Okinawa Japan is located Southwest of mainland Japan and is the southern most prefecture for the country. The Okinawan archipelago is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the East and the East China Sea to the West.. To get to Okinawa it is about a 2.5 hour flight from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to Naha Airport. Okinawa consists of the main island known as Okinawa Honto as well as hundreds of smaller islands that span over 1000 Kilometers from the bottom of Kyushu Prefecture all the way to Taiwan. Okinawa sits at the same latitude as Hawaii, Florida, and the Bahamas. This ideal geographic location makes Okinawa Japan a popular resort and beach destination. As Okinawa is the only subtropical place in Japan, this means beautiful flowers bloom year round in the islands temperate climate.

The Okinawa Islands
Okinawa is the 47th Japanese Prefecture and consists of the large main island (Okinawa Honto) where the capital city Naha and the largest airport Naha Airport is located. The main Okinawa Island acts as the transportation hub to the other 161 Ryukyu Islands. The Okinawa Islands are usually grouped into four main areas; Okinawa Honto and the islands neighboring it, The Miyako Islands, The Kerama Islands, and The Yaeyama Islands including Ishigaki Island. All of these different Ryukyu Islands have their own culture, traditions, and unique ways of life.

Okinawa Japan A Special Place

Okinawa Japan was once an independent nation known as the Ryukyu Kingdom, a small but prosperous nation renowned for its trade relations between China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. The result of forming such close trade relations with so many nations is a unique Okinawan culture that differs from the rest of Japan on many factors such as food, music, and religion.
Okinawa is famous for its beautiful white sandy beaches and crystal clear cobalt blue and emerald green waters that contain some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world. Activities like SCUBA diving, snorkeling, kite surfing and other marine sports are very popular on Okinawa all year long.
The increasing ability for resort hotels and other facilities to accommodate non-Japanese visitors as well as being a very safe destination and the natural beauty of the Okinawa Islands now means Okinawa is a must see destination in Asia. Most people who come to Okinawa find a land where tradition is still very much alive, people are friendly, and culture can be learned and shared.

Videos Of Okinawa

Okinawa Beach Guide

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Okinawa Japan offers a huge variety of beaches and recreation centers to kick back and relax. On Okinawa Island you're never more than a stone's throw from a beach. Okinawa's beaches are mostly sandy with gentle slopes and shallow shores.

The islands of Okinawa Japan are covered with beaches that range from large resort beaches to the private or public beaches perfect for a BBQ or beach party. Some beaches on Okinawa also feature a rare type of "star sand". Out of the many beaches on Okinawa some are rather popular and easy to find, and others are secluded and hard to reach but many have sandy white shores and sparkling clear waters.

North Okinawa	Central Okinawa	South Okinawa
Yaeyama Islands	Miyako Islands	Kerama Islands