Skip to content
Ride Okinawa

Guides · 案内

Sort out the ferries, the bikes and the weather before you land.

A two-car Yui Rail monorail train in silver and red glides along its concrete guideway above Naha against a blue sky full of white clouds

guide

How do you bring your own bike to Okinawa?

All seven domestic airlines we checked fly bikes into Naha, and JAL, JTA, RAC, ANA and Skymark carry one inside your free allowance. Here's what each charges, how the monorail and buses treat a rinko bag, and where to leave the empty box.

The white Ferry Tokashiki waits at its berth in Naha's Tomari Port beside the curved roof of the terminal building

guide

How do you hop between Okinawa's islands?

Boats from Naha reach the Keramas and Kume-jima, Ishigaki's Ritou Terminal sends high-speed boats across the Yaeyamas, and Miyako and Ishigaki are a flight from Naha. Here's which boats carry a bike and what the winter north wind does to the timetable.

Green slopes on the Hirakubo peninsula fall to a pale sand cove and a wide shelf of reef water along the far north coast of Ishigaki.

guide

How does cycling differ on Okinawa's outer islands?

Miyako's bridges and capes take the full winter north-northeasterly, Taketomi's village lanes are coral sand, Iriomote asks for 40 km/h to protect its wildcats, and of the two Yaeyama ferry companies only Anei Kanko loads an unbagged bike on its high-speed boats.

From the air the coastal highway curves past the small pale sand of Naminoue Beach, and the dense white city of Naha stretches inland to the hills

guide

What do you need to know before riding a bike on Okinawa's main island?

Keep left, stay off Route 58 where you can, light up in tunnels, and know that since April 2026 police can fine riders aged 16 and over on the spot. Here are the rules, the fines and the island's hazards, from heat and habu to the Yanbaru rail.

Green slopes on the Hirakubo peninsula fall to a pale sand cove and a wide shelf of reef water along the far north coast of Ishigaki.

guide

What is winter riding like on Okinawa's outer islands?

From December to March JMA's 1991–2020 normals give Miyako, Ishigaki, Iriomote, Hateruma and Yonaguni daily highs of 20–24 °C and lows of 16–19 °C, a north-northeasterly averaging 4–6 m/s (7–8 m/s on Yonaguni), 10–16 rainy days a month and seas near 23 °C.