Naha travel guide

Naha: what to see and when to go

Naha’s market, castle and pottery street each run on their own clock. The market opens at 8:00, the castle’s ticket price changes on 23 November 2026, and the Arakaki potter’s house opens only on Friday-to-Sunday and holiday afternoons.

We have not visited these places in person. Everything here comes from official pages, and each card says when we checked them.

Kokusai Street on a summer day, palm trees and tall shop signs above people walking under umbrellas

What to see in Naha

  • Kokusai Street on a summer day, palm trees and tall shop signs above people walking under umbrellas

    Kokusai Street and Makishi Market国際通りと第一牧志公設市場

    For choosing a fish downstairs and having a diner cook it upstairs

    • Food
    • Market
    OpensMarket 8:00–22:00 (varies by shop). Kokusai Street closed to private cars on Sundays 12:00–18:00.
    CostsYou pay the stall for the fish and the diner for the cooking, which depends on the dish.
    ClosedMarket closed the fourth Sunday of each month, except in December.

    Checked 5 October 2026

    Read the guide
  • Shuri Castle seen from its walls: curving stone ramparts and gate towers above green lawns, a few visitors on the path, the city of Naha beyond

    Shuri Castle and the Kinjo-cho Stone Path首里城と首里金城町石畳道

    For the castle, a royal tomb, and a stone path that came through the Battle of Okinawa

    • Castle
    • History
    OpensFree area 8:00. Paid area 8:30. Tamaudun 9:00–18:00, last entry 17:30.
    CostsPaid area 400 yen up to 21 Nov 2026, 1,000 yen from 23 Nov 2026. Tamaudun 300 yen.
    ClosedPark closed all day on 22 Nov 2026. Tamaudun open every day.

    Checked 5 October 2026

    Read the guide
  • The Arakaki house in Tsuboya: a red-tiled roof above a wall of rough limestone blocks, on a quiet lane

    Tsuboya Yachimun Street壺屋やちむん通り

    For a potter’s house and its red-tiled kiln, on a Friday, weekend or holiday afternoon

    • Pottery
    • Walk
    OpensArakaki house Fri–Sun and public holidays (some excepted), 13:00–17:00. Shops keep their own hours.
    CostsArakaki house free. Ikutouen shisa-making 4,400 yen.
    ClosedArakaki house closed 28 Dec–4 Jan and during storm warnings. Pottery Museum closed until 31 Mar 2027.

    Checked 5 October 2026

    Read the guide
  • Rows of open umbrellas in pastel colours hanging under a steel canopy at Itoman Market Itomaru

    Itoman Market Itomaru糸満市場いとま〜る

    For an early morning at a town market, where island vegetables are sold at a price you agree out loud

    • Food
    • Market
    OpensKamaboko maker 5:00–16:00 (Mondays to 12:00). Market hours 9:00–18:30, varying by shop.
    CostsNo entry fee is listed.
    ClosedButchers closed Sundays. Kamaboko maker closed Thursdays.

    Checked 6 October 2026

    Read the guide
  • A traveler with a backpack and a takeaway coffee smiling at her phone map as she walks along a sidewalk under the elevated monorail track in Naha on an overcast morning, bougainvillea spilling over a stone wall beside her

    Where to Stay那覇の宿

    For choosing where to sleep: near Kokusai Street, by the bus terminal at Asahibashi, or on the hill at Shuri

    • Stay
    • Walk
    OpensFrom Naha Airport by monorail: Asahibashi 11 minutes, Shuri 27.
    CostsNo room rates listed; they change by the night.
    ClosedCheck current bus departures to Itoman with Okinawa Bus.

    Checked 7 October 2026

    Read the guide
The Arakaki house in Tsuboya: a red-tiled roof above a wall of rough limestone blocks, on a quiet lane

One thing that could change your plan

Plan the Arakaki potter’s house for a Friday, weekend or holiday afternoon

The Arakaki house on Tsuboya Yachimun Street, a potter’s home with its red-tiled kiln, is free and opens only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (some excepted), 13:00–17:00. The street is there to walk on any day, so choose one of those afternoons. The house also closes while a storm warning is in force.

Read the Tsuboya Yachimun Street guide

How the day changes

The market and the castle open in the morning; the Arakaki house opens at 13:00, and only on certain days. The guides give the full tables.

From 8:00

The market and the castle’s free area

The First Makishi Public Market opens at 8:00 and Shuri Castle Park’s free area at 8:00. The castle’s paid area follows at 8:30, and Tamaudun at 9:00.

Afternoon

Sundays on Kokusai Street, and the Arakaki house

Kokusai Street is closed to private cars on Sundays from 12:00 to 18:00. The Arakaki house opens at 13:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (some excepted), and closes at 17:00.

Late afternoon

The last entries

Tamaudun’s last entry is 17:30. The castle’s paid area takes its last entry at 18:30 from April to November and 17:30 from December to March.

Evening

Last order for cooking your fish

The market’s diners take the last order for food bought downstairs at 19:45; their own last order is 20:00.

Before you go

  • Check the fourth Sunday of the month. The First Makishi Public Market is closed that day, except in December.
  • Shuri Castle’s ticket price changes on 23 November 2026. The paid area costs 400 yen for adults up to 21 November 2026 and 1,000 yen from 23 November 2026. The park is closed all day on 22 November.
  • Pick your Tsuboya day before you go. The Arakaki house opens only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (some excepted), 13:00–17:00, and closes while a storm warning is in force.

Each card shows the date its official pages were checked.