Naha Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Boat

Various operators have ferry services to Naha from Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kōbe, Kagoshima and other ports. The schedules are complex (and subject to weather delays), and there is a wide range of fares that vary according to season and availability. Check out Ōshima Unyu (Tokyo 03-5643-6170, Kagoshima 099-222-2338; www.minc.ne.jp/aline in Japanese).

Long-distance ferries run to/from Miyako-jima (¥4250, nine hours) and to/from Ishigaki-jima (¥5350, 14 hours). Note that these services are not daily, and travel times vary depending on the season and the weather. Ferries are culled in the winter months and cut completely at the first sign of bad weather. Call Arimura Sangyō (in Japan 869-1980, in Taiwan 07-330-9811) for weekly schedules.

Arimura Sangyō operates a weekly ferry service between Naha and Taiwan, sometimes via Ishigaki and Miyako in Okinawa-ken. The Taiwan port alternates between Keelung and Kaohsiung. Departure from Okinawa is on Thursday or Friday; departure from Taiwan is usually on Monday (2nd class one way ¥15, 200/4235TWD, 20 hours).

Naha is also the hub for ferries to other islands in the Okinawa-shotō.

There are three ports in Naha, and this can be confusing. From Naha-kō (Naha Port), ferries head north to Fukuoka/Hakata and Kagoshima, while Naha Shin-kō (Naha New Port) has ferries to Nagoya, Kōbe, Osaka and Tokyo. Ferries to Taiwan, Miyako-jima and Ishigaki-jima may depart from either place. From Tomari-kō (Tomari Port) on Rte 58, ferries operate to a number of the smaller islands around Okinawa-hontō, including Kume-jima, Zamami-jima and Aka-jima. Naha’s ferry terminals can be easily accessed by the monorail or bus.

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Air

There are direct flights operating into Naha’s airport from 20 Japanese mainland cities as well as from Seoul, Manila, Shanghai and Taipei. Since Naha serves as the principal transport hub in the Nansei-shotō, flights depart to the major Japanese cities virtually every hour.

Fares are dependent on availability and seasonality – as a general rule, prices are the highest in the summer months, and you can save a considerable amount of money if you book two weeks prior to your flight. Flights to the mainland range from ¥15, 000 to ¥40, 000 while inter-island flights are typically ¥10, 000 to ¥20, 000.

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