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Situated approximately 400 miles south of mainland Japan, the city features unique cuisine, diverse marine life and has been home to a U.S. air base since the end of the Second World War.
Not enough on offer for an extended stay if you're working remotely, but if you're already in Japan on vacation, the wider island would make for an interesting 3 night trip.
After a hectic week, as I had envisioned in Tokyo, I booked a week in Okinawa's capital as a fitting way to conclude the Japanese itinerary, blissfully unaware at the time of booking that this period coincides with particularly wet weather.
Naha was by far the best city I had visited in Japan for Airbnb options. There was a surprisingly good range of modern apartments, centrally located and very affordable, in complete contrast with other cities.
As with other destinations in Japan, it's well worth considering hotels, where prices are generally lower than what you would expect to pay for equivalent accommodations in Western Europe.
There are several options in the city but by no means is it a great destination for working from. I had a pleasurable week at .andwork okinawa which I've written about in greater details below.
If i was to return again, I would look for an Airbnb with a suitable working environment, or a hotel with a lounge or lobby to work from as whilst the options in the city are passable, unless you are dying to get out of the house, it's not worth the hassle.
Prices were in line with the other destinations I had visited in Japan, with a particularly large number of inexpensive options for lunch. Walking around Makishi Market you can easily find small lunch boxes containing Rice, Fish and vegetables for 200 Yen (£1).
There isn’t much happening in Naha, or across Okinawa in general. The population is more dispersed, and it resembles a series of interconnected towns without a true urban centre.
Compared to the metropolises of the mainland, this more relaxed pace of life makes it a considerably less appealing addition to your Japan itinerary if you're seeking an immersive experience. However, if you found Tokyo or Osaka overwhelming, this could be the perfect antidote.
Japan observes Japan Standard Time (JST), which is 9 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). However, the time difference reduces to 8 hours during the summer months as Japan does not observe daylight saving time.This large gap in time zones has advantages and disadvantages, but planning a trip during the summer would reduce the likelihood of having to work past midnight to maintain alignment with European schedules.
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After looking around at several other sites in the city, this seems to be your best option if staying in Naha. Located on the ground floor of the Estinate Hotel, they offer daily, weekly, and monthly working passes for using their ground floor lobby and lounge area.
A weekly pass costs 7,000 Yen (£35), while a single day pass is 2,000 Yen (£10), both giving you access from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Although not a conventional office space, it makes for a surprisingly comfortable base with a few large desks and a central area with stools. There's an outdoor seating area, which is a good option on sunnier days.
Each pass includes three complimentary drinks throughout the day (only one being coffee) and a complimentary hour of free beer from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM, which may come dangerously early in your work day. There's an on-site cafe specialising in tacos, ideal for evening snacks.
Some downsides are the lack of a dedicated area for sensitive calls and a noisier-than-ideal general ambiance. However, assuming you're a short-term visitor, neither of these should deter you.
HAVE A GOOD DAY - This site only recently opened and looks like it could be an ideal work-oriented place. At the time of visiting, there was no one in the entire building, which led to a bit of an empty ambiance. It has great potential though, so I would suggest poking your head in for a walk around as it begins to gain traction. It closes at 20:00 in the evenings.
Japan has introduced a new digital nomad visa under its specified visa category, allowing remote workers to stay in Japan for up to 6 months.
Requirements include having an annual income over 10 million yen (around $65,000 USD), private health insurance, and being from an eligible country like the US, UK, EU, Australia, Singapore or South Korea.
Visa holders are not considered residents, cannot extend their stay beyond 6 months, cannot open bank accounts or access national healthcare system in Japan.
Shuri Castle, a gusuku (Okinawan castle), served as the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom for several centuries. Perched atop a hill overlooking the city, its impressive red-tiled buildings showcase a unique architectural style blending Japanese, Chinese, and Okinawan influences.
It's worth noting that the castle is undergoing large-scale renovation works until 2025 due to a major fire in 2019.
There is no case for visiting Naha in June, as the wet season can bring prolonged periods of rain. If you have a short amount of time, you don't want any days wiped out by heavy rain. You don't even benefit from the late sunsets that characterise this period in Europe, with darkness falling just before 7 PM.
March to Mid-May appeared to be the sweet spot to make the most of the warmer weather before the rains arrive.
If you're in Japan for an extended period, you could create a great 5-day holiday itinerary for the island as a whole. There's no need for more than a day in Naha itself. I enjoyed the week I spent there, but as a place to work remotely, there isn't enough attraction to draw you away from the larger cities of the mainland, unless explicitly wanting to make use of it's aquatic qualities.
The presence of the US military base seems to attract more Americans than other places I saw within the country, especially in the area of Chatan, which is in close proximity to the base.
It's a popular tourist destination for Japanese from the mainland as well as neighbouring countries in Asia, so for such a small city, it has a remarkably international feel.
There was scant evidence of a remote work community; each of the coworking spaces I visited was practically empty, but this may have been partly due to it being the off-season.
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