Welcome to Kokusai Street — and the Market Lanes Behind It
Kokusai-dori is Naha's famous mile of souvenir shops and restaurants. But the real magic starts one step off the main street: covered arcades, the lively Makishi Public Market, and the quiet stone-paved pottery lanes of Tsuboya. Locals call this maze of market streets machigwa — "the town" in Okinawan. This site is a local's guide to walking it well.
Start here
- 🎧 Free audio walk — 9 chapters, about 25 minutes
- Street Food & Market Guide — what to eat and where
- Shopping & Souvenirs — where to buy what, and how tax-free works
- Tsuboya Pottery Street — the 300-year-old ceramics quarter
- Getting here from Naha Airport (Yui Rail monorail)
- Visitor FAQ — opening hours, rainy days, etiquette
What's in the area
- Makishi Public Market — "Naha's kitchen" since 1950. Colorful fish and island produce downstairs, casual Okinawan restaurants upstairs.
- Covered arcades — Heiwa-dori and its sister streets let you wander for hours, rain or shine.
- Tsuboya Yachimun Street — a 300-year-old pottery district with kilns, galleries and a nationally designated potter's house.
- Fukushuen Garden — a full-scale Chinese garden, lit up in the evening (open 9:00–21:00, closed Wednesdays).
About this site
Machigwa Sanpo ("a stroll through the market town") is an independent guide written by a local resident, covering 61 spots with walking times from the nearest monorail station, opening hours and a verification date on each page. The full guide is currently available in Japanese — it translates well with your browser's translation feature. These English pages cover the essentials for international visitors.
Heading to Shuri?
Shuri Castle and the old Ryukyu capital are a single, no-transfer monorail ride away. Our sister site Suimui Sanpo covers the Shuri area — including the Seiden (Main Hall) reopening on November 23, 2026 — in English.