Places to Visit in Okinawa Japan This 2019

08/30/2019

Okinawa is one of the many prefectures in Japan. You can choose a ferry or airplane for fast travel time. Our family came from Tokyo and decided to ride the aircraft going to Okinawa, Naha airport. Okinawa has the famous and biggest Aquarium in the world. Kids love to see ocean creatures, so we decided to visit the place. When we arrived in Okinawa, we booked a van to pick us from Okinawa airport and drop us to the car rental site. There we pick up our car we rented for which our family will be used for the rest of our stay in Okinawa. If you have driver license allowing you to drive in Okinawa Island, you can just rent a car for the tour in Okinawa. For us we choose sky rent, you can also refer to their website https://www.skyrent.jp/ for any car rental concern. However, if you don’t have a licensed to drive, you may contact your hotel staff, you may ask them to arrange a car with a driver that may take you to places you want to visit.

Inside the Okinawa rented car
The picture inside the car. We ended up getting an upgrade for free due to the unavailability of the car that we booked. We are in awe as we think the staff gave us a luxury level kind of car.
We had a feeling from the start that this trip has a good start and will surely have a good ending too.

Below are the places we visited that you may want to consider on your future trip in Okinawa:

  • Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium – Became the largest aquarium in the world but defeated by Georgia Aquarium, also the top destination in Okinawa Japan. The aquarium has big tanks consisting of deep sea creatures such as sharks, coral, and tropical fish. You can see almost all the marine organisms here. Our favorite moment is when we saw the huge whale shark swimming just in front of us inside the glass aquarium, it was probably the biggest whale shark I first ever saw in my entire life.
whale shark in okinawa
Giant whale shark. You can have your meal in the restaurant just beside this tank aquarium while watching this enormous creature.
Turtle in Okinawa
Giant turtles. Go out, and you will see a separate Aquarium for a group of turtles. The place where they keep on running and jumping as they watch this giant turtle swim.
Sea Creatures Exhibitions in Okinawa
Exhibitions showing preserved sea creatures.
Star fish from Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
There is part of the exhibitions wherein people can touch the sea creatures. This is a good experience for all the kids that are so curious about marine animals.
Dolphin Show in Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
They extended their aquarium outside for the dolphin show. Another good moment for us to cherish. We will never forget how dolphins here showed excellent talent. Dolphin here surely knows how to capture tourist heart by showing off their cute exhibitions.
Beach View from Churauimi Aquarium Okinawa
Showing here is the Amazing beach view just outside the Churaumi Aquarium. Our kids took off their shoes here, and they took a deep on the cold water of the beach. They played and dug the sand and made a sand castle too.
  • Ocean Expo Park Tropical Dream center / Botanical Garden

This garden is just near the large aquarium, 10 minutes away from each other. They usually offer a discount ticket if you both visit the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium and Tropical Dream Center. They have three greenhouses that show thousands of orchids and consisting of tropical and subtropical flowers blooming all around the corner. Just prepare for a long walk while roaming this botanical garden. The following are the plants and flowers you may want to see when you visit here:

Botanical Garden Okinawa
You will see this right after the entrance.
Botanical Garden Okinawa2
Botanical Garden Okinawa3
Some of interesting shapes of the plants that are eye-catching to every kids.
Botanical Garden Okinawa4
Few from the many orchids inside the garden.
Botanical Garden Okinawa snacks
You may stop at their indoor restaurant for a break.
  • Nakijin Castle Remains

Make sure to complete your visit in Okinawa by stopping by this ruins castle included in the list of Unesco World Heritage sites. Just make sure to wear comfortable shoes because it will need you to go up rocky stairs to reach the castle. Make sure also to read on the story of Nakijin Castle before going here if you decide not to hire a tour guide.

Nakijin Castle entrance
The entrance to ruins castle.
Nakijin Castle top view
View when you reach the castle.
Nakijin Castle top beach view
Beach view.
  • Neo Park Okinawa

Here you can see different species of plants and animals. They run a train to tour the zoo that will surely love by your family. You can feed the fish, ducks, pigs and other animals inside the zoo. Surely a great memory to all the kids. You can walk with the animals you will see inside the zoo, giving you a feeling like you are in Africa. An excellent place to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature.

animals in Neo Park Okinawa
You will see this when you enter the zoo.
peacock from Neo Park Okinawa
Peacock
Neo Park Okinawa train
The view when riding the train while feeding the ducks and birds swimming on the swamp.
  • Kouri Bridge

The longest toll-free bridge, going to Kouri island. Driving there will give you a spectacular view and color of the oceans. Most of the visitors are going there to go up the Kouri Ocean Tower, but we are unfortunate as the number of people was too many by that time, and there was no available space in the car pack. So we just had our eyes and had our meal from the restaurant just beside the coast, we still get the same beauty of nature there while watching the calmness of the ocean.

Beach View from Churra Terrace Restaurant
View from Churra Terrace Restaurant.

For the hotel we stayed at Hotel Mahaina Wellness Resorts in Okinawa just near the Churaumi Aquarium for the rest of our stay in Okinawa, they have many guests every day. They have an indoor pool, a garden pool, restaurants inside, and our favorite hot bath, Japanese onsen. Overall Okinawa is one of my favorite places in Japan, and I can’t wait for my family to go back there again.

Asia, Japan Travel

Posted by pink-sampaguita