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All Japan Okinawa

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Okinawa

7 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Okinawa, Japan

Updated May 2, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in Okinawa

Visitors at the Kuroshio Sea main tank

Motobu, Japan

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

One of the world's largest tanks mimics the experience of watching rare whale sharks, giant rays, and deep sea creatures from the ocean floor.
The entrance to underground naval headquarters.

Tomigusuku, Japan

Naval Underground Headquarters

Elaborate series of tunnels where traces of mass suicide are still visible.
Handlers position bulls and cheer 
them on.

Okinawa, Japan

Okinawan Bullfights

A bovine sumo match in which both bulls live to fight another day.
Hacksaw Ridge

Okinawa, Japan

Hacksaw Ridge

A World War II battle site made famous by one man's heroic actions.
An overhead view of the aquarium.

Okinawa, Japan

Aeon Mall Okinawa Rycom Aquarium

Located in the large-scale shopping mall is an otherwise unassuming aquarium featuring species native to Okinawa waters.
Permanently Closed

Okinawa, Japan

Gajumaru Treehouse Diner

Okinawan dining in a twenty foot tall, man-made tree house overlooking Naha Harbor.
Permanently Closed
Replica of Bill Clinton’s childhood home.

Nago-shi, Japan

Clinton Home

An exact replica of Bill Clinton's childhood home stands within a resort in Japan.
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Explore Okinawa, Japan

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Stories About Okinawa

Few have ventured into the narrow tunnels of Dai 32 Gunshireibu-go since the Japanese army abandoned the bunker in May 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa.

Could an Infamous WWII Bunker Become a Symbol of Peace?

The tunnels under Okinawa's Shuri Castle should be preserved as a reminder of the costs of war, advocates say.
by Azby Brown
December 9, 2021
Iriomote is famously unsullied—with the exception of its problematic poop.

Leave Only Footsteps and Take Your Poop When Visiting Japan's Lush Iriomote Island

"Tent toilets" are helping to remedy a stinky situation.
by Alice Barnes-Brown
March 2, 2021
Shikina Cemetery in Naha, the capital of Okinawa, Japan.

The Graveside Festival That Celebrates the Dead in Okinawa

Shimi, or “grave-sweeping festival,” takes place every April on the southernmost islands of Japan.
by Allan Richarz
October 31, 2019
The monument commemorating the driving-side switch on July 30, 1978.

40 Years Ago, Okinawans Returned to Driving on the Left

A stone monument marks this symbolic last moment of post-WWII repatriation.
by Allan Richarz
July 30, 2018

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