Okinawa

[Rollins]

Hello all!

I'm in the midst of planning a trip to Japan and I think I'd really like to visit Okinawa. I have a chance to get a free hotel stay while on the island, but I'm wondering if I really need to stay 5 nights on there (I don't need to, but to maximize my free stay, I should stay 5 nights).

I don't think I'd be able to visit any of the other islands, just the main one, so basically I'm looking for any tips/suggestions people have on what to do while on the main island in Okinawa.

Thanks for any help!

[jholic]

don't let the word, "island" fool you, Rollins. it's quite big. and the main city, naha, is near the bottom of the island, while there are quite a few tourist attractions up north (beaches and the like).

one thing that i did like was taking a bus tour. they have a few companies and i believe one of the more reputable ones is HATO bus. since you sub, i assume your japanese is a lot better than mine. that being said, i still enjoyed it despite having a friend translate for me during the trip. you'll probably get more out of it than i did - and i really liked it.

i took the southern island tour and it was well worth it. however, we stopped at this one war memorial area which was quite sad. you should bring a box of kleenex. unfortunately, although that was the best part of the trip, we stayed there the shortest. and, of course, there was a stopover at a gift shop which is probably affiliated with the company somehow.

in any case, i always enjoy okinawa, but i haven't been there in years. have an awesome trip!