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Okinawa is somewhat similar to some parts of Hawaii. It is composed of a few small islands and one big island. It's located in the southern part of Japan, in a tropical climate. It's a popular tourist destination for Japanese travelers looking for a domestic getaway. Considering the cost of most of the hotels in the area, it probably costs just as much to stay domestic as it would for them to fly to the U.S. or Australia and stay in a decent hotel.
Kohama was the first Okinawan island I visited. It's a very small island, rather quiet compared to the main island of Okinawa. We stayed at the Haimurubushi (southern cross) resort, which is the only hotel on the island. The most interesting part of this island is probably the wildlife. There was a family of peacocks which would frequently hang around the outside of the rooms looking for food. They would eat food directly from my hand. The males were quite fond of displaying their feathers, probably realizing that this would encourage people to give them food. The only snakes on the island were so-called '100-foot' snakes. They were called this, not because of their size, but because, after being bitten, you could probably walk about a hundred feet before dying. We were walking along one of the roads one evening when we briefly encountered one. We stood at a respectful distance and watched it cross the road.
Ishigaki is where we spent our last day in Okinawa. While there, we decided to stop at one of those small private zoos which are so commonly located in tourist traps. These are usually good places to find some unusual animals. This one had several squirrel monkeys running around. When I stopped and began feeding a couple of them, I quickly found myself covered with about ten of them, screeching and clawing their way to the food, some of them perched on my shoulders. It was actually pretty fun; it reminded me of the kangaroos in similar petting zoos in Australia.
Miyako was my second stop (on another trip). Similar to the main island of Okinawa, but a bit smaller. The people on Miyako seem more relaxed and outgoing that the people from mainland Japan. One interesting sight on Miyako is the Ueno German Culture Village. This is a small theme park without amusement rides. The developers tried to make it look like a little german village or trading post. There is a tall castle containing a museum. There is also a beautiful German-theme hotel in the village. While not nearly as large as Huis Ten Bosch (Nagasaki), it's an interesting idea, if a bit out of place.
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