Okinawa Taxi Cabs

The basic fare for getting in the door of a small sized taxi cab on the Okinawa Main Island (Okinawa Honto) is 500yen for the first 1.8km (1.1 miles). The meter starts ticking up rapidly at 60yen for each additional 359 meters (quarter mile).

Taxi cabs are easy to find in any city on Okinawa if you are near a main street, just wave your hand in the air as you see one approach. In the front window in front of the driver you will see a red sign with some Japanese Kanji if the taxi is empty and a green sign if the taxi already has a passenger, perhaps a little opposite to what you may expect regarding the colors of the signs. It is also important to mention when entering or exiting a taxi cab anywhere in Japan, the rear left passenger door is automatic and controlled by the driver. The other important thing to know is recently all Okinawan Taxi’s became non-smoking.

Some taxi cab companies have set rates to resort hotels from Naha Airport and other main destinations. Pre-booking for these prices is necessary and can be done through most travel agents in Japan or by calling the taxi cab company if you or someone you know speaks Japanese.

Many taxi cab companies on Okinawa also have sightseeing tour packages. This involves renting the services of the taxi on an hourly basis and being driven around to the sights of the island. The standard rate for this service is around 3,000 per hour, however for larger blocks of time it is common to negotiate the price. There are a few companies that operate with English speaking taxi cab drivers in Okinawa.