A Rope in the Open Sea: 004: "ashita kaeru." (part 2)

When I last left off, I was ready to go exploring in Naha City. . .

Kokusaidori, literally "International Road," is a roughly 2km road that serves as the main street of Naha. Souvenir shops, restaurants, cafés, bars, department stores, boutiques, ice cream stands. . . this place has it all! I spent hours here. But here, I'll let some of the pictures do the talking:

Entrance: "Kokusaidori"

Shisa! One of the symbols of Okinawa, and freaking EVERYWHERE.

EVERYWHERE.

There was an odd fetish for pickled rattlesnakes in the window that I didn't really understand.

Shiiquasa (Okinawan lime) sorbet! Very tasty.

Lots of shops had beautiful glasswork on display.

After resisting any purchases (other than my sorbet), I finally reached Makishi Market! It's about dead center on Kokusaidori, and gigantic. I've visited three times now and I *still* don't think I've seen everything. The "stores" are mostly stands, which sell almost anything within the realm of one's imagination. I recall: fish, fruit, sweet breads and pastries, fresh vegetables, beans, souvenirs, ice cream, pig feet, clothes, shoes, parasols, original artwork. . . you get the picture.

Makishi Market: Where your meal may or may not be neon blue.

The shopkeeper assured me that "Okinawan fugu not poison!" I'm not actually sure if this is factual.

Umi budou, or "sea grapes"! Also known as green caviar, and absolutely delicious. The texture is really something else: like the nickname implies, they pop in your mouth! Also, especially good with Ponzu sauce.

The red/yellow one really blew my mind.

Lobster?? I think. . .

Every kind of fruit imaginable! Dragonfruit was extremely popular in particular.

Everything is so colorful! :)

Fresh vegetables!

Flowers for sale. . . looked like they came straight from a jungle.

Butchers having some fun.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out whether this stand was selling beetles as pets or to eat. . . and in a way, I don't want to know.

Stray cats (and dogs!) are pretty commonplace. Also, adorable.

One of the shopkeepers was the first to really coax me out of my "I am too afraid to try speaking Japanese / have forgotten everything / HALP" mindset. He introduced me to all his goods one by one, repeating the name once in English (if he knew it) and once in Japanese. Also, he gave me free samples with the lesson! It was my first taste of umi-budou (aforementioned), shark fin, mimigaa (pig ear), and umeboshi (plum). He also gave me ika (squid) and daikon (onion), which I have had before. All delicious! We also had a broken conversation, mostly about me: where did I come from, how old was I, what university was I at, what year, etc. Afterwards, he joked about how bad my Japanese was and told me to study more. Also, "ashita kaeru -- wakaru?" (come back tomorrow -- understand?). I nodded and smiled: it's nice to feel a bit more welcome.

My trip to Makishi Market ended with three boxes of umi-budou (total ¥400) and a new parasol (¥500) to keep the sun out of my face. If I haven't mentioned this yet, it's dangerously hot/humid in Okinawa this time of year. Traveling is accomplished through lots of water, a parasol, and frequent detours into air-conditioned shops. I've gotten too dehydrated a few times now and it's not fun. . . word to the wise for anyone thinking of applying for SanPietro in Japan next year.

Finally, after stopping back at my hostel and showering, I took a walking tour through Naha City to Naha Wharf and O-Noyamakouen (Noyama Park). See previous mention of avoiding getting too dehydrated. . . sigh. Oh well. Have some pictures!