As one of Japan's preferred vacation destinations', Okinawa is a subtropcial island with many beautiful beaches, aqua blue water, and jungly hillsides. Often nicknamed "the rock" by many US military families stationed here, it has many military installments that support all branches of the service. Due to massive bombing during World War II, much of the island developed quickly and is less pristine in more urban areas, often seeming like a cement jungle.

The Okinawa prefecture is an archipelago consisting of 65 islands. It is often referred to as the Ryukyu kingdom, named after the ancient inhabitants who ruled during the 15th century before being taken over by the Japanese 1609. After World War II, the US occupied the island until 1972, when US forces handed the island back to the Japanese.

Okinawa has many traditional arts, crafts and customs that are unique to Japanese culture. In Okinawa, Karate, which means "open hand" orginated when the Japanese did not allow Okinawans to carry weapons. Thus, they developed an alternative method of self-defense. Handmade pottery, called Tsuboya and naturally dyed textiles, called Bingatas are popular local crafts. Even the local cuisine differs from mainland Japan-consisting of Taco Rice, Soba noodles, sticky tofu, and Awamori (similar to Sake).