It takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Naha Airport via Okinawa Expressway and Uminchu Road. This beach is located on Ike Island in Uruma City, central Okinawa Island. It is a beautiful beach where you can enjoy the feeling of being on a remote island even though it takes only a little over an hour from the airport!
Point 1: The road to “Ikea Beach” is fun!
Ike Beach is quite famous for its beautiful sandy beach, which is one of the best in central Okinawa. The route from Naha Airport first takes you along the Okinawa Expressway and Prefectural Road No. 10, then to Uminchu Road in Uruma City, and finally across the Ike Ohashi Bridge to Ike Island, one of the most popular driving courses in Okinawa. So you cross the bridge twice.
Although it takes only 1 hour and 18 minutes from Naha Airport, the scenery changes rapidly from inland to ocean, bridges, forests, and fields.
It is rare to find a place where you can enjoy such different scenery in a little over an hour, so this must be a valuable experience for you.
Although the map shows that it belongs to Uruma City, it is a remote island and at the tip of a cape, so it looks very out of the way! It is a toll beach, and the entrance fee is a little expensive at 800 yen including parking.
Point 2: Ikea Beach has a good selection of rental equipment!
Ikea Beach offers a fairly wide variety of marine sports, including life jackets, snorkels, cupboards, and sea kayaks for rent, as well as coin-operated lockers and coin-operated showers, and other facilities.
In particular, snorkeling requires the use of life jackets, which must be rented for 500 yen.
The sea looks clean and calm, but it is indeed a remote island, and the tides flow unexpectedly fast, so the water is not shallow.
It can be said that this is indeed a pay beach.
t is also nice that swimming is OK even if you come in winter, as it is swimmable all year round
Point 3: BBQ is available on the same day at Ikea Beach with no need to bring anything!
Ikea Beach has a good selection of rental equipment, but BBQ equipment is also available for rent.
The nice thing about a pay beach is that there are plenty of facilities and rental items, but the downside is that swimming is immediately prohibited if the ocean conditions are bad. This is unavoidable since safety is the priority.
However, it is a little early to be disappointed by the no-swimming ban.
If you come empty-handed to this beach and sign up before 2:00 pm, you can have a BBQ on the day of your visit.
It is nice to be able to have a BBQ when you feel like it without having to prepare!
Also, unlike BBQs held on rooftops of buildings in the city, there is plenty of meat and vegetables. The price is reasonable at 1,600 yen per person, which even includes a pack of rice. A separate fee of 3,000 yen is required for a tent (with chairs and a table), but BBQing while looking out at the beautiful ocean is the best!
The BBQ hours for day-trippers are until 5:30 p.m., but for a small additional fee, you can also go camping if you want to enjoy the sunset or sunrise!
