Okinawa is the southern most part of Japan and feels like a completely different place all together. It has a lot of influence from China as it being so close and the people here are a kind and quiet island type. Okinawa is only 2 1/2 hours from Tokyo and cheap airfares can be found on skymark.jp (about 10,000 yen one way). There are many nature activities to do and several beautiful islands to visit and enjoy the beach!