Okinawa Prefecture is about 160 islands running 1,000 kilometres southwest from Kyushu toward Taiwan. The main island, where Naha and the airport are, sits at the northern end. The islands with the coral, the clear water and the beaches most people picture are the Yaeyama and Miyako groups at the far southwestern end, closer to Taipei than to Tokyo.
That distance is the thing to plan around. Ishigaki is a further hour by air from Naha, and Naha is two and a half hours from Tokyo.
The main island and the outer groups
The main island has the history and the culture: Shuri Castle, the Ryukyu Kingdom sites, the American bases that still occupy a substantial share of the land, and the Okinawan food and awamori tradition. Its western resort strip along the Onna coast is developed, comfortable and has decent but not exceptional water.
Miyako, 300 kilometres southwest, has the best beaches in Japan by common agreement — Yonaha Maehama is seven kilometres of white sand — and bridges connecting several islands.
The Yaeyamas, further again, are the wild end: Ishigaki as the hub, Taketomi with its preserved village of coral walls and sand lanes, Iriomote almost entirely jungle and mangrove.
The coral around the outer islands is the reason to make the journey. Sekisei Lagoon between Ishigaki and Iriomote is the largest coral reef in Japan.
The nine below are grouped by island group.
The Yaeyama islands
The far southwest. Ishigaki, Taketomi and Iriomote.
HOSHINOYA Okinawa occupies a site on Taketomi island laid out as a traditional Ryukyu village, with red-tiled roofs, coral walls and sand lanes, on an island of about 350 residents that has no other hotel of this kind. It is the most distinctive property in Okinawa.
HOSHINOYA Okinawa
Taketomi, Yaeyama · 5★ · $$$$
A Ryukyu village of coral walls on an island of 350 people
Check availabilityANA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort by IHG sits on Ishigaki's northern coast with a beach, several pools and full resort facilities, and it is the practical base for diving Sekisei Lagoon.
ANA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort by IHG
Manza cape, Onna · 5★ · $$$
Long-established with a private beach and mature grounds
Check availabilityFusaki Beach Resort Hotel & Villas occupies a beachfront position on Ishigaki with villas, a pool and a quieter setting than the larger resorts.
Miyako
Three hundred kilometres southwest of the main island. The best beaches in Japan.
IRAPH SUI, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Miyako Okinawa occupies a headland at Irabu, connected to Miyako by the longest toll-free bridge in Japan, with suites overlooking the sea and a pool on the cliff. It is the most refined hotel in the prefecture.
IRAPH SUI, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Miyako Okinawa
Irabu, Miyako · 5★ · $$$$
A cliff pool on a headland across Japan's longest free bridge
Check availabilityThe Shigira sits on the Shigira coast with suites, several pools and access to a large resort complex.
The Shigira
Shigira, Miyako · 5★ · $$$
Suites with access to a large resort complex
Check availabilityThe main island, Onna coast
The western resort strip, forty minutes to an hour north of the airport.
Halekulani Okinawa occupies a beachfront position at Onna with a spa, several pools and a level of service that is the best on the main island.
Halekulani Okinawa
Onna, main island · 5★ · $$$$
Best service on the main island, with five pools
Check availabilityThe Ritz-Carlton Okinawa sits above Nago on a hillside with an infinity pool, a golf course and views over the East China Sea.
The Ritz-Carlton Okinawa
Nago hills · 5★ · $$$$
Infinity pool and golf above the East China Sea
Check availabilityHyatt Regency Seragaki Island Okinawa occupies a headland at Onna with a private beach, a large pool complex and full family facilities.
Hyatt Regency Seragaki Island Okinawa
Onna, main island · 5★ · $$$
Private beach on its own small island headland
Check availabilityANA InterContinental Manza Beach Resort by IHG sits on a cape at Onna in a long-established resort with a private beach, several restaurants and mature grounds.
What we have left off
The minshuku across the outer islands are excluded, and on Taketomi and Iriomote in particular they are the standard way to stay and the best way to meet anyone. They are guest houses rather than hotels.
What to do
Get to the outer islands. The main island is worth two nights for the history; the water is southwest.
Snorkel or dive Sekisei Lagoon between Ishigaki and Iriomote, and go to Kabira Bay on Ishigaki, which is glass-bottom-boat only because the coral is protected.
Walk or cycle Taketomi, which takes an hour, and ride the water buffalo cart through the village lanes, which is genuinely how the island moves.
On the main island, see Shuri Castle at Naha. It burned in 2019 and reconstruction is ongoing; check what is accessible before going.
Eat Okinawan, which is not Japanese food: goya champuru, rafute pork belly, taco rice, and Okinawa soba, which is neither soba nor ramen.
Practical notes
Naha is two and a half hours from Tokyo. Ishigaki and Miyako both have their own airports with direct flights from Tokyo and Osaka as well as connections from Naha.
April to June and October to November are the best windows. July and August are hot, humid and the peak of typhoon season, which regularly disrupts flights to the outer islands. Winter is mild but too cool for comfortable swimming.
Build slack around outer-island connections in typhoon season.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Okinawa Hotels
Questions people actually ask
Main island or outer islands?
Outer islands for the water and the beaches, main island for the history and the food. They are an hour apart by air.
Which outer group?
Miyako for beaches, the Yaeyamas for coral, jungle and the preserved village on Taketomi.
When is typhoon season?
Roughly July to October, with the peak in August and September. Flights to the small islands are the first thing cancelled.
How many nights?
Seven. Two on the main island and five in the southwest.