Travelling to Okinawa with children

Hi We are going to Japan on holiday and I would like to know what kind of attractions Okinawa has to offer to children ( 2 girls age 6 and 4 )
I would also like to know if Okinawa is still traditional Japanese or has been more like western cities.
What will be the best time to travel to Okinawa and the best way to get there?

With kind regards,

Marcel

We are going to Japan on holiday and I would like to know what kind of attractions Okinawa has to offer to children ( 2 girls age 6 and 4 )

Aquariums, beaches, Okinawa themed amusement parks with cultural activities...

Some basics:
http://www.japan-guide.com/list/e1247.html

I would also like to know if Okinawa is still traditional Japanese or has been more like western cities.

Okinawa has a distinct culture different from mainland Japan. It has never been "traditional Japanese". The native culture is called Ryukyu culture. Okinawa Main Island is the most developed of all the islands on Okinawa and has a large presence of US armed forces. It is the least "traditional".

Smaller islands have more of a traditional Ryukyu charm. A highlight - although touristy - is Taketomijima in southern Okinawa Prefecture:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7250.html

What will be the best time to travel to Okinawa and the best way to get there?

The second half of June comes with the most stable, sunny weather of the year. July and August also tend to be very sunny, but hot and humid with occasional typhoons. The best way to go to Okinawa depends on where you come from. In most cases it is by air:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7116.html

Getting to Okinawa is usually accomplished by air from either KIX in Osaka or Tokyo Haneda airports. Be sure to get the Yokoso Welcome to Japan Fare from either JAL or ANA. (There are ferries from the main island, but they are fairly long trips.

On the main island of Okinawa, Naha up to Kadena on the west coast are pretty well westernized with a few exceptions such as Shuri Castle.

North of Nago is the Churaumi Ocean Expo Park with its huge aquarium with whale sharks, manta rays, and hundreds of other fish. There is also a dolphin show that is very fun especially for young kids.

http://www.okinawaindex.com/index/?tid=3&cid=65&id=17

and

http://www.kaiyouhaku.com/en/index.html

Also near Nago is NEO Park which is an open air zoo.

http://www.okinawaindex.com/index/?tid=3&cid=65&id=19

and Okinawa Fruitland.

http://www.okinawaindex.com/index/?tid=3&cid=65&id=22

Ryukyu Mura between Nago and Kadena would also be interesting as it is a depiction of an ancient Okinawan village. See

http://www.okinawaindex.com/index/?tid=3&cid=65&id=25

and

http://www.ryukyumura.co.jp/pdf/e_001080124.pdf

The village website is in Japanese.

There is also Murasake Mura which is also a replica of an old Okinawan village and has activities in which the kids can participate.

http://www.okinawaindex.com/index/?tid=3&cid=65&id=12

In the southern part of the island is Okinawa World with a large cave you can walk through (I highly recommend this) and many exhibits on Okinawan culture. I particularly enjoyed the young kids doing a dance and the Taiko drummers. There are also Eisa dancers/drummers and a large shisa (liondog) dance. The kids might also enjoy the habu museum if they find an interest in snakes.

http://www.okinawaindex.com/index/?tid=3&cid=65&id=3

Another fun thing to do would be to take the ferry from Naha port to Tokashiki Island about 20 miles west of the main island. This island is definitely Okinawan. If you decide to go, take a bus from the Tokashika port to Aharen beach. There is a small village there. The beach is fantastic and I would definitely get the kids some snorkeling equipment and let them cruise around in the enclosed area of the beach and see the fantastic array of tropical fish (nothing scary). However, the butterfly fish may swarm around you. There is also a yellow submarine with a glass bottom (it doesn't actually submerge) at the port near Aharen that will take you on a cruise around the bay. We saw a sea turtle when we went. This island was one of my favorite places in Japan. There are several dive shops in Aharen that will rent you snorkeling gear and show you how to use it. Look at the marine activities section in the photo gallery at the website below.

http://www.vill.tokashiki.okinawa.jp/en/lets_go/ett.htm

While on the island of Okinawa, I would recommend renting a car to get around. Most have GPS units and although they are in Japanese, you can find your way around easily. (They also show where all the convenience stores are. They have clean western style restrooms.) You will need an international driving permit and they drive on the left side of the road as in England.

April or early May before the rains start is a good time to go, although you may have to deal with Golden Week, a national holiday. We went there over Christmas the first time. Nice, but not recommended as the water is too cold. The second time we went in early October. The weather was still quite warm, no all day rain, the ocean was quite comfortable, and not much in the way of crowds.

Can you please tell me if this fare is for one leg or round trip? I looked at the web site, but I'm not sure if it is for one leg.

Thank you!

Sorry about the previous question. I thought sector meant area, but now I see it is for 1 leg of the trip.

For example if I was flying from Haneda to Naha and back, that would be two sectors.

Hi Uji and Paul,

Thanks for your quick response.
It is very helpful to me
Domo arrigato gozaimashita

That's correct. Sector=leg.

Round trip Haneda - Naha - Haneda = 2 sectors/legs

It's a very good deal.

Yes, it's a very, very good deal.

I plan on using this next year for our family trip from Haneda to Naha.

Thank you Paul for this information.