Kerama Islands Day Trip
Keramashoto National Park
The Kerama Islands are part of Keramashoto National Park, which was designated in 2014 to protect the wildlife and scenery of these beautiful islands. The chain is made up of 30 small islands, four of which are inhabited. Tokashiki is the largest, home to the main port and the most popular beach. The other main islands are Zamami, Aka, and Geruma, which are smaller and less visited.
The islands are famous for their “Kerama Blue”, the intensely blue water surrounding them. Because of the ocean conditions and the shallow sea floor, the water takes on an almost unreal shade of turquoise and ultramarine. You’ll have to trust us, the photos aren’t edited, the water really is that blue. Seeing it in person had us rubbing our eyes, it’s not often that colors look so vivid. With warm water, soft white sand, and incredible snorkeling, it’s easy to see why this place is such a popular destination.
Which Islands to Visit
Tokashiki is by far the most popular island to visit. It is the only one you can visit with a day trip, due to the boat schedule. If you want to go to another island from Tokashiki, you’ll have to spend the night. We only had one day to spare, so we only saw Tokashiki. However, many people recommend visiting Zamami and Aka, although it’s much harder to get to. If you only have a day, don’t stress, there’s more than enough to do around Aharen beach alone. If you have several days and want to take it really slow, a 3 day island hop can take you in a circle around the islands, giving you ample time to explore the more remote areas.
How to Book a Ticket
Ferries to the Kerama Islands depart from Tomari Port in Naha, which is easy to reach by monorail or car. There are two lines: one from Naha to Tokashiki, and another from Naha to Zamami and Aka. There is no ferry that travels in a full loop between the islands. Tickets to Tokashiki can be purchased up to two months in advance, while tickets to Zamami and Aka are available one month in advance. They sell out quickly, especially for the limited high-speed ferries. We strongly recommend booking online as early as possible rather than waiting to buy tickets at the port.
Booking tickets in Japan can sometimes be a bit tricky, with websites that are often only in Japanese and not very intuitive. Fortunately, Okinawa has an excellent official page with all the travel information you need, including details on every ferry and links to their booking sites. Just keep in mind that there are some important limitations to consider when planning your trip.
For Tokashiki, there are two types of ferries: a high-speed ferry that runs twice a day, and a slower ferry that runs once a day. The same applies to Zamami and Aka, with two high-speed departures and one slow round trip per day. Because of this schedule, it’s not possible to take the slow ferries for a day trip. If you only have one day, you have to take the high-speed ferry in the morning and afternoon, which still gives you plenty of time to explore.
Getting to the Kerama Islands
Tomari Port is relatively small and close to public transit, but the lines can get long, and the ferries are about an 8-minute walk from the ticket office, so we recommend arriving at least 30 minutes before departure. Even if you book a ticket online, you still need to pick it up at the office. If you booked through a tour agency, just mention your name and the agency, or if you booked directly, you can show your booking email.
Once you arrive on the islands, you’ll need to get from the port to the beaches. On Tokashiki, there is only one bus line, so if you want to get straight to the beach, booking through an agency is a great way to ensure transportation. We only had one day, so we booked with an agency to make the most of our time, which made everything much more convenient.
Aharen Beach
After arriving on Tokashiki, we took the bus to Aharen Beach, the main beach on the island. As soon as we arrived, we were stunned by the color of the water. Sometimes when you travel, there’s an “Instagram vs. reality” moment where things don’t live up to the photos. This was the opposite. We could hardly believe how blue the water was, how soft the sand felt, and how remote and perfect the setting seemed.
Aharen Beach is huge, with a wide area for supervised swimming and another unsupervised zone where you can snorkel freely without a life vest. The small village nearby offers rentals for parasols, chairs, snorkeling gear, and all kinds of beach equipment. You can also sign up for last-minute snorkeling tours or tubing here.
There’s plenty of space to set up, and the sand is so soft that we easily found a great spot to lay down our beach mat and umbrellas. For those who just want to relax, this is the perfect place, with a stunning view of Hanarijima, a small island just beyond the bay. It used to be possible to rent kayaks and visit the island, but as of summer 2025, this is no longer allowed. The water in the Kerama Islands is perfectly warm, so even if you’re not a big swimmer, taking a dip feels incredible. Overall, Aharen Beach became our favorite beach ever, thanks to its secluded atmosphere, perfect sand and water, and breathtaking views.
Kerama Islands Snorkeling
One of the main attractions of the Kerama Islands is the incredible snorkeling available right off the shore. You can take boats further out to the reef, but the snorkeling from the beach itself is already amazing. When I first entered the water, I was a bit disappointed. Although the water was incredibly clear and blue, there wasn’t much life at first, and some of the coral looked bleached. But the farther I swam, the more I saw. Eventually, I was surrounded by hundreds of fish, with huge coral colonies and bright anemones. I’ve never seen such diversity of fish and coral before, it really felt like being inside Finding Nemo. Snorkeling in Kerama easily beat the limited snorkeling I did in Miyako a few days before.
I managed to get a life vest and convinced Yemisi snorkel with me. We’ve snorkeled in El Nido in the Philippines and Maya Bay in Thailand, but this easily topped them all. The water was shallow and calm, which made it easy to explore the coral, sea stars, and countless fish. There are certainly spots in the Pacific with even better snorkeling, and I’m sure we would have seen more if we had taken a tour. Kerama is known for sea turtles on guided snorkeling trips, though we had already seen some in Miyako a few days earlier, so we didn’t mind missing them here. Aharen Beach kept us busy the entire day, and I ended up spending over three hours exploring the coral and sea life.
Tokashiki Parlor
After hours of swimming and sunbathing, we were exhausted and ready for something to eat. To be honest, the small village near the beach doesn’t have many options. Our tour technically included “lunch,” but it turned out to be just a pot of curry, so we decided to look for something better. We found Tokashiki Parlor, a relaxed outdoor spot with plenty of shade and a food-truck atmosphere. The menu was small, which made sense given how remote the island is. The prices were surprisingly reasonable for such a touristy area, though our expectations weren’t too high.
I ordered a massaman curry, and Yemisi got taco rice (our third of the trip). Shockingly, both were excellent. The taco rice was the classic Okinawan style, similar to what we had at King’s the day before, but better seasoned and topped with fresh pico de gallo. My curry was rich and flavorful, and tasted close to what we’d had in Thailand, which made me really happy. It was definitely a step up from the curry we were supposed to get through the tour. Tokashiki Parlor turned out to be a great place to rest, recharge, and enjoy a meal that was absolutely worth the price.
Kubandaki Lookout
At the end of the beach is Kubandaki Lookout, a small concrete viewpoint on the rocks. Normally, something like this wouldn’t be anything special, but with the incredible water below, we knew the view would be amazing. The moment we looked over the wall, we were stunned. The ocean breeze swept over the pavilion cooling us down. From above, the water looked even bluer than before.
It might not be the most dramatic natural view we’ve ever seen, but because of the water it’s easily one of our favorite vistas from all our travels. There’s also a beautiful arched rock pathway leading up to the lookout, and since it’s a short walk, we definitely recommend visiting while you’re there. On our way back to the beach, we grabbed some Blue Seal from a nearby stall, making it the perfect refresher.
Final Thoughts
As we got back on the boat, we could barely believe what we had seen. I never thought Japan of all places could look like this. We were wiped from a long day of swimming, but it was absolutely worth it. Even if you’re just looking for a relaxing beach to lay in the sun, I couldn’t think of a more beautiful place. This was our last day in Okinawa, and it was well spent. Kerama and the rest of the islands really stole our hearts.
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