Okinawa is considered one of the most beautiful and desirable International resort settings. It has its own unique and fascinating culture including strong crafting traditions. The sub-tropical climate, its sparkling, emerald green ocean and coral sand beaches make Okinawa a foreign traveler’s destination of choice in Japan.

Okinawans have their own culture, language and traditions which began centuries ago as far back as 1200/1300 A.D. and possibly even earlier. It used to be an independent kingdom known as Ryukyu. As a small kingdom, Okinawa prospered in that region through tradings with Japan, China, Korea, and more of Southeast Asia.  As the winds of world trade began blowing upon them, the Okinawan people journeyed out and brought back with them many other foreign influences. Consequently, Okinawa has developed its own unique culture. The heritage, distinctive ethnicity and history that the early travelers and traders started still exists as it has been passed down from its ancestors to present-day descendants. 

Okinawa is the named for the island of Okinawa and is in the southern most region of Japan. It includes not only the main island of Okinawa, but also the southern islands of the Ryukyu Kingdom. On a world map, it’s just a small dot in the Pacific Ocean and can be found between the mainland of Japan and Taiwan. Okinawa is actually located in the same latitude zone as other famous ocean and beach resort destinations such as Hawaii, Florida and the Bahamas. Its capital is the city of Naha and interesting to know is that the Asian language characters for Okinawa mean "offshore rope ".

The relatively and consistently warm temperatures and frequent rainfall of this subtropical sector keep the Okinawan islands a lush green throughout the entire year, however due to the amount of precipitation, it’s not unusual for rainfall to be recorded for over half of its days, annually.  A travel tip here is that typhoons with monsoon rains hit regularly in late summer and early fall, leaving mass destruction in their wake, so better not to plan any trips during those months.

A basic understanding of the Japanese language should be sufficient if traveling to Okinawa. But not too long ago, despite government efforts that began around 1879 to establish Japanese as the standard language, the local dialect which stemmed from the ancient Ryukyu kingdom, persevered as the informal language between residents and friends for many, many years.  However, due to recent radio, television and increased travel between Okinawa and the main islands of Japan, its visitors and business partners have accomplished, to a large extent, what prewar governments failed to do. Today, the old traditional Okinawan language is near extinction.