Okinawa Series
Pick Up Stories

Land-locked Haebaru’s name is quite spec… [Okinawa Series]
Haebaru Town is the only municipality on Okinawa that doesn’t face the ocean, being land-locked and surrounded by six other cities and towns...Read More

Castle ruins is center point to Nakagusu… [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura Nakagusuku Village is the second in Japan in terms of population density, following Kitanakagusuku Village, and has also been...Read More

Urasoe City: From Past to Present [Okinawa Series Ryukyu History]
Urasoe City is located in the southern half of the Okinawa main island. Though it seems overshadowed by its neighboring city, Naha, which is...Read More

Kitanakagusuku Village boasts excellent feng shui [Okinawa Series]
By Natalie Nakamatsu Kitanakagusuku Village, once part of Nakagusuku Village with a rich and long history, is located in the Nakagami District of the central part of Okinawa. The N...

Spotlight on Yomitan, most populous village in Japan [Community Okinawa Series]
By Natalie Nakamatsu Yomitan is located on the west coast of central Okinawa, bordered by Onna Village to the north, Okinawa City to the east, Kadena Town to the south, and the Eas...

Tomigusuku City, Okinawa’s Fastest Growing City [Okinawa Series]
Tomigusuku City is located just south of Naha, the capital of Okinawa, and has become a rapidly growing region in recent years. It became the fastest-growing city in Japan six time...

Escape to Kunigami Village [Okinawa Series]
Located in the northern most part of the main island of Okinawa is the quiet village of Kunigami. It is an area mostly left untouched by the fingerprints of modern society. Here yo...

Venture into Southern Paradise…Yaese Town [Okinawa Series]
Yaese is a new town created by the merger of Kochinda Town and Gushikami Village in 2006, the name originating from the Yaese hills within the town limits. Yaese Town is located so...

“Onna Village” – A Relaxation Paradise [Okinawa Series]
Onna Village is located on the west coast of central Okinawa and occupies a long, narrow stretch of the coastline, extending 27.4 kilometers north to south and 4.2 kilometers aroun...

Higashi Village, a Natural Paradise [Okinawa Series]
Higashi Village is well known for its scenic beauty, fresh air and abundant nature. It sits on the north eastern part of the Okinawan main island, surrounded by the Pacific ocean ...

Crossing giant Tomari Bridge on foot offers good walk with splendid view [Okinawa Series]
Because of Okinawa is a prefecture comprising of islands, even on the main island of Okinawa, there are many interesting bridges. The most famous and popular bridges connecting sur...

Miyako Island presents beauty of nature and friendly people [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura Miyako is the fourth largest island in the Ryukyu Island chain that forms Okinawa Prefecture, of which Okinawa main island is the largest, followed by Iriomote and I...

Kin Town presents unique mix of nostalgia and modernity [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura Kin Town is located on the east coast in the middle part of Okinawa Island, just soutwest of Ginoza Village, northeast of Uruma City and east of Onna Village. It’s f...

Yaese Town combines nature and urban environment [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura Yaese is a new town created by the merger of Kochinda Town and Gushikami Village in 2006, the name originating from the Yaese hills within the town limits. Yaese Tow...

Nishihara Town is center of Okinawa’s education [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura Everyone in Nishihara Town thinks education, with a couple of universities and a junior college within its boundaries, and there’s a high school famous for its march...

Nago City is large, beautiful and center of controversy [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura Okinawa’s Nago City to the north is the largest autonomous community on the island, and spans the breadth of the island from Pacific Ocean on its eastern boundary to...

Kadena Town promotes non-military image [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura To many, Kadena Town is synonymous with hosting the largest U.S. military base in the Pacific, but the town is eager to turn peoples’ eyes beyond that to discover it...

Ogimi Village residents live longest in world [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura Okinawa is famous for being the island where people live to be the oldest, and Ogimi Village has some of the longest living citizens in the world. Ogimi Village is l...

Izena is birthplace of King Sho En of Ryukyu Kingdom [Okinawa Series]
By Jun Ikemura No study of Okinawa history is complete – especially the history of the Ryukyu Kingdom era — without an appreciation of the role of Izena Island and its most powerfu...

Chatan is Okinawa’s ‘Americanized’ town [Okinawa Series]
By Natalie Nakamatsu Chatan Town: some know it as American Village or Hamby Town and even just Mihama. Whether the name is called, it is very well known as a place to have fun with...

Ie Island is often overlooked sightseeing spot [Okinawa Series]
By Natalie Nakamatsu Lilies, who does not love lilies? And not only one, but one million of them and although mostly white, also in yellow, pink and orange! This week we are introd...

Onna’s resort atmosphere creates tranquility [Okinawa Series]
By Natalie Nakamatsu Summer is right around the corner, and this year Okinawa is forecast to welcome more visitors from all over Asia than ever before, something in excess of 0.8 m...

Higashi Village: blessed with nature and scenery [Okinawa Series]
By Natalie Nakamatsu Higashi Village is well known in northern Okinawa for its scenic beauty, fresh air and abundant nature. It’s also the home to Okinawa’s best known profession...