4-Day Okinawa Trip with Kids | An Experience-Focused Trip Enjoyed Just Around the Hotel [Rizzan Sea-Park Hotel Tancha Bay]
What I wanted to prioritize on our Okinawa trip with kidsðº
What I wanted to prioritize most on this Okinawa trip was "what we experience" rather than "where we go."
It was a 4-day, 3-night trip with my third-grade and kindergarten-aged daughters, but the first and last days were mostly just travel. We only really had about two full days to spend at a leisurely pace.
Instead of packing in standard tourist spots, I planned the trip around "experiences the children could actually enjoy," and it turned out to be a more satisfying Okinawa trip than I could have imagined.
I'll summarize it here as a record of our Okinawa trip with kids.
Day 1 | A Relaxed Start Focused on Travelâïž
First, we arrived at Naha Airport in the evening on the first day.
We headed toward the hotel, stopped by A&W and Blue Seal, and checked in.
We were tired from traveling, so we didn't push ourselves and went to bed early.
We stayed at the Rizzan Sea-Park Hotel Tancha Bay, a resort hotel in Onna Villageðš
Click here for the stay reportð
Day 2 | Enjoying the Blue Cave & Sea Activities at the Hotelð
On the second day, we went snorkeling at the Blue Cave in the morning.
The sea was calm that day, and we were able to enter the Blue Cave by boat.
The kids were a little nervous at first, but they were hooked as soon as they got into the water!
The Okinawan sea was truly beautiful, and with so many fish swimming right nearby, we adults were also very moved.
The shop I used took lots of photos and short videos, which was great for preserving memories.
Click here for the snorkeling experience articleð
Since the forecast for the next day was rain, we decided to move the hotel marine activities we had planned for the following day to this afternoon.
After taking out some taco rice and having a relaxing lunch in our hotel room, we headed to the beach and pool in front of the hotel.
We also tried the banana boat and the tubes.
My eldest daughter got really into the tubes and surprisingly went for a second round! My youngest daughter seemed to love the hotel pool and played happily the whole time.
At the pool, the kids were also able to ride the hand-cranked boats they were interested in.
I feel like it was really great for this trip that we minimized travel, allowing us to take our time and enjoy each activity.
For dinner, we ate Okinawan cuisine at an izakaya near the hotel. The kids really liked the sea grapes they tried for the first time, so we bought some as souvenirs at a roadside station the next day.
In the evening, we were also able to watch the hotel's Eisa and Ryukyu dance show, which allowed us to experience Okinawan culture.
Day 3 | A Day Full of Okinawa-Style Experiencesð¿
On the third day, after a leisurely breakfast, we first headed to a Ryukyu glass-making experience.
We were able to choose our own preferred colors, patterns, and shapes to create glasses and small bowls, and each one turned out completely different.
There were some difficult steps, but the staff provided plenty of support, and the children worked with very serious expressions.
They seemed very excited to pick them up the next day.
After that, we had a relaxing time traveling while eating Okinawa soba at a roadside station and enjoying sata andagi from a famous shop.
In the afternoon, we went to Bios Hill.
Although the rain got heavy along the way, there was a covered lake cruise boat and indoor play areas, so we were able to enjoy it more leisurely than we had expected.
It was great to be able to try so many things in one place, such as Ryukyu costume experiences, water buffalo carts, island goat walks, and giant swings.
The children even said they wanted to do all of them again!
Click here for the summary article on Bios Hillð
At night, we returned to the hotel and, after dinner, tried painting Shisa figurines.
They were quite serious about painting them, and it was interesting to see how each one showed their own personality.
Final Day | A Morning Enjoying the Sea Until the Very EndðŽ
The final day went by in a flash.
The weather was beautiful and the sea was clear, so we went to the beach in front of the hotel for a little bit before heading home.
Being able to get to the beach right from the hotel was a huge help for a trip where we didn't have much time.
It was only a short time before checkout, but I was happy we could enjoy the Okinawan sea until the very end.
After that, we went to pick up the Ryukyu glass we made the day before and then headed to the airport.
At the airport, while choosing souvenirs, we talked as a family about how we made so many memories.
I was very satisfied with our Okinawa trip with kids, which was 'experience-focused'ð
When people think of Okinawa trips, there are many classic tourist spots like the Churaumi Aquarium, but this time, because I wanted to let them have various experiences, I intentionally didn't include them in our itinerary.
Instead, we were able to enjoy many experiences with the children, such as snorkeling, Ryukyu glass making, and Shisa painting.
It seems it became a memorable trip for the children as well, and they have been talking a lot about Okinawa since we got back.
It became a memorable Okinawa trip that was true to our family's love for experiences.
About each experience
This time, I summarized our 'experience-focused Okinawa trip' enjoyed around the hotel.
I plan to write in more detail about each experience in separate articles as wellð
ã»Blue Cave Snorkeling
ã»Hotel marine activities that the children loved
ã»Ryukyu glass experience
ã»Okinawa experiences at Bios Hill, etc.
I hope this will be helpful for those planning an Okinawa trip with kids in the futureðº
Click here for an article summarizing the total cost actually spent on this Okinawa trip and our 4-day real-life scheduleð
ã»Realistic cost breakdown
ã»How we moved around easily with kids
ã»Money we were glad we spent / Where we saved
ã»Shops we actually visited and other candidate spots near the hotel
I have summarized these in detail as wellâºïžðº
Click here for an article about what to packð
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