Okinawa cooking experience with a visit to the local market

Naha's Makishi district is a place where you can get a glimpse of the days when Okinawa was known as the Ryukyu Kingdom, which flourished by trading with various countries around Asia. You can find interesting marketplaces all around the district, some of which are located in the Sakae-cho area, which thrived as Naha's downtown in the old days. The Naha Public Market (Makishi Kosetsu-ichiba), Naha's central produce, meat, fish and general merchandise market, is an excellent place for visitors to go to learn about everyday life in Okinawa. On the first floor you can buy all kinds of Okinawan foodstuffs, from pork, including pig's face, feet and stomach, to many kinds of colorful fish and shellfish, from unique vegetables like goya (bittermelon) and hechima (sponge gourd) to tropical fruits that are delivered directly from the farm. To whet your appetite, the small alleys around the market feature stand-up-style shops, selling delicacies such as fresh tempura (deep-fried fish and vegetables), steamed cakes and goya juice.

Naha is the capital city of the Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2. The total area is 39.98 km2. Naha is a city on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of Okinawa Prefecture. The modern city was officially founded on May 20, 1921. Before that, Naha had been for centuries one of the most important and populous sites in Okinawa. Naha is the political, economic and education center of Okinawa Prefecture. In the medieval and early modern periods,[4] it was the commercial center of the Ryūkyū Kingdom.

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (Nansei) Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan. The island is approximately 106 kilometres (66 mi) long, an average 11 kilometres (7 mi) wide, and has an area of 1,206.98 square kilometers (466.02 sq mi). It is roughly 640 kilometres (400 mi) south of the main island of Kyushu and the rest of Japan. It is 500 km (300 mi) north of Taiwan. The total population of Okinawa Island is 1,384,762. The Greater Naha area has roughly 800,000 residents, while the city itself has about 320,000 people. Naha is the seat of Okinawa Prefecture on the southwestern paOkinawa Island.