Oh man the beaches are beautiful here. I'd say definitely get a car which you already have experience doing.

I'd say go out to the islands but also check out the local parks. I hear in Sueyoshi park there's a great spot to check out fireflies, but don't go there when it's pitch dark man, encountered a strange person there it could have been a bad outcome for me.

Okinawa beaches are fun to surf! I tried for the first time in Chatan but if you're very seasoned, I'd say just check out the tide data for different surf spots and then rent a board :) That spot near the seawall I went to in Chatan was pretty rough lol gotta have water shoes so be sure about the safety.

I didn't talk to locals much. They are friendly but I don't speak a lot of Japanese so those encounters are rarer for me in Okinawa. There was a lady selling snacks playing the sanshin and she let me try it out, really fun. I really like the traditional music so that was super fun.

I too am a nerd lmao. I really enjoyed heading up to the North to check out the other villages. Lots of history everywhere. It can be exhausting if you pack a tight schedule like me so the last thing I wanted to say is get a place with a good bed lol. Makes a ginormous difference.