If you think of alcohol and Japan, then the first thing that springs to mind is sake – but there are other alcoholic drinks too, one of which comes from the island of Okinawa! Awamori is an alcoholic drink which is also known as shimazakae, or island sake.

Unwind on Minna Island off Okinawa’s Motobu Peninsula.

Strawberry-picking is a popular springtime activity, but in the fall, you can try planting strawberries. Every weekend starting Sept. 23 through Oct. 9, you can test your green thumb at Chura Ichigo Nanjo House, a strawberry farm in Nanjo City.

Between the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Okinawa, Japan experienced years of continuous rollbacks as many of their islands and territories, controlled by the Japanese Imperial forces, were reclaimed by Allied forces in the west Pacific region.