Naha

Naha (那覇) is the capital of the Okinawa Prefecture in Japan and is the main city on Okinawa Island. It has a population of around 317,000 (2019), which is about a quarter of the total population of the island.

Understand
The first castle at Shuri (首里) was built in the 1200s. When king Shō Hashi unified the island and founded the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1429, he made Shuri his capital, a role it retained for almost 450 years. Naha was originally a trade port a short distance to the west of Shuri, only becoming the official capital in 1872 when the Kingdom was abolished.

Alas, it's difficult to see any traces of this lengthy history, since both Naha and Shuri were largely destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Today's Naha is an unappealing congested concrete sprawl that by and large looks like any other Japanese provincial city, only with worse traffic and more palm trees sprinkled in, and the few historical sites like Shuri Castle are reconstructions.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a multilingual guide site, NahaNavi.

By plane
Okinawa being a car-centric island, many people rent cars at Naha Airport, but the rental offices are all off-site: you'll be directed into shuttle buses that trundle their way through the jams of suburban Naha, which can easily take half an hour one way. On the way back, allow plenty of time for dropping off your car as well.

If you have time to kill at the airport, there are half a dozen only mildly overpriced restaurants landside on the 4th floor. After you've gone through security, it's very slim pickings indeed even on the much larger domestic side.

By ship
Ferry services to Okinawa have been cut drastically, with Arimura Sangyo filing for bankruptcy and RKK Line stopping passenger services entirely. With long travel times, bumpy seas, frequent cancellations in the fall typhoon season and prices similar to flying, it's easy to see why this isn't too popular anymore.

As of 2014, the only survivors are A-Line Ferry, aka Maru-A (マルエー), which runs twice a week from Kagoshima (25 hours, ¥16,000 2nd class one-way) and once a week from both Osaka/Kobe and Tokyo (44 hours, ¥28,000) to Naha, and Marix Line, which runs between Kagoshima and Naha only. All ferries call at various minor islands including Yoron and Amami Oshima along the way. If you don't speak Japanese, you will find it easier to book through a travel agent.

Get around
The Yui-rail (aka Okinawa City Monorail) (monorail website in Japanese only) links the airport, the city and Shuri Castle. Tickets cost ¥230-370 depending on distance, or you can get a 24 hour pass for ¥800. You can also get a 48 hour pass for ¥1,400 (2024). There are also many buses that travel throughout the city to every area.

Do

 * Kiteboarding is possible year round with the winter months being the best.
 * Scuba Diving. A number of diving businesses offer training courses and diving excursions to the nearby Kerama Islands.
 * Scuba Diving. A number of diving businesses offer training courses and diving excursions to the nearby Kerama Islands.

Drink
You can find several establishments in and around Kokusai Street to enjoy the odd drink or two. There's a few clubs about as well; those frequented by locals, those frequented by US military folks and a mixture of both. Don't try gaining admission (around ¥2,500) wearing sandals.

For the more daring drinker habushu (ハブ酒) is widely available in bars and souvenir shops. Each bottle of fiery shochu liquor comes with a venomous snake inside, best drunk down in one as sipping is not recommended!



Sleep
Naha's budget accommodation is famously cheap, but you tend to get what you pay for and some can be incredibly dirty.

Consulates

 * 🇺🇸 United States

Go next

 * Southern Okinawa - Many WW2 historical sites
 * Central Okinawa - US military bases, pottery villages, castle ruins
 * Northern Okinawa - The wildest and remotest part of Okinawa Island
 * Kerama Islands - Regular ferry connections are available between Naha harbor and this nearby group of islands. Great for a day trip or a few days to experience a more isolated tropical experience.
 * Akajima - the smallest of the Kerama Islands and makes a great snorkeling day trip.
 * Zamami - famous for whale watching and sea turtles.