Okinawa is in the southernmost prefecture of Japan,
and is the perfect place to enjoy the beautiful sea and delicious, exotic food.
It has a unique culture and full of beautiful nature.
Your visit to Okinawa will surely be relaxing and peaceful!

Okinawa(which means the rope in the open sea) is a chain of islands.
It consists of 49 inhabited islands and 111 uninhabited islands.

Okinawa used to be called “Ryukyu kingdom”.
In 1429, Shouhashi ruled the entire area,
and built Shuri castle as the center of Ryukyu Kingdom,
and it became more and more prosperous as they promoted foreign trades with China and Japan.
Thus, Ryukyu had both Chinese and Japanese cultural influences.

Later on in 1609, it was occupied by Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan,
but it still maintained the relationship with China.
In 1879, Japanese government at the time(Meiji government) ruled the Shuri Castle,
and changed the area from Ryukyu kingdom to Okinawa prefecture of Japan.
Okinawa has a tragic history of the horrible loss of WW2.
A lot of people were killed in the area.
After the WW2, Okinawa was governed by the U.S until 1972 (This added American cultural influence) and a lot of the U.S military bases are still remain in the area.

People use the Okinawan language, which is unique to the area.
Most people in Okinawa can communicate using regular Japanese,
but you might have hard time understanding what people are saying if you hear this type of distinctive language.
But you don’t need to worry too much about it.
People in Okinawa area are generally very friendly and open-minded,
so even if you can not say a single Japanese sentence(or Okinawan language),
you can somehow communicate with body language and smile.

To get to Okinawa, it is the most convenient to use an airplane.
There’s an airport in the main island(or Hontou) and you can go sightseeing there first.
Using ferries and airplanes, you can go to one island to another.

Here are some popular places and activities in the main island.

Main island

There are coral reefs around the island and view of the ocean is breathtaking.
Sand is white and sparkling.
Just relaxing on the beach will be very nice , but if you have enough time,
swimming in the sea with colorful marine life will surely be a memorable experience!

• Snorkeling/Diving at Blue Cave

  It is the most popular place for visitors of main island.
  Blue Cave is a natural cave and you can swim inside.
  The view from the underwater is particularly beautiful when the ray of light go through the water.
  You do not need a license of diving to join the experience.
  There are varieties of programs and the price and the activities differs depending on the tour.

  In addition, there are some other marine tours that you can join such as,

  Swim with sea turtles (There’s Swim with Mantas tour in Ishigaki Island)
  Sail with whales
  

• Chura Umi Aquarium

  It is one of the world’s largest Aquariums.
  This place has the gigantic tank with the windows that are 8.2m high, 22.5m wide and 60cm thick.
  You can enjoy watching sharks, mantas, many different kinds of fishes, coral reef as well as the deep sea creatures.
  Great place to learn about marine life in Okinawa and it is very relaxing watching them swim!

  Hours:
  8:30am to 17:30pm (Oct to Feb)
  8:30am to 19:00pm (Mar to Sep)
  *Closed on the first Wed and Thu of December

  Price:1,850yen (1,290yen for the entrance after 16:00) to enter
  

• Shuri Castle

  It was the main castle of Ryukyu Kingdom and around it flourished with foreign affairs and trade.
  The design of the building shows the influence of China and Japan and it has the exceptional cultural and historical values.
  It was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2000.

  Hours:
  8:30 to 18:30 (April to June, Oct to Nov)
  8:30 to 19:30 (Jul to Sep)
  8:30 to 17:30 (Dec to Mar)
  *Closed on the first Wed and The of July.

  Price: 820yen to enter
  

• Kokusui Douri

  Kokusui Douri is the main market area in the capital of okinawa, Naha city.
  This place (which is about a mile long) has been developing after the war,
  and is a great place to enjoy local food (Okinawa Soba,Umibudou,Champuru, and etc), drink(Awamori), and music.
  There are a lot of souvenir shops which sell glass crafts, potteries, and colorful clothes.
  Things are relatively low priced and the area is lively day and night.
  

Other islands

• Ishigaki island

  It is one of the most popular islands near the main island of Okinawa.
  There are the finest beaches(it has both sandy and rocky beaches) and it is rich in nature.
  At Yurateiku Market, you can get some local fruits, vegitables, and souvenirs.
  There’s beautiful bay called Kabira Wan, and the lighthouse named Oganzaki light house.

  Access from the main island
  You can take an airplane to get there.
  It takes about 50 min and the price is 25,800yen for one way.
  

• Taketomi island

  It is an island located close to Ishigaki island.
  Traditional Ryukyu style villages are preserved,
  and they can be observed well from Nagomi Tower.
  The island has a lot of beautiful flowers and there are some great places to stay like
  Hoshinoya Taketomi island and Hotel peace island Taketomi Island, and some guesthouses.
  
  Access from Ishigaki island
  You can take a ferry to get there.
  It takes about 15 min and the price is 690yen for one way.

  

I wrote just major places in Okinawa on this post, but there are are lot more to see!

You can enjoy relaxing on the beautiful beach and at night, you can see a lot of stars.
A lot of people visit there especially during winter to get away from the cold weather.（The temperature stays around 15℃ even in the coldest month)

That reminds me of my days in Florida. Many people from north part of the U.S came down to Miami and I saw them partying hard in the winter on the beaches haha

Access

From Tokyo

You can take an airplane to get to the main island.
(Time: About 2 and a half hours  Price:From around 6,160yen~ for one way)

From Nagoya

You can take an airplane to get to the main island.
(Time: About 2 hours  Price:From around 5,500yen~ for one way)

From Osaka

You can take an airplane to get to the main island.
(Time: About 2 hours  Price:From around 4,012yen~ for one way)

Where’s the best resort area in your country?

Taka

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See you next time!