Introduction To Okinawa

By Author: Marva Donovan
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The islands of Okinawa are a popular destination for Japanese tourists year after year, for many good reasons. Some people even refer to it as the Hawaii of Japan, so it may not be surprising to find that there are even more Japanese tourists in Okinawa than in Hawaii.

Okinawa is actually the name of the main island and also a name used to refer collectively to the many islands in the island group located to the south of mainland Japan. The islands of Okinawa are plentiful and there are many kinds of islands waiting for an adventurous tourist to enjoy. Some will offer many of the conveniences so common to the islands of mainland Japan, while some are basically a natural paradise with few or no human inhabitants at all. From lush jungle to city nightlife, it's all available somewhere in the islands of Okinawa.

Knowing something about the documented history of Okinawa is one way to understand the modern culture of the islands. Historically the islands of Okinawa were known as the island kingdom of Ryukyu. The Ryukyu kingdom is regarded as having formerly been a kind of tributary state of imperial China prior to ...
... being invaded by people from mainland Japan in the early 1600's. The islands were later documented as being officially annexed when the people of mainland Japan were also annexed into a new national Japanese government during the late 1800's. After that the islands of Okinawa were officially considered by the government of Japan as being a part of Japan. In the years that followed, any historical presence of the Ryukyu kingdom was supposedly highly suppressed by the government of Japan in apparent efforts to instill nationalism. The people and culture of Okinawa were also reportedly suppressed and Japanese ways of doing things were relatively enforced. During WWII the islands of Okinawa are documented as having been a location of several shocking atrocities against the people of Okinawa by the military from mainland Japan. Some people in Okinawa still reportedly have disdain for the people of mainland Japan for the way the people of Okinawa were treated.

Following WWII, the US military built numerous bases in the islands of Okinawa. Today there are still US military bases, even though the islands are again considered to be part of Japan. One of the positive results of this, at least for international tourists, is that a fair amount of people in Okinawa speak English. This makes for a much easier experience, although the tourism industry of Okinawa is still primarily in Japanese and targeting tourists from mainland Japan.

There are a lot of wonderful island delights, such as gorgeous beaches and great diving, available for tourists visiting Okinawa. Just make sure to skip the annual holiday week of Japan, known as Golden Week, at the beginning of May. Okinawa is a prime destination for a plethora of Golden Week tourists, so it's likely better to enjoy Okinawa when the coast is clear.

The author writes about tropical islands. The website includes an Okinawa Tour Guide. You can visit: http://www.tropical-island-vacation.net/ and http://www.tropical-island-vacation.net/blog/okinawa-tour-guide/