OL Okinawa Lovers
Michi-no-Eki Kyoda, Okinawa's first roadside station, at the northern end of the expressway
Stations #02

Kyoda,
the original

Okinawa's first roadside station, right where the expressway ends — and the ticket counter that opens before the attractions do.

Nago, OkinawaOpened 19948:30–19:00Fact-checked Aug 2026
Churaumi ¥2,000cash only, from 8:30 — before the aquarium opens
See the prices

In short

three things worth knowing before you pull in
01

The gateway to the north

Okinawa's very first michi-no-eki, opened in 1994, sitting exactly where the expressway ends — three minutes from Kyoda IC.

02

Discount tickets from 8:30

Churaumi Aquarium and eight other attractions, cheaper than their own gates. Cash only, and the counter opens before the attractions do.

03

No car needed

Rebuilt in 2021 with an observation deck over Nago Bay. Local buses and the airport express both stop right here.

Every rental car heading for Churaumi passes Kyoda at the end of the expressway. The smart ones pull in for fifteen minutes — and walk out with tickets cheaper than the gate, a bag of hot Okinawan tempura, and a lottery ticket from a famously lucky booth.

The discount
ticket counter

Kyoda opens at 8:30 — before the attractions do. Buy here, then arrive at Churaumi as the doors open.

Churaumi adult ticket
¥2,000¥2,180
Saves ¥180 · valid about 6 months

Churaumi Aquarium

¥2,180¥2,000High school ¥1,300 · Elementary–JHS ¥650 · under 6 free

Nakijin Castle

¥1,000¥800Students ¥500 → ¥400 · primary and under free

Busena Marine Park

¥2,100¥1,700Underwater tower + glass boat set

Neo Park Okinawa

¥2,600¥1,800Child ¥1,600 → ¥1,000 · includes the railway

Bios no Oka

¥2,200¥1,800Added to the line-up on 27 July 2026

DINO Dinosaur Park

¥1,000¥800Child ¥600 → ¥500

Ryukyu Village

¥2,000¥1,500Child ¥800 → ¥600

Okinawa Fruits Land

¥1,200¥1,080Child ¥600 → ¥540

Okinawa World

¥2,000¥1,900Child ¥1,000 → ¥950
!
The one catch: cash only. Tickets are sold as vouchers at the Yanbaru Bussan Center checkout (8:30–19:00). Everything else at the station takes Visa, Suica, PayPay and Alipay — the vouchers don't. Daisekirinzan is currently suspended from the line-up. Prices as published by the operator, checked August 2026.

Graze your way down the strip

a row of specialists, not one big restaurant
Food stalls at Michi-no-Eki Kyoda

Kyoda's food is a row of small specialist stalls rather than one big restaurant. Work your way along it — most things cost a few hundred yen and are meant to be eaten standing up.

If you only have time for one thing, make it the tempura. Okinawan tempura is its own dish — closer to a fritter than to the Tokyo version — and it is at its best straight out of the fryer, which is exactly how you get it here.

01

The tempura stall

Okinawan-style tempura: thick, doughy, around ¥100 a piece, best eaten hot. Get the mozuku seaweed and the goya.

02

The parlor

Pork-egg onigiri — Okinawa's soul-food sandwich — handmade bentos, mango soft-serve and brown-sugar zenzai.

03

Mitsuya

A long-established name for sata andagi, Okinawa's fried doughnut, sold hot from the fryer.

04

Daito Sushi Maru

Sushi in the style of the remote Daito Islands: fish cured in sweet soy over vinegared rice. Rare elsewhere.

05

Oppa Gelato

Gelato from 100% Okinawan milk, made by a dairy up the coast.

06

Bakery La Garle

Salt bread, and melon pan made with local beni-imo purple sweet potato.

07

The food court

Okinawa soba, taco rice and the other standards, if you want a proper sit-down plate.

¥1bn

The lottery booth

Kyoda's counter is famous across Okinawa as a winning booth — it sold a first-prize-plus-bonus ticket in the 2020 year-end Jumbo draw. Locals drive here just to buy tickets.

Getting there

car and bus both work

By car

Take the Okinawa Expressway north to its very last exit, Kyoda IC — the station is three minutes away on Route 58. About 100 minutes from Naha Airport on ordinary roads, meaningfully less by expressway.

Parking is free: 272 spaces including 8 bus/large and 6 accessible, split between the main side and the sea-side annex.

By bus — Kyoda has its own stop

The Yanbaru Express Bus airport line runs from Naha Airport up the coast to "Michi-no-Eki Kyoda", then on toward Nakijin, the Churaumi area (Kinen-Koen-mae) and Unten Port. Northbound buses stop at the sea-side annex; airport-bound at the terminal.

