[Family Travel]Okinawa 6-Day 5-Night Self-Guided Tour: The Ultimate Food & Fun Guide!

GO! OKINAWA!

Take a flight from Taoyuan International Airport %Hao Zhi Yi M928 %Arrive at Naha Toei Rei Hotel

Since we chose an evening flight this time, we arrived in Japan after eight o’clock in the evening. After completing immigration procedures, we took the train to Asahibashi Station. It was just a three-minute walk from the station’s overpass to the Naha Tokyu REI Hotel. Although it was raining at the time, the overpass had a covered design, which was really convenient.

After dinner and giving the kids a bath, it was already eleven o’clock at night. We quickly went to bed to prepare for the next day’s itinerary.

OTS Car Rental %Call to arrange pick-up in Okinawa %Arrive at hotel %Arrive at Naha Toei Rei Hotel

Driving yourself in Okinawa is much more convenient. Although you can take their shuttle bus directly from the airport to their office, we arrived in Japan after nine in the evening, so we chose to walk to the OTS Hirokawa Station Front Store the next morning.

The Hirokawa Station Front Store has staff who can communicate in Chinese, so that’s a plus. We showed them our driver’s license and its Japanese translation for photocopying. After payment, we picked up the car right away—Up!

Okuma Park is one of the most distinctive slide parks in Okinawa. Located in the central play area, besides large slides, there are climbing structures and play equipment suitable for toddlers, as well as a small sandbox for kids to play in. Xiaotao had a great time here and fell asleep instantly once we got back in the car!

For lunch, we had a hearty meal at the famous Nampo Ramen. If you like rich broth, you’ll probably love the ramen here too~ Besides ramen, the pan-fried dumplings are also delicious—we highly recommend them!

After eating and drinking our fill, our first stop on the shopping trip was Daikoku Drug, located in the International Village. Not only are the drugstore items affordable here, but there are also staff who speak Chinese, and there’s a tax refund counter, making shopping even more convenient. The second floor of Daikoku Drug is a 100-yen shop, selling all kinds of daily necessities and food. Shopping here is super satisfying~

Although they sell skateboard mats here, there has been a notice since last year that skateboard mats are not allowed on the slides, so we didn’t buy or use them.

Honbu Park in Nishihara Town is themed around vegetables. Its play equipment is age-specific: there are play structures for 3–6-year-olds and 6–12-year-olds, including spiral slides, super-long slides, and speedy stone slides. Kids will have so much fun here they won’t want to leave!

Next, we headed to the Zanpa Cape Royal Hotel in central Okinawa. Although it’s not right next to the beach, you can see the blue coastline from the balcony. The outdoor large swimming pool and children’s pool were closed due to the low winter temperatures, but the hotel has a bathhouse on the first floor with indoor and outdoor baths—it’s really comfortable to soak in the hot springs in the cold weather. The room type we chose was a traditional Japanese-style room (washitsu), which has the advantage of not having to worry about kids falling off the bed, and the space is very spacious. Right next to the hotel is Zanpa Cape Beach, and the play equipment plaza in Zanpa Cape Park was newly built in April 2016, perfect for bringing kids to play~

After settling our luggage, we enjoyed affordable Okinawan family cuisine at the nearby Hanagasa Shokudo. The restaurant has both seating and tatami mat areas. We ordered Okinawa soba, teppanyaki pork, and Zanpa yuzu-flavored shochu. Although many people online recommend Hanagasa Shokudo, it wasn’t really to our family’s taste… We only recommend the Zanpa yuzu-flavored shochu!

One of the advantages of choosing to drive in Okinawa is that you can often go to supermarkets for groceries. The strawberries at Maruhiro Supermarket are huge and cheap—we had a great time eating them as a family. There are also many Okinawa-exclusive snacks that are very affordable!

Nakagusuku Park %Lunch: Ryukyu Ama Sweet %Arrive at hotel %Dinner: Yakiniku Goen %Arrive at hotel

We originally planned to drive to the beautiful Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in northern Okinawa on the third day, but because we went to bed too late the night before, the whole family overslept the next morning... So we changed the plan!

The first activity on the third day was visiting Okinawa’s largest park—Nakagusuku Park. Although the play equipment plaza in the south area (trampoline) was currently closed for construction, the central play equipment plaza still had a rich variety of facilities: monkey bars, super-long slides, climbing structures… which still kept Xiaotao super happy. The west area play equipment plaza is suitable for younger children, with sandboxes, mazes, and slides, another place where kids can have endless fun. Xiaotao tried the monkey bars and had an exciting and fun time sliding down!

Tips: The play equipment plaza in the south area (trampoline) is currently closed for construction.

At noon, we had a great meal at Ryukyu Ama Sweet. The delicious dishes combine local Okinawan ingredients with Kyoto-style flavors—the meals are quite unique. Even more special is the Kid’s room with a children’s play area, where our family spent a relaxing afternoon~

On the way from Ryukyu Ama Sweet to Okinawa Kids Kingdom, we stopped by Family Mart for a break and to pick up some snacks. The newly launched Yo-kai Watch steamed buns were really eye-catching. Their strawberry desserts and donut series were also all delicious—we wanted to buy every single one!

It includes three areas: a zoo, a children’s play area, and a Wonder Museum. Here you can experience feeding animals (Xiaotao fed an elephant for the first time!). The Wonder Museum is a three-story children’s science museum with plenty of science and art games—it’s definitely worth bringing kids here to learn through play.

