Page 283 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Japan

A road snaking along Okinawa’s beach-fringed coastline

OKINAWA

An exotic coral bar slicing through the Pacific Ocean
and East China Sea, the Okinawa archipelago was a
vassal of China from the 14th century; its masters
named it Liu-chiu (Ryukyu in Japanese). Under the
Chinese, and later under the suzerainty of the
Satsuma domain, the islands assimilated diverse
influences, creating a unique, exotic culture that
still sets them apart from mainland Japan.
Okinawa, the largest and busiest island in the
group, gives its name to the prefecture, which
united these 160 islands into one administative
group in 1879. In the closing stages of World War II,
during the Battle of Okinawa this was the scene of
fierce fighting and the mass suicide of thousands
of civilians. Naha, the main city, was damaged in
the battle but has since become a heady mix of
refined civil ization and neon glitz. Art galleries and
teahouses stand alongside red-light bars, snake
restaurants, and karaoke cab ins. Ceramic shisa lions,
topping the red-tiled roofs of tradi tional Okinawan
houses, add to the eclectic mix of war memorials,
sacred groves, flower-covered coral walls, craft
shops, luxury hotels, and discos.
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