Bise Beach - Okinawa, Japan

Clear turquoise water laps against the sand at Bise Beach, on the Motobu Peninsula in northern Okinawa, Japan, and this camera looks out across the East China Sea, where the island of Ie rises on the horizon.

Behind the beach lies the old village of Bise, famous for its streets lined with Fukugi trees. Around 18,000 of them grow here, some planted more than 250 years ago in the days of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Villagers planted the trees as windbreaks to shelter their homes from the strong winds that sweep this coast. Today the shady lanes are best explored on foot, by bicycle or on a cart pulled by a water buffalo.

Did You Know? Fukugi means "good luck tree," and pairs of trees joined at the base are known as Meoto Fukugi, married couple trees.

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