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Furuzamami Beach on Zamami Island
A white sand beach on the Kerama Islands
A shisa lion statue on a red tiled roof on Taketomi Island
The emerald water of Kabira Bay on Ishigaki Island

Things to do in Okinawa: islands, reefs and Ryukyu villages

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Photo: Hashi photo, CC BY 3.0

Kerama Islands, Tokashiki and Zamami

Snorkel the clear water of the Kerama Islands, 40 kilometres off Naha

Check dates and prices

Photo: SteFou!, CC BY 2.0

Taketomi Island, Yaeyama Islands

Cycle the white sand lanes of Taketomi's Ryukyu village

Photo: ajari, CC BY 2.0

Kabira Bay, Ishigaki Island

See Kabira Bay from a glass-bottom boat on Ishigaki

Photo: Tokyo-Good, CC BY-SA 4.0

Okinawa is Japan's southern island chain, once the Ryukyu Kingdom. Okinawa Island, with Naha, Shuri Castle and the Churaumi Aquarium, has its own page. This hub adds the outer islands: the Kerama Islands a fast boat west of Naha, and in the far south the Yaeyama Islands, where Ishigaki's Kabira Bay and the preserved village of Taketomi sit a short ferry apart.

Places in this region

3 things to do in Okinawa

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A white sand beach on the Kerama Islands

Snorkel the clear water of the Kerama Islands, 40 kilometres off Naha

Kerama Islands, Tokashiki and Zamami

A full dayGo alone or with a tour

A national park of 36 small islands, only four inhabited, with white sand beaches and clear water a fast boat from Naha.

Check dates and pricesFull-day Kerama Islands snorkeling tour
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A shisa lion statue on a red tiled roof on Taketomi Island

Cycle the white sand lanes of Taketomi's Ryukyu village

Taketomi Island, Yaeyama Islands

Half a day from IshigakiNo booking needed

A tiny island ten minutes from Ishigaki whose village of stone walls, red tile roofs and shisa lions is preserved almost whole.

Been there?
The emerald water of Kabira Bay on Ishigaki Island

See Kabira Bay from a glass-bottom boat on Ishigaki

Kabira Bay, Ishigaki Island

1 to 2 hoursNo booking needed

Ishigaki's most scenic view, an emerald bay where swimming is banned, so a glass-bottom boat shows you what lies beneath.

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Traveller picks

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Plan your trip

  • Which island for what

    Okinawa Island for history, the aquarium and Naha. The Kerama Islands for beaches and snorkelling on a day trip or a night or two. Ishigaki as the base for the Yaeyama Islands, with Taketomi a ten-minute ferry away.

  • Getting there

    Fast boats run from Naha to Tokashiki and Zamami in 40 to 60 minutes. Ishigaki has direct flights from Tokyo of about three hours, and ferries from Ishigaki serve Taketomi and the other Yaeyama islands.

  • Sea safety

    Habu box jellyfish are most common from June to October; use beaches with netted swimming areas where you can, and beware of strong currents. Many beaches on the outer islands have no facilities.

Questions travellers ask

Can I visit the Kerama Islands as a day trip?

Yes. High speed boats reach Tokashiki in 40 minutes and Zamami in about an hour from Naha, and full-day snorkelling tours run from Naha too.

Can I swim in Kabira Bay?

No. Swimming, snorkelling and diving are not allowed in the bay; take the glass-bottom boat, and swim at nearby Sukuji Beach instead.

When can I see whales in Okinawa?

From January to March, when whale watching is popular around the Kerama Islands.

Other places to go

Things to do in Japan

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