JAPAN | Star Navigator Cruise Shore Excursion Naha Tour
Tuesday, December 09, 2025
For Star Navigator’s shore excursions, Naha is the one I’m most excited about. The first reason is that it has white, sandy, tropical beaches—a place I don’t usually associate with Japan. And second, being part of Okinawa Prefecture, it’s so remotely located it’s actually closer to Taiwan than mainland Japan—a place that most tourists are not easily able to access. Naha is so far; it actually took us more than a day and a half to reach it from Kumamoto.
| STAR NAVIGATOR NAHA SHORE EXCURSION TABLE OF CONTENTS ~ WHAT’S INSIDE? |
BOOKING A STAR DREAM CRUISES TOUR
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| MORNINGS ABOARD THE STAR NAVIGATOR |
StarDream Cruises is the new branding for Resorts World Cruises. It has since reverted to its classic names, Star Cruises and Dream Cruises.
Star Cruises offers one of the most affordable cruises in Southeast Asia. It has two ships, the Star Voyager and the Star Navigator—which we are currently on.
Booking a cruise is easy. Check out the steps below:
1. Head over to the Star Dream Cruises website.
2. Click on “Deals”, then choose “Current Deals”.
3. Choose a ship you want to cruise on.
4. Click “Any Destination” or any specific destination you want to go to.
5. Choose your preferred departure port.
6. Choose the month you want to cruise.
Note that they also have numerous promos that you can avail right before checking out—like a free or discounted booking for the second person joining the cruise. Rates start at USD 379.00.
You can also get an additional discount by using my discount code: lakadpilipinas (small caps, case-sensitive).
One of the things I really like about their cruises is that there is absolutely no need to get a Japanese or Korean VISA (except for their Busan cruise) to join their Japan and South Korea cruise.
➤ CHECK OUT: STAR NAVIGATOR CRUISE REVIEW
NAHA CRUISE TOURS
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| WAKASA SEASIDE PARK SCULPTURE IN NAHA |
Located on the island of Okinawa, Naha is the capital city of the Okinawa prefecture. It is the third and last destination for our 6D5N cruise via StarDream Cruises’ Star Navigator. After this leg, we’ll be sailing back to Keelung in Taiwan to finally end our cruise.
For this leg, Star Cruises offers five package tours—which in cruise terminology are called shore excursions, or shorex.
Note that for this particular cruise, the Naha tours are quite short—like half-day short—due to the long distance and time it takes to get from Kumamoto to Naha.
Again, these tours require a separate fee from the one you paid for the cruise itself. DIY tours are allowed—just be sure to be back on time, lest the ship depart without you.
Below are the Naha tours currently offered by the Star Navigator:
Amazing Naha: Adult NTD1,500 / Child NTD1,500
Gyokusendo Kingdom Village Tour: Adult NTD1,900 / Child NTD1,700
Highlights of Naha: Adult NTD1,700 / Child NTD1,500
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: Adult NTD2,200 / Child NTD2,000
Cultural & Shopping in Okinawa: Adult NTD1,900 / Child NTD1,700
OUR TOUR: ESSENCE OF NAHA
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| WHITE HOUSES IN NAHA |
Having arrived at Naha by midday, our shore excursion tour was limited to only a few options. And with the Shurijo Castle—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—closed for renovation during our visit, our options further dwindled. We took the Essence of Naha shore excursion tour, which I think StarDream Cruises has now updated to Cultural & Shopping in Okinawa.
➤ SEE: STAR NAVIGATOR KUMAMOTO SHORE EXCURSION
SHORE EXCURSION PREPARATION
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| MORNING COFFEE ON THE STAR NAVIGATOR CRUISE |
We have later time than usual for a shore excursion day. Call time was set at 2:00PM, plenty of time to wake up late, enjoy a slow breakfast at my favorite spot at The Lido—the al fresco seats out back—and roam around the ship.
And since we still have a lot of restaurant credits, we decided to try out the black burger at the Blue Lagoon—well, just because.
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| LAMB CHOPS AT STAR NAVIGATOR’S THE PALACE RESTAURANT |
We arrived at Okinawa’s Wakasa Cruise Terminal by midday, and with still more time, we even got to try a lunch buffet at the exclusive The Palace Restaurant. Spell premium dining!
And finally, we’re ready to line up for the last shore excursion of the trip. Hello, Naha!
➤ SEE: STAR NAVIGATOR NAGASAKI SHORE EXCURSION
NAMINOUE SHRINE
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| NAHA’S HOLY NAMINOUE SHRINE |
The first stop of the tour was a small shrine dedicated to Nirai Kanai, a mythical source of all life, and to the sea. It’s just a few minutes away from the cruise port, and we were soon spilling out of the tour bus and onto the very quiet streets of Naha.
We were requested to perform a chozu cleansing ritual, where we use a wooden ladle to scoop water out of a chozuya basin to wash our hands and mouth.
The temple was said to have been built during the Ryukyu Kingdom, which was before Okinawa was integrated with Japan. Still, the temple itself isn’t that grand; it’s actually tiny and looks like any other temple in Japan. What it lacks in that department, though, it makes up for in location—it sits on a rocky promontory overlooking a white sandy beach.
However, the only way to actually see this vantage is by standing on the highway bridge that runs parallel to the beach. And we had no way of doing that; I was able to take a few seconds of video as our bus went past it en route, but zero pictures.
NAMINOUE BEACH
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| THE POPULAR NAMINOUE BEACH |
Just below the shrine is the beach. I’ve visited Japan numerous times, but it’s the first time I’ve set foot on a swimmable Japanese beach.
