Okinawa 6 Nights 7 Days, Two Families: Itinerary & Costs

8am, June 1st, the Zanpa lobby. The palm trees outside were bent sideways.

Direct Answer & TL;DR

Two families, 8 people (4 adults, 4 kids), drove two rental cars through northern Okinawa for 2 nights, central Okinawa for 3, and southern Okinawa for 1. Total cost: ₩9,225,044 ($6,680), or ₩4,612,522 ($3,340) per household. Typhoon 6, “Jangmi,” passed through while we happened to be at Grand Mercure Zanpa for our 3-night stay. No packing up mid-trip, no scrambling for a new booking. We booked the rental car directly through Orix’s official Korean site. If you’re staying all-inclusive at Zanpa, skip the buffet one night and go to the Western restaurant at Hotel Nikko Alivila instead. No extra charge.

What Kind of Place Is Okinawa?

Okinawa Prefecture is Japan’s southernmost prefecture, made up of 160 islands. 49 of them are inhabited, and the prefectural capital, Naha, sits on the largest one, Okinawa’s main island. The climate is subtropical — temperatures stay above 20°C most of the year. This wasn’t part of Japan for a long time. In 1429, the Ryukyu Kingdom unified the main island, made Shuri its capital, and traded as a tributary of Ming China. The kingdom lasted 450 years. After Satsuma domain’s invasion in 1609, it belonged to both China and Japan at once, until the Meiji government abolished the kingdom and established Okinawa Prefecture in 1879. In the 1945 Battle of Okinawa, one in four residents died. The US then governed the islands until May 15, 1972. Today, about 70% of the land used exclusively by US military bases in Japan is in Okinawa.

Okinawa’s Monthly Weather: Rainy Season in May–June, Typhoons June–October

Okinawa’s rainy season starts a month earlier than mainland Japan — May and June. Typhoons run June through October, especially from August to early October.

Naha monthly averages (source: Climates to Travel)

We traveled late May to early June — the wettest stretch of the year. The same source names November through April as the best months for weather overall, and July as the best for a beach trip. Winter sea temperatures hover around 22°C, too cold for swimming.

The 6-Night, 7-Day Itinerary at a Glance

We booked this trip six months out. Round-trip flights on Korean Air, Korea’s flag carrier, three hotels, and two Orix rental cars, all locked in ahead of time. Orion Motobu was booked directly through the hotel’s own site; Grand Mercure Zanpa through the Accor app. Six months of waiting for this trip. The typhoon warning arrived just days before departure.

We split the stay across three hotels to match our route: drive up north for the first two nights near Churaumi Aquarium, come down to central Okinawa to relax, then spend the last night in the south before heading to the airport.

Check-in day at Orion Motobu. The peak in the distance is Ie Island.

Orion Motobu was genuinely great. Open the balcony door and the beach and ocean are right there.

Orix Rental Cars: Booking, Pickup, and Return

We rented two cars from Orix. Picked them up near the airport at the Naha Airport branch, returned them downtown at the Miebashi Station branch.

Booking it yourself

Orix lets you book directly through its official Korean-language site, and that’s what we did.

Finding the airport shuttle stop took a while

The Naha Airport branch is off-airport, so you take a free shuttle. We knew that much going in. What we didn’t know was where to catch it. We came out through international arrivals with no idea where the pickup point was, and it took a fair bit of walking to find the platform.

The pickup map from ORIX’s Korean site. The red box is platform 11. The map only shows the domestic arrival exits (ANA, JAL/JTA). Coming from international arrivals, you walk further to get here.

Only one car came with an ETC card

Of our two rental cars, only one had an ETC card. The branch was simply out of stock. ETC is Japan’s automatic highway toll system, similar to an electronic tag or transponder — it lets you pass through toll gates without stopping to pay cash.

The Korean-language guide the staff walked us through. A car without an ETC card should never enter the middle “ETC専用” (ETC-only) gate.

