Despite the having similar origins, today’s Japanese and Uchinānchu have developed into two related, but distinct ethnicities. Historically, the Okinawans developed separate city-states and kingdoms such as the Chuzan, Hokuzan, Nanzan, and Ryukyu Kingdoms, and were only incorporated into Japan 150 years ago. Culturally, the Uchinānchu were much more influenced by China and South East Asia than mainland Japan. Linguistically, the languages spoken in the Ryukyu Islands are unintelligible to those living in mainland Japan. In terms of diet, Okinawan cuisine displays a variety of influences from other countries, such as Indonesian influence in Goya Chanpuru, Thai influences in Okinawan Awamori, as well as others which will be explained in detailed in the cuisine section.

Further Reading:
Okinawa Prefectural Site