Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 4
THE OKINAWA ISLANDS
沖縄諸島
Subtropical getaway, cultural hub
Not only is the main island of Okinawa (
沖縄本島
; Okinawa-hontō) the largest single island in
the Ryukyu chain, the Okinawa Island group (
沖縄諸島
; Okinawa-shotō) is the largest in the
Ryukyu Archipelago. Since there are so many islands in the Okinawa group, for convenience
we'll start with Okinawa Island, dividing it into south, central and north, then go on to explore
all the related islands. Again, merely for convenience, we'll divide the surrounding islands in
half. After discussing Okinawa-hontō, we'll discuss Okinawa-shotō, beginning with the islands
on the east side of Okinawa in the Pacific Ocean, going from north to south, then round Ok-
inawa's southern tip at Cape Kyan and move on to the islands on the western side of Okinawa
main island, that is those in the East China Sea, from south to north. In other words, we'll first
cover Okinawa Main Island by starting in the south, move up through the central part of the
island and finish in the north. From there, starting at Cape Hedo at the top of Okinawa-hontō,
we'll cover the Okinawa-shotō by going all the way around the island in a clockwise fashion.
Okinawa-shotō refers to the group of islands closely related or adjacent to or within a short
distance of the main island of Okinawa. A number of these islands are so close that you can
drive or walk to them, for more than a dozen are connected to Okinawa by bridges or cause-
ways. For those who are a bit more adventurous or those wanting a short ocean voyage, there
are a number of islands reachable by public ferry. Some of these ferries run back and forth sev-
eral times a day. Therefore, a few islands are close enough to visit and return to Okinawa the
same day if you wish, although many also offer relaxing and comfortable accommodations if
you'd like to spend a few nights or a weekend. There's no shortage of beautiful islands in the
Ryukyu Archipelago. Generally, the further and more remote the island is from Okinawa main
island, the more removed from the present time and the stresses of everyday life you'll be. Al-
though some of the further islands are popular with Japanese “mainland” tourists for cultural
reasons or as beach and holiday resorts, others, it seems, are seldom visited, except by occa-
sional supply and postal ships.