It’s about half a kilometer long, with the Naminoue Shrine’s rock outcrop dividing it into two separate areas. The beach has fine, white sand and looks quite popular with both locals and tourists.
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| THE STAR NAVIGATOR, DOCKED NEAR THE BEACH |
Two bridges actually run parallel to the beach, making quite a strange sight; nevertheless, its cerulean waters look clear and inviting. Given more time, I would, no doubt, be swimming in its waters already—especially since we visited during Japan’s summer months! Japanese summers are extremely hot!
Naminoue Shrine and its beach are an excellent places to visit if you plan on doing a DIY Naha tour. I mean, you can actually see the Star Navigator from the beach; it’s that close!
ORION BEER
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| LIMITED-EDITION ORION BEER AT OKINANAWA |
While waiting for our companions to finish, I visited a local 7-Eleven and found a limited-edition Orion Beer can. I do collect beer cans, and this really made me quite excited. While paying, I noticed a Japanese couple wearing matching Orion shirts. It turns out Orion beers are actually made here in Okinawa!
➤ GET A NAHA STREET GO-KART TICKET HERE!
EN ROUTE TO SENAGA ISLAND
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| -OLD U.S. NUCLEAR MISSILE SILOS IN NAHA |
We trooped back to the bus, and we’re off to our third destination, an island that used to be an American military base. Our guide related to us how the US occupied the island after the Second World War and the nearby area was used as a nuclear missile silo. You can actually see the silos up to this day, although the missiles themselves are long gone.
Senaga Island has since been returned to the Japanese and they have now converted the former base to a tourist destination.
NISHI BEACH
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| THE CHILD TREASURE ROCK AT NAHA’S NISHI BEACH |
Senaga Island has two natural beaches, and it was our luck that our tour bus parked right in front of one.
The Senaga Nishi Beach is not your usual sandy beach in that parts of the shore are filled with rough coral stones above the sand layer.
One of the most popular spots on the beach is the Kodakara Iwa, or Child Treasure Rock, an outcrop that features two natural holes. It is said that couples who throw rocks into these holes will get a boy if they get the top hole and a girl for the bottom hole. I was surprised that the current rock is actually just a replica of the original that was destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa during World War II.
We saw not a few locals enjoying the shore with beach blankets laid out. The beach itself is near the Umikaji Terrace shopping center and the Ryukyu Onsen Senagajima Hotel, where a natural hot spring is located.
➤ JOIN A NAHA HALF DAY SNORKELING TOUR HERE!
UMIKAJI TERRACE
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| OPEN-AIRED SHOPS AT THE UMIKAJI TERRACE |
The highlight of our tour is the Umikaji Terrace, an open-air shopping center beside Nishi Beach. Painted in white, it evokes a terraced Mediterranean structure overlooking the sea.
The shopping center mostly houses cute cafes, dainty restaurants, and small shops selling more, err… cute and dainty stuff. I can see how popular this place can be for teens and couples.
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| A SHOP INSIDE THE UMIKAJI TERRACE |
We were actually on the lookout for a ramen shop so we could complete the ramen trilogy for all the shore excursions we did for Star Navigator, but alas, a ramen shop we found none. In hindsight, I found out that Okinawa has no signature ramen, but what they do have is Okinawa soba—which is very similar to a ramen. However, as I said, no dice.
Umikaji Terrace is also a good spot for planespotting, as the Naha Airport runway can be seen from its topmost level.
ALEXANDER & SUN SHOPPING
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| A PLANE TAKING OFF AGAINST NAHA’S SUNSET |
And of course, a shore excursion cannot end without a bit of shopping. For the Naha leg, we were brought to an isolated part of town and into a warehouse-like structure housing some sort of shopping center.
The Alexander & Sun shopping center is one of those tourist traps where vacationers are dropped off by tour operators without a choice. The place houses everything from food and electronics, to medicines. Prices are a bit on the high side, but if you hit a certain amount, you can get a tax discount. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to shop for, so I didn’t get a tax rebate.
While browsing through the store, we were looking outside at the incoming sunset, wishing we were on one of Naha’s beaches instead.
To be fair to Star Cruises, I checked their website, and they have since removed this place from their shore excursion destinations.
FREE TIME
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| GROCERY SHOPPING AT THE AEON MAXVALU |
Unsatisfied with our shopping experience, we googled for a place to shop near the Wakasa Cruise Terminal. And since we still have an hour or so of free time, we decided to spend it on an Aeon MaxValu grocery shop.
While it's not a full-blown Aeon hypermarket—MaxValu being a small neighborhood branch of Aeon—we still did have a better time shopping around for instant ramens, local beer, Japanese half-calorie mayos, and spices. We met not a few Pinoy Star Navigator staff doing their shopping too. Apparently, with its proximity to the cruise terminal, it’s a popular spot to shop before sailing back to the sea.
➤ SEE: TRAVELODGE NAGOYA SAKAE REVIEW
BACK ON THE STAR NAVIGATOR
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| THE STAR NAVIGATOR AT THE WAKASA CRUISE TERMINAL |
We arrived back at the Star Navigator as the sun retired. The blues of the twilight made an electric background to the ship as we wended our way back up.
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| ACROBATICS AT STAR NAVIGATOR’S ZODIAC THEATER |
We attended Zodiac Theater’s finale, Colour My World, which was, as always, quite amazing, especially the acrobatics.
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| A FEAST OF JAPANESE FOOD AT STAR NAVIGATOR’S UMI UMA |
And since we were unable to have our Japanese food fix during our Naha shorex, we decided to have our food revenge at Star Navigator’s Japanese restaurant, Umi Uma. With an abundance of restaurant credits still in our name, the spread of Japanese dishes on our table definitely more than made up for our missed Okinawa soba.
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