JAPAN / REGIONAL VOICES: OKINAWA

Rents soar in northern Okinawa ahead of Junglia theme park opening

Apartments in the district of Miyazato in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, where many students live | THE OKINAWA TIMES

OKINAWA TIMES
May 12, 2025

Junglia Okinawa, a new theme park scheduled to open in July in the village of Nakijin in northern Okinawa Prefecture, is hiring 1,500 workers prior to the opening.

Most of its employees moving to the northern part of the prefecture are believed to be choosing to live in the nearby city of Nago with its many commercial facilities, leading to a growing supply-demand imbalance in apartments for rent in the city.

While large-scale hiring may help to revitalize the area, it is also creating a housing supply shortage, affecting students and others who are moving in.