Okinawa · Month comparison

May vs October

October ranks #1 overall vs May at #12. Sweet spot — typhoons fading, 28°C and warm water, Naha Great Tug-of-War spectacle.

Okinawa May — overcast sky over Naha city during rainy season

May

#12 of 12 months

Worth considering

Golden Week first week then tsuyu (rainy season) — worst of both worlds for visitors.

  • ↑Sea at 25°C, properly warm for snorkelling
  • ↑Naha Hari dragon boat races early May
Okinawa October — empty white sand beach with calm turquoise sea

October

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Sweet spot — typhoons fading, 28°C and warm water, Naha Great Tug-of-War spectacle.

  • ↑Sea still 27°C, dive visibility 25-30m
  • ↑Naha Matsuri (Great Tug-of-War) early October
FactorMayOctober
Weather score
5
8
Value score
3
7
Crowd score
2
7
Events score
5
7
Atmosphere
5
9
Avg high temp27°C28°C
Monthly rain232mm153mm
Daily sunshine5.5hrs6hrs

May trade-offs

  • ↓Golden Week (29 Apr–6 May) hotels at 200% rates, fully booked months out
  • ↓Tsuyu rainy season starts mid-May — 60% of days wet
  • ↓Humidity over 80% with poor visibility for diving

October trade-offs

  • ↓Last weeks can still see late-season typhoons (rare but devastating)
  • ↓Some outer-island ferries reduce schedule mid-month
See all 12 months for Okinawa →May in detail →October in detail →
Scores compare months within Okinawa. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →