Okinawa main Island

Hi there!

I would like to know which area of Okinawa main island would you guys recomment staying for a 3 days visit.

Thank you!

which area of Okinawa main island would

This could be "tailored" to your itinerary; very much about your activities during your visit.
When visiting the island a few years ago, we exclusively stayed at Naha, and traveled daily to visit places of interests. Okinawa is not that big; however, the public transport system isn't that good. IMO, renting a car would be the best option to explore the areas.

Actually, I am looking for a place with something walking distance, like restaurants, and maybe some atractions.
I was wondering if the Chantan area would be a good idea.
Another question, is there Uber in Okinawa? I am very concerned about driving In Japan.

In terms of tourism, the uniqueness of mainland Okinawa, as opposed to Okinawa Prefecture's other tropical islands, are their historical sites such as the ancient castle and WW2 memorials which are mostly in Naha. If you mean Chatan, that is not walking distance to Naha, although you can easily take a taxi and spend a day in the city to see everything.

Other ways of enjoying the mainland are to stay in one huge resort where the hotel would offer a variety of restaurants and a great beach along with some typical hotel resort attractions (which usually don't include dance clubs). Again, you can make a day trip to Naha. If you only want to enjoy big resorts, you also have the option to take direct flights to other islands like Ishigaki or Miyako instead of staying in mainland Okinawa.

If you drive, you can take multiple trips to Naha as well as the scenic sites at the opposite side of the island. Driving in Okinawa is not that difficult as opposed to places like Greater Tokyo, but accidents do happen, so I understand your concern. And there are strict policies against drinking and driving here in Japan. You do have the option of asking your bartender to call a "daiko" in which a driver will take both you and your car back to your hotel, within a price about the same as a taxi.

Apart from tourism, another unique part of Okinawa mainland is its many U.S. military bases. Chatan is a big military town, so if you stay there you can enjoy quite a typical American/Japanese suburban life with malls and restaurants and daily attractions that can often be seen in U.S. military base towns across the country of Japan, but in a wider area. I personally do not prefer driving near U.S. bases, because military personnel who live under American laws drive in the area.

If you want to make good use of the limited public transport system then you could stay near Kokusai Street and visit the Shuri Castle/Shikinaen area one day using the monorail and taxis (be sure to catch the traditional dance performances if you can!), visit the Churaumi aquarium/Nago area the second day using Yanbaru bus, and on the third day maybe visit some of the war memorials, or the American village area, and spend your evenings around the Kokusai Street area where a lot of nightlife is happening. (You can see folk music performances at a lot of bars and restaurants there, and there's also plenty of souvenir shopping.)

Thank you, guys!!!
Would you know how much would be a taxi ride from Chatan to Naha, and to the aquarium?

Chatan-Naha: about 3500 yen one way
Naha-Aquarium: about 17,000 to 18,000 yen one way
Chatan-Aquarium: about 14,000 yen one way

Thank you, guys!

I stayed at the JAL hotel in Naha last December for 3 days. It was a perfect location close to many restaurants, bars and a short walk to the bus terminal where many of the tours of the main island leave from. I took two bus tours which were much cheaper than paying for a taxi to get around. One tour was around $60 USD and we went to the aquarium, Pinapple Park and make 2 other stops. I also took a half day tour which took us to places around Naha including two shrines. I would recommend taking tours to travel around the main island. I took a public transportation bus to visit the Japanese Underground tunnels which were used during WW2 and also to see the light show which takes place during the month of December.