Marine Science Excursion in Japan

After a lengthy flight overseas, you’ve finally arrived in Tokyo! Upon your arrival at the Tokyo International Airport, you will be greeted by your local marine science and oceanography guide who will be showing you around for the week.

From the airport, you will transfer to your accommodation in the city where you will reside for the next few nights. In the evening, explore downtown Tokyo with at your leisure and get a sense of the area’s bustling city life.

You’ll start the day with a traditional Japanese breakfast alongside your guide. Afterward, you will be given a briefing of the week’s upcoming events. Next, you will be heading to the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. 

While you’re here, you will connect with faculty members for a crash course session on the current state of the ocean and marine life surrounding Japan. While talking with members of the board, you will also get more insights on the areas you will be diving in throughout the week. Afterward, take the afternoon and evening to check out some of Tokyo’s top night markets with your guide. 

After a few days in Tokyo, you will now be diving into the next realm of the trip. Today you will wake up early in order to catch a three-hour flight departing from the Tokyo International Airport to Naha Airport in Okinawa. Comprising more than 150 islands, this Japanese prefecture located between the mainland of Japan and Taiwan is surely something unique. 

Upon your arrival at the airport, you will head to your accommodation before embarking on your first adventure. Today you will be visiting Cape Maeda, a popular seaside destination ideal for scuba diving and snorkeling. You will be entering the waters with a certified PADI instructor and checking out the different marine life in the area. After the dive, you will connect with your guide to discuss the background behind what you saw beneath the surface.

Today you will visit Amuro Island. Located about a 50-minute ferry ride from the main island of Okinawa, here you will get another opportunity to dive beneath the surface and study some of the region’s marine biodiversity. Amuro Island is a great first stop on your island-hopping tour and boasts clear waters that are ideal for snorkeling. Take a few hours to swim and chill out here before heading on to your next destination. 

Next up is Kerama Shoto National Park and joining you on this expedition will be a local marine biologist. To arrive, you will take a ferry from Amuro Island. This gem of a protected park covers over 90,000 hectares of marine area and is a must-see for any avid scuba diver. Here you will spend the afternoon descending beneath the water’s surface checking out the different reef formations, marine life and more with a marine biologist. Afterward, you will spend the night camping in the park.

This morning you will depart from Kerama Shotō National Park and head to Agenashiku Island. This uninhabited paradise is the perfect way to get a better sense of the archipelago’s purity. While on the island, you will enjoy a picnic on the beach followed by a snorkel session in the crystal-clear waters to observe the surrounding coral reefs. 

Following your snorkel session, you will head to Zamami Island. While you’re here, you will be checking out Ama Beach. This will be a shorter visit as you will need to start heading back to the ferry en route to Okinawa’s mainland before sunset, however, it is relaxing and blissful nonetheless.

On your final full day in Okinawa, you will embark on a scenic drive to Ikei Island. Connected to Miyagi Island by a large bridge from the Katsuren Peninsula, this island is another solid spot for an underwater adventure. Today you will be spending the majority of the day at Ikei Beach. While you’re here, you will be able to choose to take part in a scuba diving, snorkeling or glass-bottom boat session. 

In the afternoon, you will have a beachside wrap-up session with your guide and discuss all of the different species and findings you have encountered during the trip. In the evening, you will enjoy a fire on the beach before heading back to Tokyo the following morning.

Departing from the Tokyo International Airport, it’s now time to catch your flight back home or onward to your next destination. After a week of submersion into the waters surrounding Japan, you’ve gained a perspective that goes beyond the surface. As you drift off into the clouds, allow all of the new experiences to ingrain themselves fully into your memory.