(2001 est. pop. 1.15 million). Okinawa is the largest island of Japan's Ryukyu Islands, which make up the southern half of the Nansei Islands, lying between Kyushu, Japan, and Taiwan. Approximately 50 inhabited islands and 110 uninhabited ones...

OKINAWAN RELIGION. Okinawa, one of the prefectures in Japan, was once an independent kingdom called Ryukyu. When it comes to Okinawan religion, it is usually assumed the whole religious tradition of the Ryukyu archipelago was governed by the Ryukyu...

Okinawa Prefecture (沖縄県, Okinawa-ken?, Okinawan: Uchinā) is Japan's southernmost prefecture, and consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 km long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū (the southwesternmost of Japan's main...

There are two ways to get to Okinawa, Japan's southernmost province (of which more, on page 20). One is to fly non-stop to Tokyo and take a quick domestic flight. But if you are saving money, you will do what I did and endure...

Of course, I did not want any raw goat. But politeness is sacred in Japan. Three engaging hosts were sharing the tatami mat with me in the restaurant, so the only possible answer to "Would you like some raw goat?" was a meek "Yes"....