The staff pulled out a Korean-language guide and walked us through it. The point boils down to one thing: a car without an ETC card must use the gate marked “一般” (general). Drive into the “ETC専用” (ETC-only) gate without a card, and the barrier won’t lift.

Our car was a Daihatsu Rocky, parked at spot E4.

We only found out that ETC cards run out of stock that day. Personally, I’d rather have one if given the choice.

Here’s how the tolls broke down. Tolls on the car with the ETC card came to ₩14,781 ($11). The other car paid tolls separately at each gate (Naha→Nago, Nago→Manzamo, Zanpa→Naha), totaling ₩26,638 ($19).

North and Central Okinawa: Churaumi Was the Kids’ Favorite

Day two was Churaumi Aquarium, the standout of the whole trip for the kids. Admission came to ₩105,477 (~$76) per the settlement sheet.

The Okichan dolphin show is free. Sit in the audience seats and the ocean fills the background.

The dolphin show at Okichan Theater, right next to the aquarium, is free to watch.

Day three, on the drive down to central Okinawa, we stopped at Nago Pineapple Park and Cape Manzamo.

Cape Manzamo, the afternoon of May 31st. Clouds had rolled in. The typhoon was a day out.

Typhoon Jangmi Arrived

At 6:17am on May 31st, the eye of the typhoon showed up clearly on our weather app’s radar.

The eye sitting right below Naha. We checked out that morning and moved to Zanpa.

The storm was named Jangmi, meaning “rose” in Korean. According to Weathernews, Typhoon 6 passed west of Okinawa’s main island on June 1st. The island sat in the dangerous semicircle (the side of the storm’s path with stronger winds), with forecasts warning of gusts near 50 m/s.

The resort went into storm prep. Netting went up over the entire building, and the main entrance shutters came down. One side door stayed open for anyone who absolutely had to go out, guarded by staff. Every time that door opened, wind blasted through the lobby. The kids were startled, and fascinated at the same time.

Netting visible through the glass. The pool outside was a blur of wind and rain.

I was the one who minded it most. No pool, no water activities. Still, one thing worked out. There was no typhoon on our itinerary when we planned it six months earlier. Yet the storm arrived and left within our 3 nights at Zanpa, almost too neatly. You’d think we’d timed the booking around it. Had it hit on a travel day, we’d have been packing up and driving through the storm, or scrambling for a new hotel. Instead, we just stayed put.

I looked up the numbers afterward. Japan’s Meteorological Agency’s long-term averages put typhoon approaches near Okinawa at 0.4 in May and 0.6 in June, well below August (2.2) or September (1.9). Fewer, not zero.

Skipping the Zanpa Buffet for Alivila’s Western Restaurant

On June 2nd, once the typhoon had passed, we went to AEON Mall Rycom. The kids loved the Pokémon store there. We ended up buying a plush toy.

Grand Mercure Zanpa was booked all-inclusive, which meant we didn’t have to worry about meals even on the day we were stuck inside.

Three straight days of the Zanpa dinner buffet gets old, though. So one night, instead of the buffet, we had dinner at the Western restaurant at nearby Hotel Nikko Alivila.

The flyer we got at Zanpa. Easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.

The two hotels run a mutual-use arrangement. Per Grand Mercure’s official notice, all-inclusive guests at Zanpa can eat dinner at Alivila at no extra charge. The conditions:

• Book the Alivila dinner in advance through Alivila’s official site.
• Pick up your meal voucher at the Grand Mercure front desk (available from 6am).
• At Alivila, show your room key and key case and give your name.

The free shuttle timetable. Easy to miss that there’s no run in the 5pm hour.

We shuttled between the hotels for free. Per the posted timetable, shuttles run from Zanpa on the hour, 2pm–9pm, and from Alivila on the half hour, 2:30pm–9:30pm. Nothing runs in the 5pm hour. No reservation needed, and the ride takes about 5 minutes. Grand Mercure’s own website lists Alivila’s departure as 20 minutes past the hour instead, so times may shift — go by the flyer posted on site.

