Among activities on the evening sea, dining aboard a cruise boat feels particularly indulgent to me.
Okinawa, famous for emerald-blue water, also offers sunset dinner cruises where you can eat as the sky turns red.
They leave from Naha port, described as around 15 minutes from the airport. Advance booking was essential, so it is worth planning this part of a trip ahead.
The source distinguishes two sailings: a sunset cruise for the changing evening light, and a later dinner cruise for night views.
Both required guests to assemble 30 minutes before departure.
Inside Naha port’s building are West Marine’s reception desk and waiting area.
Give the reservation name to receive a card.
Keep it safe: a crew member uses it to show you to your seat after boarding.
We booked the sunset cruise departing at 5:45 p.m.
At 5:15 p.m., half an hour before departure, a cute yellow bus arrives at the waiting area.
After about a minute on the bus, we reach the large cruise boat.
Its name is Moby Dick.
Tonight, this is where we will have dinner.
All indoor seats are assigned. Hand the crew member the card to be shown to your table.
Window seats overlooking the water seem likely to be popular.
We order drinks before the main courses arrive.
With beer, cocktails and wine among the choices, deciding takes a while.
A page also explains the courses we have ordered.
Our choices are the JPY 5,400 Coral Course and the JPY 8,400 Mega U.S. Sirloin Steak.
For the Mega Steak, staff show us the meat before cooking.
Its enormous 500-gram size is a surprise.
I am looking forward to this.
To set the mood, we begin with tropical juice.
It feels suitably Okinawan.
The drink’s size is a surprise as well.
Before the main dishes, we take food from the semi-buffet at one side of the boat.
Salad, soups, rice, dessert and other basic accompaniments are available for refills from the semi-buffet under our dining plan.
A fresh salad with distinctive mozuku seaweed.
Baguette topped with tuna.
Marinated sardines brightened with lemon.
Fries, a familiar favorite in Okinawa.
And a generous choice of desserts.
Soup from the semi-buffet.
Fresh salad.
Both bread and rice are available; tonight, bread feels right.
There is plenty of dessert, too.
At last, the steak arrives.
Its 500-gram presence dwarfs the surrounding dishes.
I usually choose rare, but with so much meat I order medium this time.
A heated stone beside the steak lets us cook individual pieces a little more to our preference, following the serving arrangement.
Now our romantic sunset dinner can begin.
We start with soup.
Then some fresh salad.
Even a small cut from the steak is substantial.
It tastes leaner than wagyu, with enough firmness to make chewing satisfying.
That does not mean it is tough. It is delicious.
Perhaps the best steak I have eaten recently.
Wine is a natural pairing for steak.
We enjoy a glass with it.
The Coral Course ordered by my companion begins arriving.
First, assorted hors d’oeuvres.
One dish is salmon rolled into a sausage-like shape.
White fish and crispy rice with sweet chili sauce, according to the menu translation.
Chicken and seasonal vegetables ‘vapeur japonaise,’ as transcribed in the source.
Together with the buffet dishes, the spread looks like this.
The window-side table fills up quickly.
But the course dishes are brought one at a time, so there is no need to worry about everything arriving at once.
A lovely dinner by a window facing the sea.
We toast with tropical juice and begin eating.
Assorted Hors d’Oeuvres
The salmon flavor is pronounced. I recommend enjoying it soon after it arrives.
Though translated on the menu as white fish and crispy rice with sweet chili sauce, it tastes to me like well-fried white fish with an eel-style glaze.
The fish is crisp, and the sweet-and-salty sauce balances it beautifully.
The chicken and seasonal-vegetable dish has particularly tender chicken.
Its gentle, familiar flavor is pleasantly restrained.
After eating for a while, we go up to the third deck to look around.
The Sea from Naha Port, Okinawa
Cellular Stadium is visible in the distance.
The author finds it amusing that Okinawa has a stadium without a resident top-level professional baseball team; that is a source-period observation.
A barbecue is in full swing on the third deck.
The courses are enjoyable, but outdoor barbecue and beer look appealing too.
Those diners know how to enjoy themselves.
There are photo opportunities on the third deck as well.
Today, I am Moby Dick’s navigator.
As we enjoy ourselves, the sun finally begins to lower.
In summer, it sets later than I expected.
It is still above the horizon when we return, so unfortunately we do not see a complete sunset during the sailing.
Inside, a live performance is underway.
The cruise provides live music while guests dine, according to the source.
The sunset sailing is described as featuring romantic songs, and the later dinner sailing livelier music.
After an hour and 40 minutes—both a long and a short time, depending on how you look at it—we return to Naha port.
A Dinner Cruise from Urban Okinawa
The sunset sailing and later dinner sailing offer two different ways to enjoy it.
Remember to reserve ahead. In summer, the sun may not fully set until around disembarkation, so the sunset cruise’s name does not guarantee a complete sunset while underway.
West Marine’s dinner cruise can make an Okinawa evening feel a little more special.
It is an option worth considering when planning a trip.
West Marine — Moby Dick (有限会社ウエストマリン)
Address: 2-1 Tondocho, Naha, Okinawa
Website: westmarine.co.jp
Phone: 098-866-0489