What to do in Okinawa (6 full days)

Of course Hateruma could be switched out for Naha. I kinda feel like I'd be missing out if I didn't explore at least a little of the main island! But a beach on Hateruma looks beautiful.

What to do :S

It's really up to you: if you like this schedule, then fine. Personally, I chose to skip Hateruma (does not seem very interesting, and I already have Kuroshima in that department) and Iriomote (too big for one day), and spend more days on Ishigaki. But again, your trip, your call.

What I'm doing is:

10/18 Arrive in Ishigaki from Tokyo in the morning
10/19 Ishigaki
10/20 Ishigaki
10/21 Taketomi
10/22 Kuroshima
10/23 Back to Ishigaki and flight to Miyako in the afternoon
10/24 Miyako
10/25 Flight to Naha and Sendai in the afternoon

I'd skip Miyako and would spend more time on Ishigaki and nearby islands if I were you.

You also might want to keep in mind that traditional cuisine is different depending on each island. Some are saltier and greasier than others.

You can make day trips between all major islands, as well as most of the tiny islands, but in the evening you need to deal with food on the island you're staying the night over.

By the way, I've lived in Nagoya where beaches are not only less blue but also scarse even compared to Tokyo area. The main island of Okinawa itself has plenty of beaches of various kinds compared to that.

That said, most of the (at least better) beaches on the main island are up north, while the historical spots are towards the south. When staying in the main island, you may want to stay around the middle area so that it will be convenient for both (in condition that you drive, which is practically a must in Okinawa).

If you think you'll be making more trips to Okinawa in the future, another way to do it is to stay in the main island all the way for this first time while inspecting other islands, and then on your second time you can stay on another island the whole time, which is what I did. I don't really like to move my luggage around on my holidays.

Thanks for the extra info people. I might drop Miyako and just visit the Yaeyama islands. I guess my last question is;

What's the difference in the weather between August/September? Sunshine hours?Typhoons? Cloudiness?

It's much cheaper in September and we have more days off. Hmmm.

September is cheaper than August simply because schools begin.

Climate-wise, though, just as it is with most parts of Japan, September in Okinawa is the months with most rainy days and most amount of rainfall in total. On the bright side, however, the sun in August can be too harsh, so September might be even more pleasant.

October is even better than August or September, except that the main island and airports tend to get crowded with high school trips (shuugakuryokou), especially toward the end of October until the beginning of November.

http://www.okinawainfo.net/kikou.htm

I plan to be there in late August/early September. Hoping for no typhoon, although I`m pessimistic about it. xD

My question is, do I really need one full day in Taketomi? I`ll be in Yaeyama for 3 days (2 nights), and I plan to combine Taketomi with something else, maybe with Iriomote or with some exploration of Ishigaki. I don`t necessarily insist on lying on the beach all day (plans are to do that in Kerama later), and Taketomi seems too small to spend an entire day.

Firas, how do you plan to get to the harbour from your hotel on Ishigaki? Is there a frequent/early bus service?

Alex: For me I can see myself lazing around on Taketomi quite easily, having lunch, snorkelling , walking around, dinner.

Yes, there are buses, though only the ones serving the airport are what I would call frequent (the other lines only have a couple buses per day).

To go from Kabira to the harbour area, the earliest bus departs Kabira at 7:20, and arrives at the bus terminal near the harbour at 8:05 (the last bus back leaves the bus terminal at 18:10).

I forgot the relevant link (warning, it's Japaneqe quality web design, visit in IE if you can)

http://www.cosmos.ne.jp/~bus/

Hello everyone,

Lots of interesting posts by informed people. Cool.

I'm heading back to the Yaeyama Isles this winter.
I loved my time there this summer. I hit Ishigaki-shi, Kabira, Sukuji and then headed off to Kuro-shima and Taketomi. I loved Taketomi so much that, unlike most day-trippers, I bedded down and stayed there nearly a week.
This time I'm hoping to hit a few islands I've not seen before. Maybe a day trip to Hateruma and then a few days on Iriomote. Do you have any advice as to where I could possibly base myself on Iriomote? Where do people tend to stay on the island? I'd like to be somewhere that has a nice evening vibe, maybe somewhere near Yubu. That place looks like my cup of tea.

Thanks in advance.

P