Okinawan culture bears traces of its various trading partners. One can find Chinese, Thai and Austronesian influences in the island’s customs. Perhaps okinawa’s most famous cultural export is karate, probably a product of the close ties with and influence of China on Okinawan culture. Karate is thought to be a synthesis of Chinese kung fu with traditional Okinawan martial arts. A ban on weapons in okinawa for two long periods after the invasion and forced annexation by Japan during the Meiji Restoration period also very likely contributed to its development.

Another traditional Okinawan product that owes its existence to okinawa’s trading history is awamori—an Okinawan distilled spirit made from indica rice imported from Thailand.