They are the two great shopping centers of Okinawa. With all kinds of varieties of goods available, which one really is the best? Place your bets!

Visiting Okinawa? Here are my 5 tips for an awesome snorkeling and beach adventure on Ikei Island.

I have lived in Okinawa for years and I can say that the beaches are really beautiful during summer. A great spot for a weekend getaway at the beach would be Miyako Island, a small island located in the south of Okinawa. You can reach there from Naha by plane in about 1 hour.

Fifteen minutes from the Okinawa mainland by ferry, the 8km long island of Kudakajima is pure paradise, where island nature embraces ancient folklore and restful living.

Okinawa always brings people the lovely imagine of a blue clear ocean. Many tourists both from within and outside the country visit Okinawa every year to enjoy the time in the water. What if you want to see more ocean life? Or you are visiting during a season not suitable to swim? Or, if you are someone like me, what if you cannot swim?

Let me show you an area that often stays unnoticed, but holds so much fun, beauty, history and great relaxing spots. The city of Nanjo is located in the south-eastern part of Okinawa. It lies right on the ocean has much history to share and has a beautiful view of the coast line. Here are my five tips for a daytrip to Nanjo.

Taketomi Island is easily reachable from Ishigaki Island, at only ten minutes by ferry from Ishigaki Port. You can reach Taketomi with one of the two ferry companies, Ishigaki Dream Tours and Yaeyama Kanko Ferry. At Ishigaki Port, you can also get package tours to make the most of your time on this beautiful island.

On Aka Jima (Aka Island), all roads lead to the ocean. That is, if you can call them roads. Barely wide enough to accommodate one car, the three tiny lanes in the village of Aka all run parallel to the sea, and from every corner you can catch glimpses of that absolutely perfect ocean, with a color so distinct they had to give it a name — 'Kerama Blue'.

Visitors to Okinawa seek out the ancient castle ruins of the island that tell the stories of the Kings of the Ryukyu era. The most famous one surely is the majestic Castle Park of Shuri. But before the political base was built there, it resided in Urasoe, on a hill that would later on become known to American soldiers as Hacksaw Ridge during World War II.

Once the Kingdom of the Ryukyus, a distinct local culture flourished, with strong influences from China, Indonesia, and other neighbors, who traded dyes, tools, and techniques. Many of these beautiful handicrafts survive today, so when in Okinawa, skip the mass produced souvenirs, and have fun making your own instead.

Here are a few things you can experience at the start of the New Year on the beautiful Ryukyu islands, which differ from mainland O-shogatsu.

Anyone who comes here with kids quickly realizes that Okinawa is pretty much one big playground. Parks, parks, everywhere! And they are HUGE! I'm talking ropeways, slides with vertical drops, trampolines, jungle gyms to climb up and through, ziplines, rock climbing, and the list goes on and on. And all completely free and open to the public!