Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is the Ocean Expo Park’s biggest draw, so most people head straight here. But picturesque coastal paths, a colorful tourist trolley, and a designated fleet of local buses will take you to other museums and attractions, including an open-air reconstruction of a traditional Okinawan village (Native Okinawan Village), a botanical garden known as the Tropical Dream Center, and Emerald Beach, which has a special swimming section.
You can buy tickets for the aquarium online in advance. You might want to visit the aquarium as part of a customizable full-day tour of the island’s northern attractions, which could include a stop at the ruins of Nakijin Castle, a 14th-century fortress protected by UNESCO which dates back to Okinawa’s independent Ryukyu Kingdom.
The aquarium has a top-notch restaurant—Inoh—that has a lunch buffet featuring Okinawan specialties and views of the East China Sea. You can visit without a ticket for the aquarium.
Bring comfortable shoes, especially if you plan on visiting other attractions within Ocean Expo Park, because the park stretches for a full three kilometers (1.8 miles) along the coast. Bring a towel and bathing suit if you plan to swim at Emerald Beach.
The aquarium grants free entry to visitors with certificates demonstrating a mental or physical disability and one caregiver. Every level has elevator access to accommodate wheelchairs or visitors with mobility issues, and you can rent electric wheelchairs for free.
For visitors with infants or small children, two nursing rooms are available as well as restrooms with changing tables, and diapers are sold in the Blue Manta gift shop.
Direct buses— Yanbaru Express and line 117—link Ocean Expo Park with Naha city center and the airport, as well as the Okinawa Airport Shuttle. Count on the ride taking at least two hours depending on traffic conditions. If you’re coming from Nago, you can get off at the Kinen Koen-mae bus stop facing Ocean Expo Park from bus lines 65 and 66— about a 50-minute journey. Alternatively, you can rent a private car and drive yourself.
Aim to arrive early if you’d like to miss the biggest crowds, which tend to reach the aquarium from late morning to midday, although that’s not always an option if coming from Naha. Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium also tends to stay open later in the peak summer months, but check the latest opening times ahead of your visit to be sure.
In Ocean Expo Park, you’ll find the Oceanic Culture Museum—dedicated to the maritime peoples of the Pacific region. There are around 750 artifacts from Okinawa and Oceania on display, most notably traditional canoes. The museum also features a planetarium theater where you can hear Okinawan folktales as you watch the night sky, illuminated to reflect different seasons.