Churaumi Aquarium and Sightseeing Bus Tour (from Naha, Ginowan, Chatan and Onna)
Overall Rating
4.23
Good trip to discover the island - more material in English needed
Reviewed by: Maria, 2024/07/08Good trip to discover the island of Okinawa and the aquarium - more material in English needed as the audioguides had insufficient info and connection. Very nice guide for japanese speaking visitors.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2024/07/07 |
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A good choice if you don't have a car
Reviewed by: Anna, 2020/03/10This bus tour was a fun and convenient way to see parts of Okinawa we couldn’t reach without a car. It picked us up right at the hotel, and then we were just along for the ride!
The guide did not speak English (as we knew), but she was very friendly and tried her best to help us. The audio guide was a bit mixed, but did provide some decent information.
We decided to pay the extra 1000 yen for lunch, and it was actually really good!
The aquarium was definitely the highlight, but the bridge was quite scenic and the pineapple park was very true to its name.
Some of the stops (Dinoland?!) were pretty surreal, but that’s part of the fun.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2020/03/01 |
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Good day trip.
Reviewed by: Evelyn, 2020/03/05Enjoyed day trip. Not enough time to see dolphine show.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2020/02/29 |
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No car? Limited Time? Like a good value? Then this is the tour for you!!!
Reviewed by: MeL, 2020/03/04Using Google Maps it was easy to find the meeting spot. Once we arrived we could easily see the buses parked out front by the sidewalk. While the tour guide and bus driver did not speak English, it was not a problem at all! Our tour guide was very kind, courteous and made sure that we understood where and what time we needed to be back at the bus and the bus was equipped with English audio which provided us with interesting information about the area as we rode from place to place. Just before the stop at Okashi Goten the tour guide will ask you if you would like to preorder a set lunch (Okinawa style soba with pork, I believe.) I was traveling with a vegetarian friend so we did not choose to preorder. Once we arrived we had plenty of time (40-45 min) to have our own lunch at the restaurant across the street because they were not too crowded or busy. If you are traveling with children or a large group, you may want to choose the preorder option as it will be ready and waiting for you when you arrive.
Can't say enough about the Churaumi Aquarium! Could easily see how you could spend an entire day here. I didn't choose to watch the Dolphin Show, but if you do, just know that the show starts @3pm and you need to be back to the bus by 3:30-3:35. Plan accordingly because it is at least a 10-15 min walk from there back to the bus area.
The last stop of the tour is Nago Pineapple Park. I knew that this tour did not include the fee for the Pineapple cart, but thought I would be able view the plantation on my own. That was not the case. With this particular tour you will NOT be able to view the pineapple plantations or the museum as stated in the "write up." You will be given a shopping only pass and ushered into the shopping area. If the Pineapple Park is on your "to do" list then choose one of the other tour options. While the Pineapple Park portion of this particular tour was a disappointment, I still think it is a great tour for the price!
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2020/02/21 |
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One day tour at churaumi aquarium.. Easy For those who do not drive.
Reviewed by: Celia , 2020/02/19I have read good reviews for this trip and just nice that we lucky to get the rebate ( 2 for 1) promo.. So we book the trip!!!
Meeting point : The pick up point is not clearly indicate .. We just know that is at the hotel.. We reached early and scare that we might miss the bus .. Lucky we ask the hotel lobby, yes is the correct place... I suggest that can take picture where is the pick up point and shown at booking page is the best.. Attendance was smooth and easy.. Puncture and fast.. The tour leader couldn't speak english .. But anyway we still OK ..
Lunch at the restaurant opp the sweet potato shop is great.. The udon is nice !
Everyplace given time is just nice except that I prefer the churaumi aquarium to have longer time..
The tour leader bring us to the entry , give us the tickets and also give clear instructions where is the meet up point .. I thk 150min is not enough because what if is elderly ? They have no enough time to look around .. And walk back the carpark is a super long distance for them ..
Pineapple park: it a just mini park wit shopping area .. Time spent here is just nice .. Those do not want shopping can go take pictures outside the shop ..
Overall : it is a good experience .. Those who do not drive can join this tour!!!
We will recommend this to my friends and families ...
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2020/02/14 |
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Good Experience
Reviewed by: Panida Pureepatipan , 2020/02/11I’m from Thailand and took this tour with my friend on February 3rd, my chose this tour because we didn’t have a car and saw this tour online with good reviews. On the day we took the tour it started right on time with friendly staff and comfortable ride on the bus. Everything on the schedule was accurate, only negative part was guide not able to speak English but was very helpful to make us comfortable. We love the experience will definitely come back again with friends and family to take this tour again.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2020/02/03 |
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24 Jan 2020. Worth the price.
