We are planning to book our accommodation for four nights in Okinawa in August and have been looking at different options for the short trip we have there. We are interested in getting a feel for the Okinawan culture and food as well as a gorgeous beach or two. We will have already done A LOT of hiking and travelling throughout Japan by the time we get to Okinawa, so hiking is not at all a priority. Mainly, we're finding it hard to decide where to base ourselves. Some questions we are asking ourselves:
Should we stay in Naha and use that as a home base (we only have 4 nights total and of course the first and last days have big chunks taken out by travel) or is it better to stay in another part of the main island?
Is Nago or Nanjo too far out, and would one need to rent a car to see everything we’d want to see? (I know we'd have to get an international license in advance, and that car rental would add to our costs). I’ve read that taxis only take you so far and lots of gorgeous beaches are only possible by car (not that we want strictly a beach holiday).
Should we stay a night or two on an island? Have you been to the Kerama Islands and if so, do you have a preference? We are told Zamami and Ishikaki are the ones to go for, but that a day trip suffices rather than overnight.
Obviously everyone is different, but would love to hear ideas and opinions.
by KravWrangler