During the Japanese summer months, I often think about my trip to Okinawa around 15 years ago. That's because it usually feels like summer in Okinawa, even if the calendar says it's actually winter!
When I visited Okinawa in was February 2006, I was surprised that the ocean water was still OK for swimming. Most days were sunny and warm there. Okinawa has nice weather all year round, since it is subtropical (亜熱帯). People can enjoy ice cream every day in Okinawa. I had some mango ice cream, which is very popular there. Another food I ate was taco rice. Mexican food is my favorite, so I love tacos!! Taco rice is almost the same, except we don't put the rice and vegetables and meat in a shell. We just mix it all together and eat it on our plate.
Yum! This year is a special year for Okinawa, by the way. The capital of the prefecture is Naha, and 2021 is the 100th birthday of that city. Actually, Naha has been around for a long time. It was the center of the Ryukyu Kingdom for hundreds of years. But modern Naha is much different these days. It was founded in 1921 and it became a very international place after the United States established some military bases in Okinawa. Here is a photo of Kokusai-dori (国際通り) in Naha:
There are often a lot of Americans walking on this street. You can also see beautiful palm trees there, because of the warm weather. But my favorite thing about Okinawa when I visited it was the friendly people!! They always seemed to be smiling and they looked very happy whenever someone came from far away to see their wonderful island. I want to go there again someday.
- Peter 
