Experience the best of Kadena-cho

Kadena sits on the central west coast of Okinawa Island, on the south bank of the Hija River. Most of the town's land is occupied by Kadena Air Base, a major US Air Force base, which gives the place a particular character: fences and runways cover the flat ground, and the town's streets are squeezed into the area that remains.

A roadside station on a hill has an observation deck from which people watch aircraft take off and land. The Hija River marks the town's northern edge and runs out to the East China Sea. A short drive north, the pottery village and castle ruins of Yomitan are among the island's best cultural sights, and Chatan's American Village lies to the south.

Eating here mixes Okinawan and American habits, from Okinawa soba and fried sweet doughnuts called sata andagi to burgers and steaks at roadside diners. The rainy season, around May and June, is the damp stretch of an otherwise mild year.