Okinawa: Places to Explore

Surging brown rivers, dense green forests, and crystal blue seas are Iriomote's essential draws, and there's a surprising amount of helpful infrastructure in place to help you get the most fun out of it... Read more

A day of beachside R&R and a night in Ishigaki City's fun bars and cheap restaurants may be all it takes to make you want to move here. You wouldn't be alone: most of Ishigaki's people are either escapees... Read more

The Kerama Islands have many pristine beaches, and divers rate the coral and clear water off their coasts highly. There are two main islands, Tokashiki and Zamami, along with many more small, uninhabited... Read more

Some intensive beach therapy can be engaged in here. In the southwest corner of the main island, Miyako-jima, is Maehama, perhaps Japan's finest beach, and across the bridge on the adjacent tiny island... Read more

Orchids growing in the airport lounges are the first sign you've come to a very different sort of place. Okinawa's capital city is the center of commerce, tourism, and youthful enterprise in the region... Read more

There are at least three good reasons to explore Okinawa's southern spur. The culture park Okinawa World is an interactive trip through the islands' Ryukyu past, with restored houses, a large limestone... Read more