Yakiniku Goen was the only all-you-can-eat restaurant we included in our Okinawa itinerary. The price is reasonable and there’s no time limit—we ate heartily here for over two hours~

Okinawa 2017 Cherry Blossom Festival (Winter Limited) %Take the Yaeyama Kotsu Bus %Cafe Gyutto %Arrive at hotel %Arrive at hotel

Okinawa is the earliest place in Japan where cherry blossoms bloom. If you plan to visit Okinawa from the end of January to mid-February, don’t miss the chance to see the Higan Zakura (winter cherry blossoms)! At the 2017 Okinawa Cherry Blossom Festival, we visited Yaedake for cherry blossom viewing. There were sakura cotton candy, sakura ice cream, and other seasonal treats for sale, and the scenery along the way was breathtaking.

Yaedake Sakura no Mori Park is located right along the Yaedake Cherry Blossom Road and has beautiful scenery, making it great for family trips. There’s also a roller slide here, but unfortunately it’s old and doesn’t roll anymore—kids have to use their bottoms to slide. But aside from the roller slide, there are also large climbing structures here, which are also a lot of fun~

Tips: The roller slide is old and doesn’t work anymore~

On the way from Yaedake to Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, we passed a very unique café—Cafe Gyutto. Hidden in a forested retreat, enjoy delicious ramen while watching a mini train zip by—it’s a very cozy and novel dining experience.

Paired with Kakinohana organic island chili peppers, every bite was incredibly satisfying—I loved it so much I ended up buying four jars to take back to Taiwan~

The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is pretty much a must-visit spot for family trips to Okinawa. Here, Momoko got up close with coral reef creatures, marveled at whale sharks and manta rays gliding through the massive acrylic tank, and enjoyed the dazzling dolphin show outside the aquarium, where cheerful laughter never stopped. Before leaving, don’t forget to check out the nearby Turtle Beach and the hidden sandy cove.

After leaving the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, we drove south for about 45 minutes to Hamayu Seafood Cuisine, a restaurant highly recommended by many netizens. The menu offers a wide variety, and the grilled sea urchin and lobster is a standout—its fragrant aroma is simply mouthwatering. Other set meals are around 1,000 yen.

Cape Zanpa Beach & Playground %?Nago City Central Park % AEON Supermarket % Blue Seal Ice Park Ice Cream DIY Experience % Hirugi Plaza Rest Area % Okashi no Hiroba Confectionery Square

On the morning of the fifth day, we visited Cape Zanpa Beach next to Cape Zanpa Royal Hotel. The TI-da33 plaza nearby offers a small animal feeding experience. This playground area was newly built in April 2016 and includes slides, sand pits, rocking horses, swings, and two-story climbing structures, as well as play equipment suitable for toddlers under two years old. The area also has a playpen and soft mats. You can have a BBQ here, making it perfect for families with young kids.

The day before, we had so much fun that after leaving Cape Zanpa Beach, Momoko slept all the way until past 3 PM—even lunchtime calls couldn’t wake her up. We stopped at Nago City Central Park, and I got out to take some photos, admiring the stunning scenery and marveling at the beauty of Okinawa. Though smaller compared to other parks, Nago City Central Park is one of the few seaside parks in Okinawa, and I’m sure the view at sunset is even more picturesque. In addition to a roller slide, there’s also a slide suitable for little ones, and nearby is Ganju Farm Restaurant, where affordable meals like Agu pork sets and ramen are available.

Tip: The roller slide at Nago City Central Park is currently under maintenance and temporarily closed, with no reopening date announced, but the smaller slides for toddlers remain open.

AEON Yokota combines a supermarket, Daiso, an electronics store, Uniqlo, shoe stores, a game shop… It’s great for food, shopping, and browsing—you can even find all the official Okinawa souvenirs here in one place, often at prices cheaper than duty-free shops. I bought Panasonic’s new hair dryer (CHA-98) here because its price qualified for tax exemption, giving me a fantastic discounted rate. As someone with long hair, I used to spend nearly 20 minutes drying it, but with the CHA-98, my whole head of long hair dries in just six minutes, and my hair quality has noticeably improved, with much less hair loss. I highly recommend moms to get a CHA-98 in Japan to bring back to Taiwan.

This was an activity Momoko had been eagerly looking forward to before our trip. Located near Urasoe Dai Park, Blue Seal Ice Park has offered an ice cream DIY experience since 2016. We booked the 4:00 PM session, which included not only ice cream DIY but also soft serve DIY and a -20°C ice room experience. Finally, you can even pack your handmade ice cream in an insulated bag. It’s a high-quality, kid-friendly experience that’s highly recommended.

After the ice cream DIY experience, we drove to nearby Urasoe Dai Park, where the large climbing structures had the kids screaming with excitement.
Tip: The famous extra-long roller slide is currently under maintenance and not open.

For dinner on the fifth day, we headed to Mutsumiya Sushi near American Village. Even on a weekday, it was packed, and most of the customers were Japanese. I highly recommend the tempura nigiri—it’s cheap and delicious. Every five plates earn you a chance to play a crane game, adding fun to the meal.

Former Navy Trench Park % Lunch: Sukiya % Return car at TS % Drive to Motobu Port

The final attraction of our six-day, five-night Okinawa family trip: Former Navy Trench Park, featuring two long slides that offer beautiful city views as you descend. Momoko didn’t want to leave because she was having so much fun here.

On the way to the airport, we had affordable beef bowls at Sukiya.

That’s our [Six-Day, Five-Night Okinawa Itinerary Share]. I hope it helps those planning a trip to Okinawa. On the second day before heading to Shikoku in Japan in August 2016, I found out I was pregnant with our second child. Right then, I decided to go to Japan one last time before the baby arrived. Thanks to my dear husband, who supported me traveling to Okinawa while seven months pregnant—we had an amazing time. We had so much fun that I even shed tears on the Peach Airlines flight back… Okinawa is so close to Taiwan, and driving there is very convenient. I’m sure we’ll bring Momoko and Little Apple back to Okinawa again soon.

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