3 Days in Okinawa, Japan

Intro

Okinawa is an island located in the East China Sea and about a 3 hour flight away from mainland Japan. Many people in the U.S. know Okinawa from appearances in the Karate Kid and its importance during World War 2. But, there are plenty of other aspects of this tropical island that makes this place special. 

For one, this is one of the original blue zones where many people live to be over 100 years old. Due to the rich vegetation and ideal climate, this place is great for people growing older. They also have a slower pace of life than mainland Japan and often refer to themselves as “Okinawan”, not Japanese.     

For visitors, this island is not a typical tourist “hotspot”. We ran into very few other tourists and many people were surprised that we came to Okinawa on our vacation. It quickly became evident on our trip that we may have to get creative on what we did with 3 days staying in Naha, Okinawa. 

Day 1

Visit Araha Beach

One of the more activity based beaches we found was Araha Beach. Not only are portions of the beach swimmable, but the park behind the beach was a great way for us to stay entertained. We even got involved in a few basketball games with some locals. 

This beach also offers great views of the East China Sea. 

Day 2

Shuri Castle

A once cultural icon that stood tall over Okinawa, Shuri Castle is certainly a must see for anyone interested in the island’s storied past. Unfortunately, for tourists, the castle has been almost fully demolished a few times. During WW2, the castle was almost fully destroyed and again during a fire in 2019. These unfortunate events have led to most of the site being pictures of what it once was. 

There are serious restoration efforts going on at the moment to get the castle back to its former glory. Even though the castle is still being restored, the hill provides phenomenal views of the island and the city of Naha. 

The Okinawa Prefectural Peace Museum

We visited this museum right after the Shuri castle which wasn’t far away from each other. This museum offers a deep dive into the battle of Okinawa in WW2. It’s not the typical museum either as it takes you on a journey of that battle through some tunnels that were used during this time. 

Day 3

Makashi Public Market

This market reminded me a lot of the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo but on a smaller level. It’s both indoor and outdoor which can be nice when you’re trying to avoid the hot sun. 

Here you’ll find unique shops selling different things made across Okinawa such as food vendors and handmade Kimonos!

American Village

As an American, this was such an interesting place to see. Essentially, American Village is a giant mall full of tons of stores that you would find in the USA. We visited this place after 10 long days in Japan so it was cool to see some things we recognized. Now, you’re probably thinking, why would I want to experience the USA when I live there already? 

This village seemed more like a Japanese interpretation of what American malls look like which can look slightly out of place to someone from the USA. Due to the large American military presence on Okinawa, this seems to be a slice of home for the ones living in Japan. 

Last Thoughts

Okinawa was easily one of the most unique places I’ve ever visited. Now, I felt like 3 days spent in Okinawa was more than enough. Unless you’re content at the beach all day, you may run through all there is to do in 2 days. As Americans, we also had a tougher time interacting with some locals as many assumed we were a part of the military stationed on the island. 

Okinawa is also very different from mainland Japan so it was extremely interesting getting to know the differences in culture. I can say that it felt like two different vacations completely going from the big city of Tokyo to the tropical escape of Okinawa.