Okinawa is often referred to as the Hawaii of Japan. There are many reasons for this comparison, although the one most people think of when they say this is the breath-taking beauty of both islands. Okinawa, similar to Hawaii, has several islands to explore, each with its own unique beaches and hidden treasures. The islands in Okinawa's archepalego, however, are more spread out, and the main island of Okinawa is much larger than the surrounding islands. Also, much like Hawaii, Okinawa has its own indigenous people with their own unique culture distinct from the country to which they now belong. It's not surprising with these similarities in mind that a large percentage of the many Japanese that now live in Hawaii are from Okinawa.

Okinawa's history dates back well over a thousand years, when it was its own separate kingdom and center of the Ryukyu islands. Not a lot is known about ancient Okinawa, and there is very little information in English on the topic. In fact, only one comprehensive book on the history of Okinawa has ever been written in the English language from what I understand. The history is rich with stories of grand castles, whose ruins can still be found all over the island today, brave warriors who fought courageously to defend their kings and their castles, and more recently the rape of the island by both Japan and the United States. I wrote quite extensively on this latter topic as well as other aspects of the island in an e-mail I wrote to my friends back home after I returned to Fukuoka, in case anyone is actually interested in browsing through my ramblings.

I departed for Okinawa a few days before Christmas. Speaking little Japanese at that point and still not fully accustomed to Japan, I never would have jumped into such an adventure had it not been for an invitation to stay with a friend from back home. Kiyomi, a half-Japanese friend of mine at Rice, had spent her high school years in Okinawa, where her parents still lived. She invited me to spend Christmas with her family, since she would be there for Christmas break. I gladly accepted and managed to stay there for a little over a week and a half. I actually spent more time with Kiyomi's father than with her, as her boyfriend still lived in Okinawa and understandably she wanted to spend what little time she had home with him. This worked out great for me, because Kiyomi's father, an ex-Navy radio technician, knew anything and everything about Okinawa and showed me around what seemed like half the island. Kiyomi was afraid I was going to be bored spending so much time with her father, but I thoroughly enjoyed all his stories about the island and its history, the various places around Okinawa City that he took me, and best of all, his homemade beer. They were two of the best weeks of my stay in Japan, and even though I didn't get to see too much of the main island, I found plenty of stuff to do to keep me occupied for the entire week.

Of course I took plenty of pictures of this tropical paradise. Since there are so many pictures, I've divided them up according to when I took them. The days below don't correspond to the actual day of my visit, in fact most of them have pictures from several different days in them. Just click on the days to see the pictures:

• Day 1 - Pictures of my first few days in Okinawa City, mainly of love hotels and other buildings near my friend's house.
• Day 2 - Pictures from Christmas Day, which I spent wandering around the island with my friend's father. Most of the pictures in here are of various castle ruins and a few other historical sites.
• Day 3 - Pictures taken a few days after Christmas, when I used a bike rented from the Air Force base to explore various parks around the city.
• Day 4 - Pictures taken right before New Year's. I used the bike to go out to Ikei island and took lots of pictures along the way. These are the best beach pictures I took while in Okinawa.
• Day 5 - Pictures taken at a New Year's Festival I attended.