Okinawa has always been a top holiday destination for mainland Japanese holiday makers to retreat to, and is also becoming a popular getaway for European tourists too. It attracts simply for its sandy white beaches, their fascinating culture and awe inspiring scenery filled with mountains and jungles.

Okinawa is made up of around 150 islands, which are most southern to mainland Japan. Though it is heavily populated for it’s size, it still maintains it’s tradition and is in contrast to anywhere else in Japan as their culture and language is almost completely different. Though these days islanders also speak mainland Japanese, Okinawan dialect is still widely spoken. You will notice also that the traditional dress is quite different in colour a style. In my opinion, more ornate and beautiful!

Getting there

To get to Okinawa there is a bit of hopping around to do, but it is completely worth it. Domestic flights come in every couple of hours from Osaka and it only takes a few hours to get there from mainland Japan. Or, if you want to really make a holiday of it you can take the ferry, which takes around 40 hours and only runs weekly!

Weather

Okinawan weather is very similar to that of the Fijian islands and Indonesia. It tends to be quite hot throughout the year and it never gets below 15 degrees Celsius during the winter months. However, the island is rife with typhoons during its rainy season (tsuyu) during months June through to October. In some parts of Okinawa it is common to not see milk or vegetables on the shelves if the planes and ferries can’t get in. This is not dissimilar to what I’ve seen in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland! The best times to visit are January until May as the weather is at its best and all the festivals kick off starting with the Sakura (cherry blossom) festival.

Things to do

Okinawa is best known for its snorkelling and scuba diving. Because there are so many islands that make up Okinawa, coral reefs are abundant and are home to rare tropical marine life. If you are a certified diver it will cost you around 15,000 yen (£70) for a day per person. If you’re not certified, snorkelling is just as amazing and is much cheaper.

If you manage to get flights for April/May time, definitely see what’s happening during Golden week. During this time most businesses close to celebrate four different holidays. The best of these I feel is Children’s day. The atmosphere is so electric its absolutely buzzing. Where ever you go streamers of different colours and kites fill the skies, and of course small smiling faces.

The Capital- Naha

Naha is the capital of Okinawa and where I was born. If you’re having trouble with your Japanese phrase book this is the place to be as most people here speak some English anyway due to it’s large American military presence from Kadena Air Force base near by.

This is home to Shuri castle and park. The castle and it’s grounds represents everything Okinawan and traditional. Walking around you can clearly see influences from both Japanese and Chinese cultures.

Okinawa world is another place to check out. It’s the main theme park on the island and is purely for the tourists, and is dedicated to Okinawan culture! There is something for all the family and as well as your usual theme park attractions there is also the Gyukosendo caves. This is one of many caves on the island and is simply breathtaking! The stalactites and stalagmites are an amazing sight to see and these caves are the second longest in Japan!

In Naha, International Street (known as Kokusai Dori in Japanese)is the place to go when you want to go shopping. It stretches for a mile and is packed full of souvenir shops, hotels, restaurants and bars. Around here you will definitely see the American military influence around here as the odd American chain store will pop up amongst the eccentric Hello Kitty merchandise.