Regular buses within Okinawa Prefecture will be free on Wednesdays and Sundays during Sep. 2024.

Traffic congestion during daily commuting has always been an issue in Okinawa.  Therefore, there have been calls to promote using buses for commuting. As part of this effort, a campaign is underway through September, offering free rides on local buses on Wednesdays and Sundays until the end of the month.

The rides are open to all, both locals and tourists. However, some buses are not included, such as airport limousine buses between the airport and hotels, buses that run on Okinawa Expressway, and local government sightseeing buses.

Okinawa has no trains. The Okinawa Urban Monorail Line (Yui Rail), a 17-km long line that starts at Naha Airport and runs through the Kencho-mae and Kokusai-dori areas to Tedako-Urasai Station in Urasoe City serves only the Naha area. Therefore, the only means for tourists to explore the main island of Okinawa on their own is by renting a car, chartering a cab, or taking a bus. Bus routes are complicated, and the routes and timetables are written only in Japanese, which is inconvenient for foreign tourists.

You can search Okinawa bus routes online. The service is multi-lingual and easy to use.

First, enter the “Place of departure” and “Destination” fields. A pull-down menu will display bus stops in the area. Check the location on the map on the right and decide on the bus stop for your departure and destination.

Second, enter the date, time, and desired departure time, and the search will show the corresponding route. You must enter the date and time because the timetable differs between weekdays and weekends/holidays.