Naminoue Beach
👋 Haisai! I’m CULT.
If you’re arriving at Naha Airport for your Okinawa trip and looking for the nearest beach, Naminoue Beach is probably your best bet. It’s conveniently located, has jellyfish prevention nets, and there are plenty of commercial facilities nearby where you can relax and have fun!
Additionally, you can visit Fukushu-en or Naminoue Shrine nearby, making it a worthwhile spot to visit in terms of time spent.
📌 Location and Opening Hours
There are many coin parking lots around Naminoue Beach, making it easily accessible. It’s also not far from Miebashi Monorail Station on Kokusai Street, so you can reach it on foot. The beach opens annually in early April, and although the closing time varies by month, lifeguards are on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the summer to ensure safety. In Okinawa, swimming is only allowed where lifeguards are present [Google Map]
🏖️ Naminoue Beach
When you arrive at Naminoue Beach, you’ll find that although it’s not very large, there are water leisure services available. You can rent tubes, sunbeds, and parasols. The prices are usually around 500-1,000 yen, allowing you to rent a variety of items needed for your water activities.
The most distinctive feature of Naminoue Beach is that the Tomari Bridge runs right in front of the swimming area. It gives a rather unique feeling. Although it might be a bit disappointing that it’s not an open, expansive beach, this might be the safest beach in Okinawa against tsunamis. There are numerous tsunami prevention breakwaters installed.
Of course, I haven’t experienced a tsunami while living in Okinawa. But you never know, right?
Okinawa rarely suffers from earthquake damage, but it does experience natural disasters in the form of tsunamis caused by earthquakes at sea. However, Naha City has implemented excellent tsunami measures, so there’s no need to worry 👍
For your safe swimming experience… lifeguards are continuously watching over you. Okinawa Prefecture holds the unfortunate distinction of having the highest drowning rate in Japan, which is why there is a strong emphasis on water safety. Therefore, you must only swim in areas where lifeguards are present.
If an accident occurs while swimming outside the lifeguard’s supervision, your travel insurance will not cover it 😭
The blue buoys you see in the photo mark the safe area controlled by the lifeguard. If you go beyond them, the lifeguard will blow a whistle and ask you to return to the safe zone. So, please make sure to enjoy your water activities within the safe area 🛟
Additionally, the blue buoys have another function: there’s a net underneath them to prevent jellyfish from approaching. There are indeed a lot of jellyfish in the waters off Okinawa.
From a distance, the beach looks like this. Of course, you can also come up here and capture the view of the beach in your photos. I visit Naminoue Beach almost daily to take photos of the Okinawa weather, which means it’s quite convenient to access.
Additionally, Naminoue Beach is a commercial facility, so sunbeds and sunbed areas are in a paid zone. As you can see in the photo, if you prefer not to use them, you can find a comfortable spot elsewhere and enjoy your own time. No one will pressure you or give you any looks.
🚿 Other Various Facilities
In the vicinity, you can rent benches with tents, and there are even two convenient spots for waste separation. I’ve visited all the beaches in Okinawa, and usually, the waste separation areas are hidden away, right? At Naminoue Beach, there are three clearly visible spots, making it easy to dispose of things like drinks.
I often spend leisurely time sitting on the beach with a drink I bought from a nearby vending machine. The drink in the photo is a Santory Natchan 🍎 apple juice sold just behind the beach, and it was the tastiest drink I’ve had in Japan. I highly recommend you try it too 👍
And there are food trucks as well.
The menu includes Okinawan-style shaved ice called zenzai, ice cream, pork steak, and hot dogs. They’re perfect street foods for a quick bite while enjoying a day at the beach.
And when you visit Naminoue Beach, even if you’re not swimming but just dipping your feet in the water, you’ll notice some salt sticking to your feet, right? So, you need to wash your feet before leaving, and there’s a free foot bath near the toilets. You can rinse off the sand and salt here.
Once inside, you’ll find coin lockers available, allowing you to temporarily store your belongings while you change into swimwear or take a shower. The cost to use a coin locker is 200 yen.
There’s also a coin-operated shower, where you can get fresh water for 3 minutes for 100 yen. If you’ve enjoyed a swim at Naminoue Beach, it’s a good idea to take a shower before leaving, don’t you think? Unfortunately, they don’t sell disposable towels here, so you’ll need to bring your own towel, or you could put your swimsuit back on and head to the beach to dry off in the sun. The choice is yours 🗽
And right next to here is the Naminoue Shrine. What kind of deity is worshipped here, you ask? It’s a shrine where you can pray for safety at sea and traffic safety. If you’re visiting Okinawa, you’ll probably be swimming or driving, right? It’s an all-in-one shrine where you can pray for both types of safety.
- Related post: Naminoue Shrine, praying for sea and traffic safety
Additionally, Naminoue Beach is a sunset beach facing west, so you can enjoy the sunset. However, as the Tomari Bridge obstructs the view, I recommend going up onto the Tomari Bridge to watch the sunset. From the top of the Tomari Bridge, you can see the horizon and enjoy a stunning sunset as the sun dips below it.
Moreover, there’s the previously mentioned Naminoue Shrine, and Fukushuen is nearby, making it a perfect spot for a combined visit. It can easily fill half a day of your Okinawa Naha trip.
Fukushuen > Naminoue Shrine > Naminoue Beach
- Related post: A Little Fuzhou in Okinawa, Fukushuen
🚘 Recommended Car Rentals in Okinawa
We’re almost finished creating a site where you can book rental cars. We’re doing our best to make it convenient for you, so please take a look at the rental car reviews for now. The prices and service are really great 👍