A bottle of Cap Royal Sauvignon Blanc. The single biggest item on that night’s separate bill.

We ate at Alivila’s Western restaurant, Brasserie Verdemar. It was a genuinely good experience. Great atmosphere, great food. The meal itself was free; we only paid for what we ordered beyond it, drinks and mango. The receipt:

Most guests just don’t seem to know this service exists. We were the only family using it that night. If you’re staying all-inclusive at Zanpa, swap the buffet for an Alivila Western dinner at least once.

Last Day, Finally the Pool

The Zanpa pool stayed closed the whole time the typhoon was around. It reopened on the exact day we checked out. So we checked out, then went to the pool. And had a blast. The outdoor pool’s changing room had lockers and showers, so we could rinse off and change, which was great. If you’re planning to swim after checkout, that changing room comes in handy.

In the afternoon, we checked into Hinode Hotel in Naha and returned our rental cars at Orix’s Miebashi Station branch. We wandered Kokusai Street for the evening and had dinner at Yunangi (ゆうなんぎい), a great meal of home-style Japanese cooking. The next day, we took the monorail to the airport.

The Real Cost: ₩9,225,044 ($6,680), ₩4,612,522 ($3,340) per household

This is the settlement sheet the two families split 50/50. Rooms were one per family, two total (each sleeping four). Incheon Airport valet parking, travel insurance, and roaming were billed separately per family and excluded here.

Was that reasonable? By my own standard, yes. We flew a flag carrier, stayed at two resorts, and three of those nights came with meals included.

Six Nights, Seven Days, Gone Fast

Six nights, seven days went by faster than expected, even with a whole day spent stuck inside a resort. Maybe that was the typhoon’s doing. It started in a lobby with wind forcing its way through a side door, and ended in a pool that had just reopened. Looking back, it was good weather for a trip, typhoon included.

🔗 References

• Okinawa Prefecture (Wikipedia) — 160 islands (49 inhabited), subtropical climate, the Battle of Okinawa, returned to Japan May 15, 1972, about 70% of exclusive-use US military facilities in Japan
• Ryukyu Kingdom (Wikipedia) — unified in 1429, capital at Shuri, Satsuma invasion 1609, Okinawa Prefecture established 1879
• Okinawa climate (Climates to Travel) — Naha monthly temperatures, rainfall, and sea temperature; rainy season May–June, typhoons June–October; best time to visit
• Japan Meteorological Agency, typhoon approach averages — average monthly typhoon approaches near Okinawa (0.4 in May, 0.6 in June, 2.2 in August, 1.9 in September)
• Weathernews, Typhoon 6 (Jangmi) — passed west of the main island June 1st, gusts forecast near 50 m/s
• Grand Mercure Okinawa Cape Zanpa Resort, mutual-use service — all-inclusive guests get an Alivila dinner at no extra charge, advance booking, meal voucher, shuttle times
• Orix Rent A Car, option pricing — ETC card rental ¥550 per rental, limited stock by branch
• Orix Rent A Car, Korean official site — official Korean-language booking site, car classes, booking lookup/change/cancel, phishing site warning, International Driving Permit (Geneva Convention)
• Orix Rent A Car, Naha Airport branch — free shuttle about 20 minutes from the airport, hours 9:00am–7:00pm, one-way returns within Okinawa’s main island
• Oki Raku, Orix Naha Airport branch guide — arrivals lobby Exit 1 → crosswalk → shuttle platform 11-B, changed from platform 14 on 2026-01-09
• Orix Rent A Car, Okinawa main island branches — Miebashi Station branch address (2-17-12 Makishi, Naha), 212m from the station
• Maps: Steak House 88 Nago branch · Hotel Nikko Alivila · Yunangi · Orix Miebashi Station branch