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Aya Ichihashi

The white sands and clear blue-green waters of Akajima's Nishihama Beach might take your breath away. <br>Aya Ichihashi/Stars and Stripes
The white sands and clear blue-green waters of Akajima's Nishihama Beach might take your breath away. <br>Aya Ichihashi/Stars and Stripes

Visitors to Akajima are treated to beautiful uncrowded beaches, array of local wildlife

Akajima is one island of Okinawa’s Kerama archipelago and only 25 miles from the Tomari Port of Naha.

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Iheya Island, about 80 minutes by ferry from Motobu Port, Okinawa, offers a low-key island ambiance without an abundance of tourists. <br>Aya Ichihashi/Stars and Stripes
Iheya Island, about 80 minutes by ferry from Motobu Port, Okinawa, offers a low-key island ambiance without an abundance of tourists. <br>Aya Ichihashi/Stars and Stripes

Get away to Okinawa’s Iheya Island for turquoise-blue seas, starry skies and beautiful coral

Since making Okinawa my home in 2007, I have visited more than 20 islands within the archipelago.

In 2020, Chinese vessels made a record 333 trips into the area around the Senkaku Islands that Japan claims as its contiguous waters, according to the Japan Coast Guard.<br>Cabinet Secretariat of Japan
In 2020, Chinese vessels made a record 333 trips into the area around the Senkaku Islands that Japan claims as its contiguous waters, according to the Japan Coast Guard.<br>Cabinet Secretariat of Japan

Tokyo again protests to Beijing about incursions near Senkaku Islands in East China Sea

Japan urged China to halt incursions into Japanese waters and to stop harassing Japanese fishing boats in the area, a spokesman from Japan’s Foreign Ministry said.

The forest trail at Yanbaru National Park Daisekirinzan on Okinawa features several 100-year-old banyan trees. <br>Aya Ichihashi/Stars and Stripes
The forest trail at Yanbaru National Park Daisekirinzan on Okinawa features several 100-year-old banyan trees. <br>Aya Ichihashi/Stars and Stripes

Enjoy a winter hike and delicious lunch in northernmost Okinawa

The wind is shifting to the north, Okinawa is less humid and it’s looking like autumn-wintery weather has come to the sub-tropical island.

Japan plans to build a larger patrol vessel designed for helicopter landings, like the one seen here, in fiscal year 2021.<br>Japan Coast Guard
Japan plans to build a larger patrol vessel designed for helicopter landings, like the one seen here, in fiscal year 2021.<br>Japan Coast Guard

Japan moving on pledge to strengthen Senkaku defense in face of China claims

The U.S. has declined to take a position on the islands’ sovereignty; however, Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump both have said they fall under the U.S.-Japan security alliance.