|
Support Mercy Corps |
The island and prefecture of Okinawa is in southwestern Japan to the southwest of the island of Kyushu. The prefecture includes the chain of islands - the Tokara Islands, the Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-Shoto), the Sakishima Islands, the Miyako Islands and the Yaehama Islands that extend over 600 miles / 1000 km between Kyushu and Taiwan.
The official web site for the prefecture has an English version with information about the prefecture including tourism and transportation. The prefecture also has a page of helpful travel information in English.
The Okinawa, Ginowan, Ishigaki, Itoman, Kadena, Tokashiki, Urasoe, Yaeyama Islands and Yomitan web sites have information in English about their communities and places and topics of interest.
The Okinawa Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Okinawa Digital Archives and Okinawa.com web sites are very good sources of information in English for planning travel.
The Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu have been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Shurijo Castle Park is another place of important historical and cultural interest.
The Iriomote National Park includes Iriomote Island and other islands is in the Sakishima and Yaeyama island groups at the southwestern end of the islands that form this prefecture.
The Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is an exceptional achievement by Japan's best architects, engineers and marine scientists who spent years designing and construction this aquarium that comprises 77 tanks containing a wide variety of marine life.
Airport: Okinawa Naha Airport, next to Naha City, is the primary airport in this island group. It provides flights to other domestic airports and international flights to regional destinations such as Seoul (South Korea), Taipei (Taiwan), Shanghai (China), and Manila (Philippines).
Other airports are on the islands of Aguni, Amami-Oshima, Hateruma, Ishigaki, Kerama, Kikajima, Kitadaito, Kumejime, Minamidaito, Miyako, Okinoerabu, Tarama, Tokunoshima, Yonaguni and Yoron.