Reviewed by: Lek, 2020/01/28only booked it on 22nd Jan(midnight) when I was already in Okinawa. It was confirmed very quickly with details sent within 10hours.
So pickup:
Pickup was at hotel lobby(wasn’t clear on pickup point)
Bus was a little late that day, made my mom frantic and afraid that we were at the wrong pickup point. Attendance was easy and smooth.
First 2 locations:
Scenic and the time given was just perfect. There isn’t much around the area so have a good look & take photos & move on.
Lunch: I DIDN’T GET TO EAT LUNCH
lunch place was full and had no seats to accommodate more guest. There wasn’t any selection to choose lunch so I didn’t get to eat. :)))) again, there wasn’t other restaurants to eat at other than a buffet hotpot. Lunch time was about 50mins so no buffet, don’t waste money.
Churaumi:
Easy & smooth entry. Reach around 2pm
Bus was to leave at 4pm. Ok here’s what I’m ??? about:
Dolphin show was 3pm & 3.30pm(dolphin feeding) finishes at about 3.50pm. Bus Bay is 10-15mins of walk back WE RUSHED BACK. Imagine elderlies walking, it would take time quite awhile. Bus should leave at 4.15pm for guest to enjoy the shows.
Nago pineapple park:
Time should be extended by 10mins.
Overall, good experience. guide kept doing headcounts before we left just to Ensure everyone’s on board. They were very friendly too!
That’s all folks!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2020/01/24 |
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Convenient
Reviewed by: Natália , 2020/01/09The bus tour was a very good way to go around Okinawa if you don't have a car. They picked us up at a convenient place and took us to the aquarium and other scenic locations around the island. The staff was helpful and friendly.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2020/01/08 |
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Good way to spend the day seeing north side of Okinawa.
Reviewed by: N.Lim, 2019/12/14If this your first time to Okinawa, this tour is a good way to see North Okinawa without the hassle of taking public transportation. The bus plays a recorded English commentary for those who can't understand Japanese. Bus was on time and Japanese lady guide was nice. She sang quite a few Okinawan songs during the tour which was entertaining. Good singer too!
After picking up all participants from various hotels, the tour started with a short stop at Cape Manza, then to Kouri Island and a lunch stop after. Next, we went to Churarium Aquarium (150min stay) which is located at Ocean Expo Park with free dolphin show at various time throughout the day , turtle & manatee pool outside the Aquarium. (There're many electric trolley that go around the park for Y200 unlimited ride) Managed to see Emerald Beach, Okinawan Village (I don't find this one interesting), and watched the 15-20min Dolphin show @3pm (this is the highlight of the tour) Walked back to the bus scheduled to leave at 3:40pm
Re: Nago Pineapple Park, nothing much going on here. Walked the Dinosaur botanical garden, sample some wine & snacks.
Overall, if you have time to spare, this is a long but quite enjoyable tour.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/12/12 |
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Great tour at a fantastic price
Reviewed by: Belle, 2019/12/13Fantastic tour with a very informative and friendly guide and a friendly driver. The schedule was quite well arranged--nothing felt particularly hurried although that could be because we had expected that all stops outside of the main aquarium one would be brief.
The lunch option (available for an additional 1000yen) was very good--beautiful environment and good food at a fair price. For travellers staying in Naha, I'd recommend skipping the Okashigoten shop there (there's a similar one in Naha with the same prices at which the provided coupon can be used) and exploring/ eating lunch instead.
Travellers who wish to visit the Pineapple Park in great detail should note that this tour makes but a brief stop there. There appears to be a few courses available at the Park but the tour only had time for the shopping course. There was barely any time left at the end of the free wine tasting (which I would highly recommend--the wines are pretty interesting) so travellers who wish to make purchases should be quick.
2.5 hours was plenty for the aquarium and the bus was timed such that tour participants had just enough time to catch the dolphin show at the end. Visiting other attractions, however, might be a bit of a squeeze since the park is quite large, as is the aquarium.
Overall, the tour was a great way to see a lot of Okinawa in a day at a very affordable price. Although the guide and driver didn't speak much English, they did their best and it wasn't a large problem. Would recommend!
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/12/09 |
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Great way to see a lot when you have a short amount of time!
