Chatan Town is located in the central portion of Okinawa, bordered by Kadena Town to the north, Ginowan City to the south, and Okinawa City, Kitanakagusuku Village, and Futenma to the east. Chatan is particularly well known to Americans on the island, as the presence of three bases (Kadena Air Base, Camp Lester, and Camp Foster) within the town?s borders gives it a very western feel.

The ruins of Nakagusuku Castle, straddling present-day Nakagusuku and Kitanakagusuku Villages in Okinawa, sit atop an open expanse nearly 150 meters above Nakagusuku Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Bordered on one side by jagged cliffs and perilous plummets into the sea and on the other sides by steep slopes, the site?s natural defenses made it an ideal location for a castle. Nakagusuku translates to ?central castle,? and prior to the unification of the three kingdoms, it defended the Chuzan (middle) kingdom from aggressors.

The ruins of Nakijin Castle are located on the Motobu Peninsula in the northern part of Okinawa, Japan. The castle was built in the 13th century during the Sanzan, or three kingdoms, period. During this time, the island of Okinawa was divided into northern, central, and southern kingdoms, each of which was controlled by a different ruler. Nakijin Castle was the seat of the northern kingdom (known as Hokuzan) until the three kingdoms were unified by Sho Hashi in 1429.

The Okinawa Convention Center is major civic center used for local and international events and is located in the western portion of Ginowan City.

Tsuboya is a district in Naha, Okinawa famed for its collection of potters. Homo sapiens on Okinawa first began using vessels made of earthen materials more than 6,600 years ago. The creation of such vessels changed tremendously, however, when the island began trade with China and Kyushu (the southern portion of mainland Japan) during the 12th century. Okinawa?s trade levels reached new highs in the 16th century (trading with nations as far away as Korea, Vietnam, and Thailand), so local artisans took up the craft of pottery both to supply local markets and to export. Thus, kilns began to appear across the island.

Tengu are mountain and forest goblins with both Shinto and Buddhist attributes. Their supernatural powers include shape-shifting into human or animal forms, the ability to speak to humans without moving their mouth, the magic of moving instantly from place to place without using their wings, and the sorcery to appear uninvited in the dreams of the living. Seen here is a Shinto priest in Naha City, Okinawa Japan wearing a Tengu mask at Naminoue Shinto Shrine.

The ruins of Zakimi Gusuku (Zakimi Castle) are located in Yomitan Village, in the central portion of Okinawa. Built during the era leading up to the consolidation of the three kingdoms of Ryukyu, the castle sat in an optimal location, perched some 125 meters (425 feet) above sea level, with views of Onna and Motobu to the north, the territory of the Chuzan (Central Kingdom) to the east and south, and the Kerama Islands to the west.