Okinawa Webcam – Kokusai-dori and Downtown Naha

The Okinawa Webcam shows two live views of downtown Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The main camera looks along Kokusai-dori, the island’s best-known shopping street, from just above the sidewalk: a two-lane road with an orange center line, a pedestrian crossing, palm trees and a row of souvenir shops, one of them under a large painted mural of a woman in a red floral kimono framed by bougainvillea. A second tab switches to a rooftop view from the Asahi Shimbun’s Naha bureau, where Yui Rail monorail trains cross the Kumoji River in front of the Okinawa Prefectural Government building. Early mornings on Kokusai-dori are shutters and delivery vans. By afternoon the shops are open and the sidewalks busy, and a subtropical downpour can send everyone under the awnings in a minute.

About Kokusai-dori and Downtown Naha

Kokusai-dori runs about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) through central Naha, from the Prefectural Office North Exit intersection beside Palette Kumoji to the Asato three-way junction in the east. Before the war it was a simple track through fields. The district was burned out in 1945 and rebuilt so fast that the street became known as the Miracle Mile, a name that also fits its length. Kokusai means international, and it comes from the Ernie Pyle International Theater, a cinema that opened on the street in 1948. Naha itself had 311,916 residents at the end of August 2026, on 41.42 square kilometers (16 square miles) of land.

The second camera sits on the 10th floor of the Okinawa Times building in Kumoji, at the western end of the street. The monorail passing in front of it is the Yui Rail, which opened in 2003 and runs 17 kilometers (11 miles) through 19 stations from Naha Airport to Tedako-Uranishi. Through the city center it follows the Kumoji River, the green channel along the bottom of the frame, and the covered platform on the right is Prefectural Office Station. Behind the station, the Ryubo department store fills Palette Kumoji, which opened in April 1991 as Naha’s first urban redevelopment project.

The tall pale block with the curved crown on the skyline is the Okinawa Prefectural Government Office. Designed by Kisho Kurokawa’s firm, it was completed in 1990 and stands 71.7 meters (235 feet) high over 14 floors.

Weather and Climate in Naha

Naha is subtropical and warm all year. The Japan Meteorological Agency’s 1991 to 2020 normals put January, the coolest month, at a daytime average of 19.8 C (67.6 F) and a night low of 14.9 C (58.8 F), so winter on the Okinawa Webcam looks like a mild spring day elsewhere in Japan. July and August average highs near 31.9 C (89.4 F), with nights that barely dip below 27 C (80.6 F).

Rain is the other constant. The year totals 2,161 millimeters (85.1 inches). The rainy season normally starts around May 10 and ends around June 21, and June is the wettest month at 284.4 millimeters (11.2 inches). On a wet afternoon the Kokusai-dori camera shows the asphalt turning dark and glossy, the brick paving going a deeper red and umbrellas bunching in the shop doorways. Late summer and autumn bring typhoons. As a storm closes in, the street can empty almost completely, and the Sunday car-free afternoon is called off.

Things to Do Near Kokusai-dori

The street itself is the main attraction. Every Sunday from noon to 6pm, weather permitting, about 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) of it, from the Prefectural Office North Exit to the Saion-bashi intersection by Makishi Station, closes to cars and becomes a transit mall that only the No. 10 bus may use. About halfway along, the covered arcades of Heiwa-dori, Ichiba-hondori and Mutsumibashi-dori branch off it and lead to the Daiichi Makishi Public Market, which has traded since 1950 and reopened in a new building in March 2023. Beyond them is Tsuboya Yachimun Street, where the Ryukyu royal government gathered three kilns together in 1682. Its 400 meters (1,312 feet) of limestone paving carry around 20 pottery workshops and shops, about 8 minutes on foot from Makishi Station. The Tsuboya Pottery Museum on the same street is closed for renovation until March 31, 2027.

In Kume, the old quarter of Naha’s Chinese settlers, Fukushuen is a Fuzhou style garden of about 8,500 square meters (2.1 acres), opened in 1992 to mark Naha’s 70th year as a city and a decade of sister city ties with Fuzhou. Shuri Castle, part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing since 2000, lost its main hall to fire on October 31, 2019, and the rebuilt hall is scheduled to open to the public on November 23, 2026. Naminoue Beach, the only swimming beach in Naha, lies below Naminoue Shrine on its raised coral cliff. Each October the Naha Great Tug-of-War brings a flag procession along Kokusai-dori and then a pull on Route 58 at the Kumoji intersection, with a rope 200 meters (656 feet) long and weighing 40 tonnes. Guinness first recognized it as the world’s largest straw rope in 1995, and the main day in 2026 is October 11.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

The airport across town, and two of Tokyo’s busiest streets for comparison.

• Naha Airport Webcam
• Shibuya Scramble Crossing Webcam
• Akihabara Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Okinawa Webcam located?

In central Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, on Okinawa Island in southern Japan. The main camera is on Kokusai-dori, and the second is on the Okinawa Times building in Kumoji, at the street’s western end near Prefectural Office Station.

What can you see on the Okinawa Webcam?

The main view looks along Kokusai-dori at a pedestrian crossing, palm trees, souvenir shops and passing traffic. The second tab looks over the Kumoji River and the Yui Rail monorail to Prefectural Office Station, the Ryubo department store and the Okinawa Prefectural Government Office.

How long is Kokusai-dori?

About 1.6 kilometers (1 mile), from the Prefectural Office North Exit intersection to the Asato three-way junction. Its length and its rapid rebuilding after World War II earned it the nickname Miracle Mile.

Is Kokusai-dori closed to cars on Sundays?

Yes, from noon to 6pm every Sunday, between the Prefectural Office North Exit and the Saion-bashi intersection, about 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles). Only the No. 10 bus runs through, and the event is canceled in bad weather.

What is the weather like in Naha?

Warm and humid year round. Average highs run from 19.8 C (67.6 F) in January to about 31.9 C (89.4 F) in July and August. The rainy season normally lasts from around May 10 to June 21, and typhoons are most likely in late summer and autumn.

How do you get to Kokusai-dori from Naha Airport?

Take the Yui Rail monorail from Naha Airport Station to Prefectural Office Station at the western end of the street, or to Makishi Station further along.

When is the Naha Great Tug-of-War?

Every October. In 2026 the festival runs from October 10 to 12, with the flag procession on Kokusai-dori and the tug on Route 58 at the Kumoji intersection on Sunday, October 11.

Source: BAKUNOVISION and Asahi Shimbun LIVE