Reviewed by: lesmizgirl, 2019/12/10Nice ride around Okinawa
Loved being able to see a lot without having to drive around with three small children.
They loved the aquarium and I appreciated the lunch and small gifts that came with trip.
Would definitely recommend this to others.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2019/08/20 |
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The best way to check out the attractions if you do not have your own car
Reviewed by: Munib Shah, 2019/11/23The tour was very convenient for us to take since they offer pickup and drop services from well known hotels. If you do not have your own rental car and only have about a day or two to explore the city, I would say this tour is your best bet. There are other operators that pick you up from the airport, but if you are living up north in one of the secluded beach resorts then this option works very well since you don't have to go back and forth into the city.
The guide spoke Japanese but also had English translation. We could not follow the translation much but the views make up for it all.
Time wise, we found 150 minutes good enough for Churaumi Aquarium but I would have liked to stay at the Kouri beach for a little longer. Then again it is a personal choice since I am a fan of white sand beaches. Other than the Charaumi Aquarium, I felt it was more about going from point A to B to C rather than savouring A, B and C. Having said that, this tour did introduce me to some of the amazing places in Okinawa. I spent half of next day at Kouri beach to sink in it's beauty completely.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2019/11/21 |
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Churami
Reviewed by: Patty Brunk, 2019/09/04Guide was great...sang an Okinawan song to us, and with a good voice.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2019/09/02 |
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Good for those who do not have cars and had a fun time despite rainy weather.
Reviewed by: Mendy, 2019/08/07This is a great option for those who do not have cars, but still want to see the Okinawan sites. This is a great alternative to get around, although the time at each place was tight and we couldn't spend as much time at each location as we wanted, we had a lot of fun following along the tour. Everyone on the tour was also very nice and accommodating.
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| Attended as: | Friends |
| Activity Date: | 2019/07/19 |
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A fun trip to Nago!
Reviewed by: Anonymous , 2019/07/16Overall, it was an enjoyable trip. We had chance to see many nice places. The scenery was very nice at the place we had lunch.
The pineapple garden was really nice but we could have spent more time there. 40 minutes was not enough to explore the garden and do shopping. Unfortunately, we had to wait for a family for 25 minutes even though it stated that people who didn't arrive on time needed to go to the next destination by themselves.
Aquarium was good as well.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/07/10 |
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Good enough
Reviewed by: Wong, 2019/05/12Maybe a bit rush but covers many places. Good enough. Lunch is so so, better to buy your own at the lunch location. There are good food there. Friendly guide but as the tour stated, only speak in Japanese.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/05/10 |
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generally good
Reviewed by: ryan, 2019/05/07booking was fast and easy even if the tour was during golden week (i had problems with other tour apps during those time)
the bus late for a few minutes (understandable because it was golden week)
the tour was very nice! we were able to spend enough time to visit the whole aquarium. unfortunately because of heavy traffic, we were not able to go to the butterfly garden.
price was affordable as compared to doing it yourself. there was a japanese tour guide well enough to understand and speak a few english. he instructions were clear and there were alloted times per area.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2019/05/02 |
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Good for easy access to Churaumi Aquarium
Reviewed by: Alex, 2018/11/20Positives:
1) Comfortable access to Churaumi Aquarium without worrying about bus connections
2) Friendly and knowledgeable tour guide & bus driver (only in Japanese)
3) Sightseeing places I wouldn't otherwise visit if I were to travel on my own
Negatives:
1) Long pick up & drop offs add an extra 5 hours to my tour experience (I was first on & last off)
2) Some places feel rushed cos other travellers did not keep to the meet up times
3) Old coach so not the best ventilation
Impression: This tour does take the hassle out of using public transportation & brings you to hard to reach places but be prepared to be waiting around for other people & to be transported around in a stuffy old coach.
Advice: 1) Give yourself plenty of time - a full day for the tour. 2) Do this tour during Spring or Autumn (cooler months).
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2018/11/02 |
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Very beautiful Trip !!
Reviewed by: Thomas, 2018/11/12i attended this bus tour as solo traveller and i enjoyed it very much. it was very informative and the Churaumi Aquarium is breathtaking !! Yui (i think that was her name) was even singing original okinawan songs for us in the bus during the drive. a really nice daytrip worth the money it costs !!
