Hai-sai! Things I Learned During My First Trip to Okinawa

The beautiful blue waters of Okinawa.

I’ve done a lot of traveling around Japan during the last two years, from bustling Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba (for Disneyland), Shizuoka to climb Mt. Fuji, Sendai, the home to my favorite figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, the popular hot spring area of Hakone and Atami, and even far-off Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe, but one place I’ve always wanted to visit is Okinawa. I’ve visited Hawaii numerous times throughout my childhood and even spent one semester studying there at the University of Manoa, so when I found out Okinawa is also a tropical string of islands I knew I wanted to go. Besides the sand and beaches, Okinawa is also home to its own unique culture and Ryukuyu-go, its indigenous language. Okinawans take pride in their unique culture and language, yet nowadays it is very much Japanese.

There is a long history of Chinese influence, being so close to Taiwan you can hop on a ferry there, as well as another long history of a battle of independence and rule from America and Japan. This is a long subject of debate on Okinawa, with people divided between wanting to go back to being independent or remain under Japan, and then there's the question of China's influence, but the biggest is definitely the presence of the American military, as evidenced by the sheer number of bases scattered all over the island.

All politics aside, I had a great time touring the island and visiting popular sightseeing spots such as Shurijo and Churaumi aquarium, eating local food as well as Mexican and American food, but I was surprised at how much I learned about Okinawa during my time there.