We provide you official travel and tourism information about okinawa, japan. As ive mentioned several times, i can not do a month focused on japan without giving special attention to okinawa. Okinawa prefecture can be divided into three major island groups, the okinawa islands okinawa shoto. A flight from tokyo to okinawa takes approximately between 3 and 2 and a half hours, departing from narita airport. From what i could find, there arent a lot of choices for childrens books set in okinawa. Explore okinawahonto holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. Okinawa, known then as the ryukyu kingdom, was independent from japan until 1879, and was part of us territory from 1945 to 1972. Okinawa is the only subtropical island prefecture of japan and offers great beaches and scuba diving spots. A comprehensive guide to the worlds best travel destinations, its print heritage stretches back more than 30 years, with the online portal reaching its 20year anniversary in 2019. Okinawa is the portal between japan and the tropics.
Learn more about when to go before traveling to okinawa. Okinawa is the largest of the japanese islands to the south of mainland japan and on the same latitude as hawaii and florida. Okinawa travel guide expert picks for your vacation fodors travel. The below are my favorite companies to use when i travel to japan. Things i wish i knew before going to japan 2020 new edition paperback march 20, 2019. Greater than a tourist okinawa city okinawa island japan. Travel guide book best of okinawa visit okinawa japan.
It very much has that laid back island vibe but with the japanese love of order. In the arrivals hall there was a long list of the way to behave. Get free email communications from fodors travel, covering mustsee travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion. There are plenty of reasons to head to this beautiful island in japan. Japan is surprisingly easy to get around despite the language barrier, so for most travelers its not at all necessary to travel around with a map. Okinawa and the ryukyu islands is the first comprehensive travel guide to the 150 subtropical island chain that stretches across 600 miles from japan to taiwan. Okinawa travel guide one day plan watch before you go. Tickets during these peak seasons sell out quickly and are more expensive than at other times. The main island of okinawahonto was once the heart of the ryukyu. Okinawa travel guide expert picks for your vacation. Okinawa s melting pot is sharply different from mainland japan s commercial culture of appropriation and pastiche, touching every element of island life and lending flavor to the music, language. Questions for what to do in okinawa and where to go in okinawa. The last battle of world war ii by robert leckie, with the old breed.
Okinawa travel guide what to do in okinawa rough guides. Book exclusive okinawa vacation packages travelocity. Okinawa, referred to as okinawa main island, is the largest and most densely populated island in the okinawa prefecture, the southernmost of japans 47 prefectures or administrative districts. Visit okinawa japan official travel and tourism information. People tend to refer to the plentiful supply of japanese stories available. Nine voices from a garrison island by ruth ann keyso. But as we know, the story of okinawa is not just the story of japan. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Special airfare passes are available to foreigners taking domestic flights in japan such as japan explorer pass. Illustrated with over 200 color photographs and 40 maps, this book. The world travel guide wtg is the flagship digital consumer brand within the columbus travel media portfolio.
As a result, the culture, food, and even the language although many do speak standard japanese differ vastly from those of any other region. Japan s southernmost prefecture, okinawa is a chain of islands with its own history as an independent kingdom and a distinctly subtropical climate, as well as the birthplace of karate. Its a bit challenging to describe exactly what okinawa world is, but there is a snake museum, the largest stalactites cave in japan, a brewery, traditional ryukyu arts and craft village, and a culture center on the premise. Okinawa is an ideal destination for both history buffs and beach lovers. Traveling from osaka to okinawa, via kansai international airport, takes about 2 hours.
Okinawa main island okinawa honto travel guide japan. Subtropical japan okinawa vietnamese 2020 edition download. This is compilation of interviews with nine okinawan women from different generations, who tell us. Its located in the east china sea between japans mainland and taiwan, and is known for its world war ii sites and tropical beaches. The best time to visit okinawa will depend on your goals. A great thing about traveling in japan is that most major train stations have tourist information centers, which are full of local maps, resources and helpful staff. Take a look, and youll see why okinawa should be at the top of your list. Okinawas melting pot is sharply different from mainland japans commercial culture of appropriation and pastiche, touching every element of island life and lending flavor to the music, language. The roads to sata is a minor travel classic and is the tale of alan booths walk from cape sota, in hokkaido, the northernmost island in japan, to cape sata in kyushu, the southernmost of japan s four major islandsa distance stretching over 3200 kilometers.
Okinawa travel guide expert picks for your vacation fodor. Okinawa vegetarian guide book english 2019 download. An outpost travel guide to the island of okinawa, japan. Also like hawaii, okinawa consists of numerous islands, though most travel to the main island also called okinawa via naha airport. Explore the ruins and restored castles of the ryukyu kings, and visit magnificent beaches and coastlines with an amazing array of coral and undersea life. The islands making up okinawa prefecture, are also known as. Read about itineraries, activities, places to stay and travel essentials and get inspiration from the blog in the best guide to okinawa. Join jurichan and her family on their journey cruise to the breathtaking island of okinawa, japan. Okinawa, referred to as okinawa main island, is the largest and most densely populated island in the okinawa prefecture, the southernmost of japans 47.
