A rental car is the most practical way to explore Okinawa Island beyond Naha. Public buses exist but are slow and infrequent outside the capital, and most of the island's best attractions are spread along the coast or up in the forested north in ways that make bus travel cumbersome. Car rental is cheap, widely available at Naha Airport, and the island is small enough that you can drive from the southern tip to Cape Hedo in the far north in about two hours on the expressway.
Naha itself is served by a single monorail line — the Yui Rail — that runs from the airport through the city centre to Shuri Castle. It is useful for getting between the airport and Kokusai Street or Shuri, but does not extend to any of the attractions outside the city. Taxis are available in Naha and the main resort areas. Bicycles work in the flat parts of central and southern Okinawa but are impractical for covering large distances. For the Yambaru forest in the north, a car with reasonable ground clearance is worth requesting — some of the forest roads are rough.