Local routes 20 and 120 (Naha–Nago) use the same stop. Slower, but they thread through Onna Village.

17-1 Kyoda, Nago,
Okinawa 905-0024

3 min from Kyoda IC · bus stop "Michi-no-Eki Kyoda" · open 8:30–19:00

Open in Google Maps →

Need a taxi? Here's how it works in Okinawa

Rural Okinawa has no street-hail taxis, and calling a Japanese number from a foreign SIM often fails. Three ways that actually work:

Use an app. GO — Japan's main taxi app — works in Okinawa with an English interface. DiDi and Uber cover parts of the island. Install before your trip.

Dial with +81. From a foreign phone, replace the leading 0: 0980-XX-XXXX becomes +81 980-XX-XXXX. Wi-Fi calling works too.

Or ask the staff — show them this line:

タクシーを呼んでください

Takushī o yonde kudasai — "Please call a taxi for me."

Nearest stations from here

Kyoda sits where the expressway ends, which makes it the hinge of the whole northern half. Everything below is an easy detour on the way to or from the aquarium.

See the whole series →

11 km · ~20 minWansaka Oura Park, Nago — A quiet community park on the bay, on the east coast road.
13 km · ~20 minMichi-no-Eki Ginoza, Ginoza — A free water playground and climbing frames on the east coast.
15 km · ~25 minHaneji-no-Eki, Nago — Local chicken and eggs, and a free view over the inland sea.
21 km · ~35 minNakijin no Eki So-re, Nakijin — A farm market run by the village women who founded it.

Practical information

checked August 2026
Address17-1 Kyoda, Nago, Okinawa 905-0024
Phone0980-54-0880 (from abroad: +81 980-54-0880)
Hours8:30–19:00. Some shops vary; around 17:00 over Dec 31–Jan 1 and old Bon; occasional maintenance closures
Getting there3 min from Kyoda IC, the expressway's northern end; about 100 min from Naha Airport on ordinary roads. Bus stop "Michi-no-Eki Kyoda" (routes 20/120, Yanbaru Express Bus)
ParkingFree, 272 spaces (incl. 8 bus/large, 6 accessible), main side + sea-side annex
PaymentVisa, JCB, Amex, Suica/PASMO, PayPay, Apple Pay, Alipay and more — except the discount ticket counter, which is cash only
AccessibilityBarrier-free routes, wheelchair support, western toilets with emergency call buttons
TypeA roadside station registered with the national ministry — Okinawa's first, registered 1994

Questions, answered

Why should I stop at Michi-no-Eki Kyoda?+

Two reasons: discounted tickets for Churaumi Aquarium and eight other attractions from 8:30am (cash only), and its location — Okinawa's first roadside station, exactly where the expressway ends and the north begins.

How do the discount Churaumi tickets work?+

Buy at the Yanbaru Bussan Center checkout, 8:30–19:00, cash only. Adults ¥2,000 instead of ¥2,180; high school ¥1,300; elementary and junior high ¥650. Tickets stay valid about six months. Kyoda opens before the aquarium, so buy here and arrive for opening time.

Can I get there without a car?+

Yes. Local buses 20 and 120 from Naha stop at "Michi-no-Eki Kyoda", and the Yanbaru Express Bus airport line stops here on its way to the Churaumi Aquarium area and Unten Port.

What should I eat?+

Okinawan tempura (mozuku and goya), a pork-egg onigiri, hot sata andagi from Mitsuya, Daito-style sushi, and local-milk gelato for dessert.

Every station

nearest first, from where you are now
Wansaka Oura ParkNago · 11 km Michi-no-Eki GinozaGinoza · 13 km Haneji-no-EkiNago · 15 km Nakijin no Eki So-reNakijin · 21 km Rikarika WarumiNakijin · 23 km Michi-no-Eki Sunrise HigashiHigashi · 25 km Onna-no-Eki NakayukuiOnna · 25 km Uru MarcheUruma · 27 km Kouri SorahashiKouri · 28 km Umi-no-Eki AyahashikanUruma · 29 km Michi-no-Eki OgimiOgimi · 33 km Michi-no-Eki Kina BanjoYomitan · 35 km Michi-no-Eki KadenaKadena · 37 km Michi-no-Eki Yui-Yui KunigamiKunigami · 44 km Happy More IchibaGinowan · 46 km Yanbaru Pineapple HillKunigami · 48 km Michi-no-Eki ToyosakiTomigusuku · 68 km Minami-no-Eki YaeseYaese · 70 km Michi-no-Eki ItomanItoman · 72 km