![]() To make an international call from Okinawa, the international prefix is 010. Use this handy calculator to work out how to dial a number in Okinawa. The international IDD country code for Japan is 81 and the regional code is +98. Local currency is Japanese Yen and ATMs can be found throughout Okinawa, in Banks, Post Offices and at Lawson and Family Mart outlets, however not all ATMs accept foreign ATM/Credit Cards – ATMs have signage to indicate whether or not they accept foreign cards. Of the outer islands, the most popular for diving is Ishigaki, famous for its blue coral and manta rays, and Yonaguni, for its underwater ruins.Ī 90-day visa is granted automatically on arrival to visitors from most countries and as with most international travel nowadays, ensure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond your stay. The closest (and most popular) group of islands are the Kerama Islands, a 50-minute ferry ride from Naha, within the Kerama Shoto National Park. ![]() The West Coast of the main island is dotted with white sandy beaches, with diving at Maeda Point, but the more popular diving destinations are located in the islands that stretch from the main island, southwest to remote Yonaguni Island. You can learn something of this at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum in Naha as well as the old underground Navy Headquarters. Okinawa is of course also known for the role played in WWII – the Battle of Okinawa was the bloodiest of the Pacific arena, claiming the lives of just under half Okinawa’s population, some 122,228 people, including, according to some reports, every male over the age of 18. There is a distinct Chinese influence here that can be seen in the architecture, especially in the Sho Dynasty-era Shurijo Castle and Fukushuen Garden in the prefecture’s capital of Naha. This international influence has created a culture in Okinawa that is different to mainland Japan. The Ryukyu Kingdom was a prosperous trading port connecting China and Japan with the kingdoms of Southeast Asia, continuing to trade as a prefecture of the Japanese Empire throughout Shogun rule when the rest of Japan was a ‘closed country’. Until 1609 Okinawa was in fact a separate empire – Ryukyu– a title granted not by the Japanese Emperor, but the Chinese Emperor of the time. Not surprisingly, there are hundred of dive sites dotted amongst the islands – not least of which is the famous Yonaguni Monument – a site that looks like the remains of a legendary city like Atlantis. It consists of 160 islands extended over a vast ocean area, with 46 of these islands inhabited. Known as ‘Japan’s tropical side’, the entire prefecture of Okinawa has a subtropical oceanic climate with an average temperature of 23☌.
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