dave_snaps

Here's a series of Taketomi-jima, Okinawa. Maybe the most beautiful beaches in Japan. Haven't travelled to the smaller islands but definitely much prettier than what I saw in Naha, Ishigaki and Iriomote...even though they also had awesome beaches. From what I gathered, not just anyone can live on the island. The locals choose who can or cannot live on this island. And, to preserve the culture, there are certain things that must be on the house (the orange roof tiles, crapper must be an outhouse, fossilized coral for walls, etc.). What I noticed and believe is that the locals of Okinawa seem to have preserved and respect their own culture a lot longer (maybe more) than the locals on mainland Japan. Not to take anything away from mainland Japan but I believe that's one of the main things about Okinawa that makes it so beautiful.