Japanese Okinawa

Have any of you guys ever been to Okinawa? Man, I would love to vacation there! Talk about a tropical paradise!

Guess I'm just sick of 10 degree weather and 2 feet of snow. :anime:

 

Heh, I hear that, difference being... I actually *like* snow, so it's not much of a bother to me. I guess that's why when I go to Japan I'll want to visit Hokkaido (among many other places, okinawa included). Okinawa... I think the one anime that gave okinawa a place in my heart would have been Azumanga Daioh, none of the other shows I've watched have had the same effect. What makes Okinawa a (excuse the pun) hot spot for you?

-UK

 

Just various anime and manga that feature Okinawa and portray it to be kind of like Japan's version of Hawaii. ^_^

I like snow, too. But where I live, the winters are about 6 months long and in that time we get totally dumped on. Nothing but blizzard between November and April. :dizzy2:

I think when I visit Japan, I'm going start up north and work my way down south, spending the last couple weeks in Okinawa. Or vice versa, depending on the time of year.

 

Okinawa has a special interest for me not especially for the climate but the origins of my martial art, Shotokan Karate lie in the history of Okinawa. It was here that the style was cultivated by Gichin Funakoshi, developed under the influence of other styles he studied.

 

Don't forget that a lot of top Japanese music bands and singers came from Okinawa, like Orange Range. My brother visited Okinawa twice for fun (and once for summer school). He says it's a pretty solid place, and yeah it sort is like the Hawaii of Japan.

Speaking of Okinawa, last weekend we had an Okinawan festival here on Kauai. Got to grind (eat) some andagii, which is like malasadas but with a nice, crunchy outer layer and with the sugar already mixed into the batter. (Malasadas are Portuguese deep-fried bread balls with sugar/cinnamon coated on afterwards... really popular at carnivals here in Hawaii.) Also, my brother's friend and I joined in the circle dancing with all these kids and old people (with just a few people our age). Haha, cuz we nuts. We got souvenir headbands too (although we first had to use em in the "towel dance")!

You can learn about the Okinawan language (Shuri dialect) here.