Travel Japan - Visit Okinawa
Okinawa (沖縄) is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. It is itself an island chain consisting of 41 inhabited islands and 16 uninhabited islands. Okinawa is the only sub-tropical climate in Japan and as such is a major tourist destination for the Japanese, but not many foreign visitors make it to these shores.
Quick Facts
Prefectural Capital: Naha City
Government: constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government
Currency: yen (JPY)
Area: 2,267.48 sq km
Population: 1,355,216 ( Aug. 2004 est. - from Okinawa Prefecture website )
Language: Japanese
Religion: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
Islands
From the northern end of the chain near Kyushu to the southern end near Taiwan, Okinawa’s major islands are:
- Okinawa Island (Okinawa Honto) — the largest island, featuring administrative capital Naha
- Kume
- Kerama
- Miyako
- Yaeyama Islands
- Ishigaki — hub of the remote Yaeyama Islands
- Iriomote — jungles and the mysterious Iriomote wild cat
- Yonaguni — the westernmost point of Japan
Generalities
Once the independent Ryukyu Kingdom, the islands were annexed by Japan during the Meiji Restoration in the late 1800s and savaged during fierce fighting during World War II. They remained under U.S. occupation until 1972.
With their own language and customs, Okinawans still regard themselves as different from the mainland Japanese.
In recent years Okinawan culture has become quite popular throughout Japan thanks to popular musicians and local foods. Okinawan folk music is quite distinctive, and the twangy sound of the sanshin and pentatonic melodies are instantly recognizable.
Talk
The local language Ryukyuan is a relative of Japanese, but it is not used much these days. All Okinawans speak Japanese, and not a few understand English as well, particularly on the main island which has several large (and controversial) US military bases.
Getting there
- By air
Most visitors arrive in Naha, the capital of Okinawa and the only airport that receives international flights. Domestic flights do connect major Japanese cities to practically all Okinawan islands, but prices can be steep and using an airpass may allow considerable savings.
- By ship
There are weekly ferries to Tokyo and some other Japanese cities. One weekly ferry links Kaohsiung and Keelung to Miyako and Ishigaki (16-19 hours), but note that the exact route changes weekly.
Get around
Ferry and air connections links the islands together, but many of them are simply so small in population that scheduled services may be infrequent and prices high. If traveling by boat in late summer, note that the area around Okinawa is known as Typhoon Alley for a reason.
See
Most people comes to Okinawa for the sun and beaches. Even in midwinter, when mainland Japan teeters around the freezing point, temperatures rarely dip below 20°C in Okinawa.
Do
Scuba diving and other watersports are very popular in Okinawa.
Eat
Okinawan cuisine bears notable Taiwanese influences. Notable ingredients include a heavy reliance on pork (including Spam, courtesy of the US Army!) and some vegetables rarely seen on the Japanese mainland, including bitter gourd (gōya).
Some dishes worth trying:
- Goya champuru is a dish made from goya mixed with meat and tofu, served with rice.
- Rafti is a side dish consisting of very fatty cubes of stewed pork.
- Taco rice is a hybrid originating from the American presence in Okinawa — spiced Mexican-style taco meat with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes, but instead of being in a tortillas, it’s on rice.
Drink
The local brew of choice is awamori, a notoriously strong rice liquor that can contain up to 60% alcohol. Okinawa’s beer label Orion is a safer alternative (at least in small quantities).
(Source: Wikitravel)
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