Naha

1Terminal

The main terminal has two observation decks on the third floor, one near each extension of the building. These offer a good view on the civil platform and part of the military area, with mainly P-3s in sight there. Entry is free but since late 2007 a high fence is ruining photography here, that used to be good. For the northern part of the runway, at least 400mm for a medium sized aircraft was needed. It seems quite pointless to carry such a lens out nowadays, unless it fits between the steel wires for static shots. Inside, large glass walls give further opportunity to read off registrations.

2Apron

Between the buildings, parked aircraft can sometimes be seen and photographed. Nice for a change, especially as the Ryukyu Air Commuter flights are handled here.

3North side

This spot can be reached by foot, taking just a few minutes from nearby car parks or the terminal. A fence directly borders the apron where medium aircraft are handled at short distance, and taking photos through the fence is possible. However, handling equiment and catering trucks may get in the way. Aircraft landing on 18 can be pictured over the fence and traffic for the international terminal taxies by nice and close. With 400mm effective a P-3 is acceptible in size when taxiing to the beginning of 18.

4Threshold 36

The road on this dam to the western perimeter is open to the public for the first part. With any runway use most movements can be read off here, and landings on 36 are good for photos, especially in the afternoon. For the bold, a walk along the shore from here is possible at low tide to see some more on the southern aprons and in open hangars. This venture is usually not appreciated by security however.

5Senaga-jima

This tiny island is a recreational area and offers roughly the same angle as spot 4. You are further from the runway here but can get to slightly higher ground, making photography even on the beginning of 36 possible (albeit with a lot of mm's). For those on a low budget, parking overnight here is very common.

6Final 36

The dam connecting Senaga island to the shore offers limited parking possibilities but obviously is well suited to observe landings on 36, especially in the morning.

7Golf club

An alternative to spot 6, this piece of reclaimed land with greens on it is accessible by road and features a car park between the golf course and a playground. The planes are rather high for photos.

8Preserved

The small but nice collection of military relics stands nearly under the monorail here. Parking is possible on the opposite side of the crossroads and photos can be made over the fence although this is getting harder each season as the vegetation keeps growing.