick wheat noodles, not buckwheat. On the west coast, between Naha (Okinawa) and the aquarium, Nakamura Soba (its full name is "Jikasei-men Okinawa Soba Senmonten Nakamura Soba", or "homemade-noodle Okinawa soba shop") is at 1669-1 Seragaki, Onna (Okinawa). The travel guide Rurubu describes its best-known bowl, asa soba: the noodles are made in the shop without preservatives, with asa (sea lettuce, a local seaweed) kneaded into them, and the fish cake on top has asa in it too.

Travel guides list different opening hours and closing days for the shop (for example, from 10:30 to 16:00 or to 17:00, and closed on Thursdays or open every day), so call before you go: 098-966-8005 (from abroad +81-98-966-8005).

My visit

Asa soba at Nakamura Soba is delicious: the asa is kneaded right into the noodles, and the broth is light.

One dinner from my April 2024 trip, at a restaurant in Onna (Okinawa), was Agu pork shabu-shabu (Agu is a native Okinawan breed of pig). When I went, getting that much food for under 6,000 yen felt like a bargain. The shabu-shabu was cooked in a first bonito broth (ichiban dashi, the first, most fragrant stock), so it didn't need a dipping sauce, and the fat on the Agu pork was sweet. There was sashimi too: shima-aji (striped jack), aori-ika (bigfin reef squid) and mibai (a local grouper). To finish, Okinawa soba noodles went into the broth, with island chili (shima togarashi).

In July 2020, on my way to Miyakojima (Okinawa), I changed planes in Naha (Okinawa) and started the day with slipper lobster (semi-ebi) sashimi for breakfast at the Daiichi Makishi Public Market.

Where to stay: Hotel Collective on Kokusai-dori

Hotel Collective stands right on Kokusai-dori, at 2-5-7 Matsuo, Naha (Okinawa). The hotel says it is a 7-minute walk from Kencho-mae Station on the monorail, about 15 minutes from Naha Airport by taxi, and that the Hotel Collective-mae bus stop is right outside. Its official site lists:

• 260 rooms on the 5th to 13th floors of a building with 13 floors above ground; check-in 15:00, check-out 11:00
• Corner Deluxe rooms, on the corners of the 5th to 12th floors, measure 33 to 35 square meters. Besides the usual windows, they have windows on the side of the room, so sunlight pours into the bedroom. The beds are 120 by 203 centimeters.
• In the rooms: a UCC coffee maker, a refrigerator, a safe, a humidifying air purifier and a bidet seat, with nightwear and slippers
• An outdoor pool (25 meters long), a kids' pool and a Jacuzzi, open in season for staying guests only, plus a fitness room, a sauna and a kids' playroom

Telephone: 098-860-8366 (from abroad +81-98-860-8366). On Sundays from 12:00 to 18:00, Kokusai-dori becomes a pedestrian zone; the hotel's access page explains how cars can enter the hotel during that time.

Another option: Smile Hotel Naha City Resort

Smile Hotel Naha City Resort is at 2-32-1 Kume, Naha (Okinawa), about a 9-minute walk from the north exit of Kencho-mae Station on the monorail, the same station as one end of Kokusai-dori. The Kencho-Kitaguchi stop (named after the north entrance of the prefectural office), where the Okinawa Airport Shuttle to the aquarium picks up in the city, is near the same station. The hotel's official page lists:

• 227 rooms; check-in 14:00, check-out 11:00
• Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, and free luggage storage before check-in and after check-out
• A restaurant for breakfast, coin laundry, a microwave and an ice machine for guests
• An amenity bar where you pick the toiletries you need, and yukata-style loungewear (a light cotton robe), which the hotel describes as a way to relax with a touch of Japanese style
• An outdoor coin parking lot with 86 spaces (no large vehicles)

Telephone: 098-869-2511 (from abroad +81-98-869-2511). Note that the same chain has another hotel in the city, Smile Hotel Okinawa Naha, near Miebashi Station, so check the name and address when you book.

My visit

I've visited Okinawa's main island in June 2021 (when I had the asa soba above) and in April 2024. On April 23, 2024, I stood in front of the big Kuroshio Sea tank at Churaumi Aquarium (photo below), and on that trip I stayed at Hotel Collective, in the Corner Deluxe room in the photo above. I've also stayed at Smile Hotel Naha City Resort.

Before you go: a checklist

1. Decide how you'll reach the aquarium: car, Okinawa Airport Shuttle (book ahead) or another express bus.
2. Leave about 2 hours each way, and arrive in time for last entry at 17:30.
3. Bring an IC card such as Suica or a credit card for the buses and the monorail.
4. Buy your aquarium ticket at the desk or online, and keep it for re-entry on the same day.
5. If you drive, read the local rules on licenses, bus lanes and Kokusai-dori on Sunday afternoons.

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026. Bus timetables change with the season, so check the bus companies' pages for the day you travel.

References

• Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: Admission (Japanese)
• Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: Admission (English)
• Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: Hours and closures (Japanese)
• Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: Access (Japanese)
• Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: Services, payment and coin lockers (Japanese)
• Okinawa Airport Shuttle: Timetable, fares and booking (Japanese)
• Yanbaru Express Bus (Japanese)
• Yanbaru Express Bus: How to pay (Japanese)
• Yui Rail: Using Suica and other IC cards (Japanese)
• Yui Rail: 1-day and 2-day passes (Japanese)
• JNTO: Kokusai-dori
• Rurubu: Nakamura Soba (Japanese)
• Hotel Collective: Corner Deluxe
• Hotel Collective: Access
• Hotel Collective: About the hotel
• Hotel Collective: Outdoor pool
• Smile Hotel Naha City Resort: Official site (Japanese)
• Smile Hotel Okinawa Naha: Official site (Japanese)