Okinawa (Japanese: 沖縄 Okinawa, Okinawan: 沖縄 Uchinaa) is a subtropical island chain between mainland Japan and Taiwan. Formerly the Ryukyu Kingdom, with its own language and culture, it's now one of Japan's 47 prefectures and the country's answer to Hawaii, with a complicated mix of gorgeous scenery, mass tourism, tragic history, cultural pride, and looming military presence.
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The name Okinawa means "rope in the open sea", a fairly apt description of this long stretch of islands between the main islands of Japan and Taiwan. Consisting of 49 inhabited islands and 111 uninhabited islands, Okinawa has a subtropical to tropical climate, and is a popular beach holiday destination for Japanese, with frequent flights from all the major cities of Japan. While visitors from nearby countries are increasingly discovering Okinawa's charms, the number remains low compared to the tourist destinations on mainland Japan. Traders between Japan, Korea and China have traveled through the islands of Okinawa since time immemorial.
Ferry and air connections link the islands together, but many of them are simply so small in population that scheduled services may be infrequent and prices vary. Flights between the islands are mostly handled by Japan Transocean Air (JTA) and its subsidiary Ryukyu Air Commuter (RAC), both owned by JAL. ANA also has a limited network radiating out from Naha. Prices are generally quite high. There are dense webs of ferry links between nearby islands, but only infrequent cargo boats ply lengthier routes like Naha-Ishigaki.
Most people come to Okinawa for the sun and beaches. Even in midwinter, when many areas of the mainland Japan teeter around the freezing point, temperatures rarely dip below 15°C in Okinawa. For more adventurous types, the vast yet almost uninhabited island of Iriomote is covered in dense jungle. Cultural attractions are rather more limited, as the Japanese invasion and subsequent brutal colonization coupled with fighting in World War II did a regrettably thorough job of eliminating most traces of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Shuri Castle in Naha on Okinawa Island is the former royal palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Okinawa is the best place in Japan for all sorts of watersports. The Okinawa archipelago is one of the world's best diving destinations, with the count of marine species on par with the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. You can find over 400 types of corals, 5 types of sea turtles, manta rays, whale sharks, hammerhead sharks and many kinds of tropical fish. The main downside is that's quite expensive compared to, say, South-East Asia — a whole day's diving off a boat (2-3 dives including insurance and lunch) costs between ¥12,000 and ¥17,000, depending on the season and island, plus an additional cost between ¥3,000 and ¥5,000 if you need gear rental.
Okinawan cuisine is distinctly different from that of mainland Japan. Unlike the simplicity of classical Japanese food, which tries to highlight individual ingredients, Okinawan cuisine mixes lots of ingredients in a single dish to create complex, balanced flavors. Indeed, Okinawa's most famous dish is chanpurū (from the Malay word campur, meaning "mix"), a stir-fry of multiple vegetables and meats. Thanks to Chinese influence, Okinawans too proudly proclaim that they use every part of the pig except the squeal, and pork (あぐー agū) makes an appearance in almost every dish, including bits like ears, trotters (テビチー tebichi) and blood which are generally disdained by mainland Japanese.
The local brew of choice is awamori (泡盛), a notoriously strong rice liquor that can contain up to 60% alcohol, although 30-40% is more common. Unlike Japanese shochu, which is usually prepared from potatoes or barley, awamori is brewed using imported Thai jasmine rice since during the days of the Ryukyu Kingdom, short-grain rice could not be brought in from the main islands. It's most commonly drunk on the rocks or neat. Awamori keeps well, and when stored more than three years is known as kūsu (古酒, also read koshu in standard Japanese).
Okinawa is as safe as mainland Japan or more so. On the smaller islands it's not uncommon to leave front doors not merely unlocked, but open all day.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Okinawa typically sees ~30°C daytime highs and 27 rainy days.
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