There is nothing glamorous about Heiwa-Dori and that is exactly why you should go, when you enter this street or at Sister Street Mutsumibashi-dori from its entrance on Kokusai-dori, you step into a confusing maze of shops.
This network of covered streets and alleys is weathered and worn. The stores here are neither posh nor swank and Okinawans come here to pick up everyday items. Fresh fruits and vegetables are sold at many shops, some, very familiar while others seem more exotic. This woman sells goya also known as bitter melon. These bumpy melons are such an important part of the Okinawan diet that they even have their own line of cheesy trinkets.
You can also buy smoked Irabu sea snake. This poisonous snake is thought to have a medicinal effect when eaten. Other shops sell less unusual, but distinctly Asian items, like chopsticks, Eisa drums, and gift envelopes for money because Okinawans give money as gifts for almost any occasion.
There are drug stores and grocery stores, a Hyaku-en shop which is their version of the dollar store, there are quite a few souvenir shops selling Awamori, Ahisa dogs and Hello Kitty. But the further you walk into the maze, the less touristy it feels.
There are plenty of clothing stores, shoe stores, and an umbrella store. But these umbrellas aren’t just for rain; Okinawan women are frequently seen protecting themselves from the island’s powerful sun.
With a little luck, you might be able to navigate to my favorite place in the area, the Makishi Public Market, sometimes called “Okinawa’s kitchen.” This enormous food market has almost any kind of meat or seafood you could desire. No part of the pig goes to waste. Pork is packaged for use in Okinawa soba and other dishes. Even the face is for sale, with or without sunglasses.
Vendors deal in peppers, spices, sauces, seaweed and so much more. Friendly Okinawan faces hover above tasty dishes. Many of which are responsible for the long lives of the people on the island.
The seafood section features brightly colored fish, clams, crabs, lobsters, octopus and anything else you could imagine. It’s fresh from the ocean and they slice it up into Sashimi right there at the market.
The best part is that after you select the perfect piece of seafood, you can take the elevator to the second floor where one of many small restaurants will prepare your fresh food just the way you like it. Oishi desu ne!
Next, we head to the Tsuboya Pottery Village and Shuri Castle. Don’t forget to check out my website, straycompass.com, a travel adventure website. And if you’re watching this on another video sharing website, don’t forget to comment, rate, and subscribe to my videos. And special thanks to dailymotion.com for featuring our tug-of-war video on their homepage and I’m James Knott. Thanks for watching. Goodbye.
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