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2018/11/10 |
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Very Good
Reviewed by: Ida, 2018/11/06Everything worked well. The guide didnt speak any english. It didnt matter though. The tour was nice. Kids liked it very much
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2018/11/02 |
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Good
Reviewed by: Loseinjp, 2018/10/10Good trip! But poor lunch! It would be better if your staff can speak some english.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/10/08 |
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The bus tour
Reviewed by: Justin , 2018/07/22Try to spend more time at the Pineapple stop.
Kind Regards
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2018/07/20 |
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Awesome trip to Churaumi Aquarium and other sites!
Reviewed by: Rock Family, 2018/06/27We are a Family traveling with two young kids. We had a great time going from site to site and then finally to the Aquarium. Pineapple Park and the Butterfly Garden were both hits with the kids. Aquarium was incredible.
Tour guide speaks Japanese only. Guide ensures non-Japanese speakers have audio guides. Audio guides are okay.
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| Attended as: | Families with Young Children |
| Activity Date: | 2018/06/24 |
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There was no English language in record. But everything was ok.
Reviewed by: Aleksandr, 2018/06/18)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/06/16 |
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See a lot in one day
Reviewed by: Michelle Meas, 2018/06/11This tour was really good for visiting many places in one day at a really inexpensive price. I went to four really interesting spots.
While there was an English audio guide on the bus, it wasn't that good and the actual guide doesn't speak English. Which is fine because you don't necessarily need that because most of the location had employees that do speak some English. Also the tour guide sang a few, what I assume, traditional Ryukyu songs.
I wish I had more time in some places and less in others, but like I said for the price it can't be beat. Just be prepared for a long bus ride.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2018/06/09 |
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Fun time, bring your own snacks
Reviewed by: Kelly, 2018/05/18The Good:
Overall a very good time, had lots of fun at all 3 attractions, though I would have loved more time to spend at the Charaumi Aquarium.
I really do recommend the butterfly garden--even if you can't book this tour, that was a really lovely experience, would have loved to spend more time there as well.
Despite the "English Audio" label, neither tour guide or driver could really speak or understand English, but the trip still went really smoothly despite that. I think I missed some extra info (like special highlights of the area, or feeding times for the animals), but the tour guide was really nice, and really tried to be helpful despite the language gap.
The Bad:
My trip started at 8AM when the bus picked me up and ended at 6PM, and while the trip hit 4 different gift stores, they mainly sell a wide variety of sweets. Lunch wound up being a bowl of ramen soup--tasty, but it's not enough to cover breakfast and dinner together.
I didn't like the final gift store that was part of the "free little gift" package, where we got a free cookie with any other purchase, because by the end of the day I was ready for my hotel and real food. However--and I'm assuming the tour company was getting a kick-back from the store--we were parked there for 30 minutes, and after 10 minutes 90% of the group was sitting on the bus waiting to leave.
I realize "dumping tourists in a gift-store" is a common business practice, but when you're inconveniencing and irritating most of your guests, you should probably stop it.
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| Attended as: | Solo Travelers |
| Activity Date: | 2018/04/22 |
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Very good value!
Reviewed by: Anita, 2018/05/14This was the perfect tour to see many sites in northern Okinawa esp since we did not rent a car. It is very good value for your money. The time spent at the pineapple park is a bit short but sufficient to see the gift shop. We have seen the dole plantation so was ok with the time.
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2018/05/11 |
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Quick and convenient
Reviewed by: Yury Zuenko, 2018/02/12The Rado tour to Shurami aquarium is quite convenient by its time, price, and organization. We were a bit hurry in each place, but as the result we returned back in the best time. The guides were charming, although they spoke in Japanese only.
Unfortunately, pick-up from southern Naha (airport, Oroku station) was not possible - it was not convenient for us.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2018/02/08 |
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Family tour at Aquarium
Reviewed by: Lee, 2017/12/19Our family enjoy the visit at Churaumi Aquarium and after the Pineapple park, we even received a surprise gift of pineapple ice cream and it taste very delicious
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| Attended as: | Families |
| Activity Date: | 2017/12/14 |
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Convenient for Hotel Transit
Reviewed by: Terence, 2017/11/18Apart from the Aquarium, the pineapple and butterfly gardens are disappointing.
Audio guide requested but not provided.
Save time & money for hotel transit from Onna to Naha.
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| Attended as: | Couples |
| Activity Date: | 2017/11/09 |
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Dear Maria, Thank you very much for riding on the Course Including Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium Admission Ticket."BUS . Thank you for filling out your review. We have read your review. Your valuable opinions and feedback will be used as a reference for our future operations. We look forward to using Rad Sightseeing Bus Tours again. Thank you for your continued support.