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 Okinawa is one of Japan's southern prefectures and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 km long, which extends southwest from Kyushu (the southwesternmost of Japan's main four islands) to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital is Naha, located in the southern part of the largest and most populous island, Okinawa Island.
The temperature in winter is about the same as that of springtime in Tokyo and Osaka, making it warm and comfortable throughout the year.
Most people come to Okinawa for the sun and beaches. Even in midwinter, when mainland Japan teeters around the freezing point, temperatures rarely dip below 15 C in Okinawa. For more adventurous types, the vast yet almost uninhabited island of Iriomote is covered in dense jungle.
Cultural attractions are rather more limited, as the Japanese invasion and subsequent brutal colonization coupled with fighting in World War II did a regrettably thorough job of eliminating most traces of the Ryukyu Kingdom, but two standouts are the newly rebuilt Shuri Castle in Naha on Okinawa Island, and the carefully preserved tiny village of Taketomi in the southern Yaeyama Islands.
Historical sites related to World War II can be found throughout the islands, especially the main island of Okinawa, including the Peace Memorial Park in Naha, the navy's former underground headquarters and the Himeyuri Monument.
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