Especially if youre a nature lover, a scuba diver or love water sports. May 27, 2014 travel to the most inspiring tropical islands on the planet. Sep 17, 2016 they are highlights from what is becoming a respectable body of englishlanguage books about japans contested island paradise. Okinawa japan the 101 travel guide to the tropical islands. Japan travel is the leading resource for japan travel information and the primary destination for visitors planning and traveling to japan. For the best okinawa travel and leisure, the ryukyu style dancing with eisa, sanshin, and drums is exceptionally captivating. The prefectural capital naha and most of the us military bases are located on okinawa honto. Okinawa is home to 150 islands, some of which have the most pristine white sand beaches with cerulean azure blue waters full of life.
Depending on the suffix used, okinawa can refer to the prefecture ken. The name okinawa actually means rope in the open sea, which is a pretty accurate description of the long chain of islands stretching from the southern coast of japan out into the sea. My favorite guide book is gateway to japan by june kinoshita, published by kodansha. And its very important that i look at childrens books set in okinawa. In this lively story for children and travelers of all ages, she learns everything you need to know about the rich history, culture, and people. We provide info on hotels, sightseeing spots and other travel tips. View the best hotels, restaurants and spas in okinawa, with fivestar ratings and more from forbes travel guide. The center of the former ryukyu kingdom, okinawa main island. Travel japan japan national tourism organization jnto. The first comprehensive guide to the entire ryukyu island chain. By the early twentieth century, okinawa had been fairly successfully absorbed into japan and became a key pawn in japans last line of defence during the pacific. Okinawa, okinawaken is japans southernmost prefecture, consisting of a few dozen, small islands in the southern half of the nansei shoto, the island chain which stretches over about one thousand kilometers from kyushu to taiwan.
An island chain over km long, japans okinawa prefecture has a population of nearly 1. Dk eyewitness travel guide japan is a detailed, easytouse guide designed to help you get the most from your visit to japan. On the first day we arrived in okinawa, the first destination we headed to was okinawa world. It is often said that okinawa is the hawaii of japan, due to its lush vegetation, tropical climate and white sand beaches that come together to create a picturesque island paradise. Okinawa is one of most popular resorts in japan and there are a great number of fine hotels. Remaining, however, are american military bases, which were greatly expanded during the korean war and that occupy land that had belonged to okinawans for generations 75% of american bases in japan are in okinawa. Youll even get to see a karate show and if you didnt know karate was born in okinawa. Everything you need is in this one convenient okinawa travel guideincluding a large pullout map. In southern japan, okinawa was the bloodiest operation of the pacific theater in wwii. Okinawa, an archipelago made up of 160 islands dotting the sea between japan and taiwan, is a tropical escape from the bustling cities of japans larger islands. These are some of the most stunningly beautiful islands in the world. Japan travel is the leading resource for japan travel. Text by simon vaughan, photos by jo turner all about okinawa.
An easy to follow plan with the best things to do in okinawa, japan. A guide to the captivating isolated islands of okinawa yaeyama islands download. Avoid midmay to midjune, which is the rainy season. My dad was military and i lived there for three years in elementary school. Japans southernmost prefecture, the okinawa archipelago forms a huge arc stretching from southern kyushu, almost as far as taiwan. Okinawa is located at southernmost area in japan and its north latitude is between 24 degrees and 28 degrees.
Okinawa, okinawa ken is japan s southernmost prefecture, consisting of a few dozen, small islands in the southern half of the nansei shoto, the island chain which stretches over about one thousand kilometers from kyushu to taiwan. Consequently, snorkeling and scuba diving are among okinawas top attractions. Tourists can visit sites that recall the lessons of history. Okinawas history is tied to the ryukyu kingdom, which flourished in the 15 th century and influenced local culture. Unfortunately, it is out of print, but if you can find a used copy, grab it as it is packed with useful sightseeing information though hours, etc. Peak seasons for travel to okinawa are during holidays such as golden week late april to early may and during the month of august. Nishibama beach, aka island, kerama islands, okinawa, japan, asia. Omar books is a small independent book store located at kitanakagusukuvillage. Contributed by kelly just wanted to let you guys know about two books that might interest you if you are moving to living in okinawa. They are included here because they consistently find deals, offer worldclass customer service and great value, and overall, are better than their competitors. Okinawa is the only region in japan that belongs to the subtropical oceanic climate. Naha, okinawas capital, is geographically closer to taiwan than to any of japans main islands, but deeper distinctions of culture and history are what really set.
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