Busena Terrace is where we stayed on the main island in Okinawa.
In order to get to Busena Terrace we flew into Naha and then rented a car and drove for an hour or so to Nago. There is also a free shuttle from Naha Airport – the shuttle finishes at 8pm so you will need to organise your own transport if you arrive after that.
Renting a car from outside Naha Airport
We stayed at Busena Terrace in Okinawa and drove from the airport in Naha for an hour to the hotel. This also gave us flexibility for exploring and sightseeing. This is the exact car I booked in Okinawa. Please note that the car rental places aren’t right at the airport so you’ll need to take a free shuttle to the pick up location – the shuttles finish at 8pm.
See here for my Okinawa with kids article – as this article only covers time at Busena Terrace (on the mainland) with kids.
A little caveat from me:
**While Okinawa is so beautiful and we have had an incredible time here – please also note that some families are surprised that Okinawa accommodation options for families aren’t always very well-kept or very modern. This means that it can feel like you are paying for luxury accommodation while the actual facilities aren’t always as fancy as the price tag might have you imagine.
There are also a lot of pool rules at many resorts in Japan (even when it comes to swimming timings at the beach) which can make it hard if you have kids who enjoy rough play in the pool (children’s pools and waterslide areas are, of course, fine though). If you have bigger kids who like jumping, splashing, rough play or diving – a private villa may be a better option.
The main reason for many of these rules is because a large number of Japanese children and adults aren’t such confident swimmers and, as a result, pool lifeguards are quite nervous when it comes to keeping everyone safe. This can be a bit of a culture shock for those who are visiting from overseas. This hasn’t impacted our time in Okinawa at all but I did watch other families look confused and a bit frustrated so I think I wouldn’t be including the whole picture if I didn’t take the time to include this information here for families to take on board before making family vacation plans.
The weather in Okinawa is significantly warmer in the summer months – which is fabulous – but it is not unusual for pools and outdoor activities to be closed or flights to be delayed due to bad weather / typhoons in June – Oct. We were so so lucky that we didn’t see a single drop of rain in late-Jun through early July but I do encourage you to have travel insurance sorted ahead of time and to pack a few indoor activities for kids.
If you are worried about any of the things I have mentioned above – you may want to compare options (and prices) for taking a week in Bali, Vietnam or Thailand after all of your mainland Japan adventures instead**
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Busena Terrace with kids
The customer service here is exceptional! Loved it so much!
In the top of this picture you can also see my pocket wifi box (I was in the front seat of the car while my husband drove and the kids were sitting in the back and they were also connected to the wifi box on their own devices.) See here for more info on the company I use for my pocket wifi and for my 25% off discount code.
Sightseeing near Busena Terrace with kids
Churaumi Aquarium
We visited this aquarium while staying at Busena Terrace. It was 45 mins drive from the hotel to Churaumi Aquarium.
We went to this aquarium many years ago (before we had kids) and were very excited to take our children.
I must be honest – I was so disappointed with this aquarium. I’m not saying don’t go (especially if your kids love aquariums) but I ams saying that, if you are short for time, I wouldn’t say it is a “must.” It is just quite run down and the enclosures are all quite similar. There is also not a lot of focus on keeping the animals / sea life super comfortable. I think this is such a shame as there are SO many visitors everyday – they must have lots of cash to make it a truly spectacular place. I implore them to charge way more for the tickets and make this a truly world-class experience.
For those asking: my favourite aquarium in Japan is the Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo. I also like Marine World Uminonakamichi in Fukuoka.
We bought tickets at the aquarium on the day but you can also buy tickets ahead of time on Klook OR you can buy them at convenience stores near the aquarium for a slightly discounted price.
If it’s not too hot outside, the playground outside the aquarium is really impressive ( no aquarium tickets required to play here either.) It’s called Kids Adventureland and you can see lost of pictures on the official site here.
There is a Starbucks just a few mins shy of the Churaumi Aquarium with a drive-thru. In case you don’t see it – put Starbucks Okinawa Hanasaki Marche into google maps.
Where to eat near Busena Terrace?
Haleaina Hoa (5 mins drive from Busena Terrace)
Haleaina Hoa is casual Hawaiian / Japanese fusion . Make a reservation on their website (they don’t accept any reservations over the phone) or just turn up in person. Budget approx 2000 yen per adult for lunch here and more like 4500 yen for dinner. They have a kids menu and they also have space for strollers. See the full menu here.
They accept most major credit cards. The entire restaurant is non-smoking.
There is a convenience store, crepe store and an ice-cream store right across the road so you can get dessert right afterwards. The Lawson across the road also sells nappies/diapers.
Hale Aina Hoa, Hawaiian restaurant in Nago, Okinawa. The salmon and the fried chicken.
HALEAINA HOA
沖縄県国頭郡恩納村字名嘉真2159-1
2159-1 NAKAMA, ONNA-SON, KUNIGAMI-GUN, OKINAWA
OPEN 10AM-3PM & 5PM-10PM
Where to buy nappies/diapers near Busena Terrace?
I don’t find buying nappies as difficult as in some other parts of Japan.
In Nago, the Lawson at Onna Imbu Beach sells a few options.
Read more about the different types of diapers sold in Japan here.
