Kokusai Dori

Locally knownKnown to people who live here. Not in the international guidebooks.

Researched and written by Hinato

Kokusai Dorishopping streetmarketawamoriNaha

Photo: TurnOnTheNight / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · original

Kokusai Dori sits in a part of Okinawa's food scene that doesn't need a translation to be understood.

Kokusai Dori (国際通り, 'International Street') is Naha's 1.6km main shopping and entertainment strip, running from Palette Kumoji bus terminal to Asahibashi crossing. The street is lined with souvenir shops (shisa statues, awamori bottles, ryusa textiles), restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues. Side alleys branch into covered arcades (Heiwa Dori, Makishi Market) with local groceries, butchers, and seafood stalls.

The street's nickname derives from the post-war period when Okinawa was under U.S. occupation (1945–1972) and this area became a commercial hub mixing American, Japanese, and Ryukyuan influences — that multicultural character persists today.

Plan your visit

Hours

Street: open 24 hrs

Closed: Individual shops may close 1 day/week (most operate daily)

Time to allow

2–3 hours (shopping and dining)

What it costs

Street walking: free | Makishi Market 2F cook-up: ¥500–1,000 cooking fee per fish (plus 1F market price)

Best season

Year-round | Evening (6:00 PM–10:00 PM) for lively street atmosphere

Getting there

Directions

Kokusai Dori, Naha. Monorail: Kencho-mae Station (west end) or Makishi Station (east end). Street open 24/7; shops typically 9:00–22:00, restaurants 11:00–23:00.

Beyond the guidebook

**Makishi Public Market:** The covered market (牧志公衆市場) at Kokusai Dori's midpoint is Naha's food soul — 1F sells fresh seafood (whole fish, spiny lobsters, sea snakes, live octopus), 2F restaurants cook what you buy downstairs (select fish at market stall, take receipt to 2F restaurant, they grill/steam/sashimi it for ¥500–1,000 cooking fee). This 'select-and-cook' system is unique and lets you eat ultra-fresh seafood at fraction of restaurant prices. Arrive by 14:00 (2F restaurants stop accepting orders around 15:00). **Yachimun Street side trip:** Branch off Kokusai Dori onto Tsuboya Yachimun Street (壺屋やちむん通り), a short walk south. This quiet lane houses 20+ pottery studios selling traditional Okinawan ceramics (yachimun) — shisa statues, sake vessels, coffee cups. Prices range ¥500 (small shisa) to ¥50,000 (large hand-painted vases). Unlike Kokusai Dori's mass-produced souvenirs, these are artisan-made and shippable (studios arrange international shipping). **Awamori tasting:** Multiple shops on Kokusai Dori offer free awamori tasting (Okinawan distilled spirit, 25–43% alcohol, aged in clay pots). Helios Pub (ヘリオスパブ) at Kokusai Dori's center offers tasting flights (¥500 for 3 types) with English explanations. Awamori is an acquired taste (strong, earthy) but essential Okinawan cultural experience. Bottles cost ¥1,000–5,000 depending on age/distillery.

View on Google Maps