Place to see: Paradise found, Okinawa-ken, Japan

About this place:

Home to more than a million people, Okinawa Japan is slowly becoming one of the hottest tourist getaways for people across Far East Asia. Blessed with warm waters, plenty of sunshine strikingly beautiful ocean vistas and some of the friendliest people on the face of God's green earth make tiny Okinawa a paradise on earth!

Once known as the independent Kingdom of the Ryukyus and a hub for trade throughout Southeast and Far East Asia, Okinawa is now the southernmost of Japan's forty-seven prefectures. It is a string of sub tropical islands that stretches from Southern Kyushu to within sight of Taiwan. It is the guardian of Japan's southern flank.

It was the sight of the largest land battle in the Pacific theater during world War Two. Known to the local population as the "Typhoon of Steel" the three month long battle claimed more than a quarter million lives. Following the war Okinawa became a U.S. protectorate and was later returned to Japanese sovereignty in 1972.

Now staunch economic and military allies and as a result of its strategic position, Okinawa hosts a major contingent of U.S. and Japanese military forces who regularly hold joint exercises. Its geographic location key to maintaining peace throughout the region.