The new ferry port , Naha Shin-ko, lies north of the city. Most ferries, including those from Fukuoka, Osaka, Kobe, Nagoya, Tokyo and Taiwan, dock here, while slow boats from Kagoshima and Fukuoka pull in further south at the old Naha Port. Naha Shin-ko is on the #101 bus route into central Naha (1-3 hourly; 25min; A?200), while Naha Port is more conveniently located only about fifteen minutes' walk from the main Naha Bus Terminal .

Naha's tourist information services comprise desks in both the domestic terminal (daily 9am-9pm; tel 098/857-6884), and the international terminal (daily 10.30am-7.30pm; tel 098/859-0742). Both offices have English-speaking staff, plentiful maps and brochures, and can help with hotel reservations. Ask them for the excellent Okinawa Travel Guide , produced for the G8 summit. There are separate car rental desks at both terminals. In downtown Naha, the only other information office is now located on the upper floor of the Dai-ichi Kosetsu Ichiba ( daily 11am-5pm), where you may be lucky to find an English speaker.

The monthly English newspaper Gateway Network News (free) can be picked up from many of the better hotels and carries useful information and news on what's going on around the islands, as does the weekly Japan Update ( www.japanupdate.com ), which is glossier but costs A?180.

Until the new monorail is finished in the next couple of years, the best way to get around is by local bus , or taxi, since the city is sufficiently spread out to make walking impractical. The bus system is pretty comprehensive, with frequent services on the main routes, but traffic often gridlocks at peak times, so don't expect to zip around. Nearly all buses, including long-distance services, start from or pass by Naha Bus Terminal, on the south side of the city. Buses show the route number on the front, with the destination in kanji . Lines #1 to 17 operate within the city, while #20 and above go further afield. One of the most useful is #13 which goes from the airport via the town centre to Shuri-jo. There's a flat fare of A?200 within the city, but on other buses take a numbered ticket on entry and pay at your destination. If you plan to use the buses a lot, pick up the island-wide English Naha City Bus Route Map from the tourist information offices. Taxi fares start from around A?550.