Stretched over 1,000 km from the southern tip of Kyūshū until 100 km east of Taiwan, the Ryūkyū Islands, more commonly known as Okinawa, is Japan's top beach and resort destination.
Okinawa has a distinct culture and language from the rest of Japan. Okinawa is renowned for its traditional dances, pottery, colourful fabrics, strong awamori alcohol, some of it containing a habu snake coiled in the bottle , and of course, for its food (goya champuru, etc.). Nevertheless, the utterly different Okinawan language, still spoken by most of the local people (who can also speak Japanese), leaves mainland Japanese at a loss.
Okinawa is surrounded by beautiful blue waters. In the crystal-clear waters, colorful coral reefs and a wide variety of marine life, which reside there, create a dream-like world. Many tourists are sure to be surprised and impressed by the beauty as well as the mysterious world of the cobalt blue waters. Also, beach resorts in Okinawa are ideal for those who just want to relax or want to enjoy marine leisure. In Okinawa, there are a number of public and private beaches, so you can enjoy not only marine sports, but also other outdoor activities such as barbecues. On well developed beaches, you can safely enjoy the waters/beaches to the fullest as if you were a child again. Having fun full of energy on the beach, walking along the beach while watching the beautiful sunset, and having a leisurely time at a cafe on the beach are some of the recommended ways to have a great time.
Okinawa also boasts one of the best aquariums in Japan. The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, at Motobu (north of the island), is the largest in Asia and the main attraction are its manta rays and three whale sharks.
US Troops are stationed in Okinawa City (pop. 125,000) in the middle of Okinawa Island. The town itself has all it needs to feel more like America than Japan (or more like a fusion of both).
Okinawa has thousands of white sandy beach islands with crystal blue waters, colourful coral and fishes. Some islands have jungle and mangrove forest as well. The most popular among the large islands include Ishigaki-jima Island, Iriomote-jima Island and Miyako-jima Island.