For advanced Okinawa visitors. We will guide you to the deepest part of Okinawa, where you can discover everything just by taking a half step.

Sakaemachi Market: A drinking district with a nostalgic atmosphere

Okinawa is a popular international resort city and destination for tourists from overseas. If you walk down Kokusai Street, you will find hotels, restaurants, cafes, food stalls, and shops selling Okinawan souvenirs, so tourists will have no trouble finding something to do during their stay. However, have you ever wanted to see the real face of Okinawa, beyond the tourist-oriented face?

When you feel like that, we recommend visiting Sakaemachi Market, which is located right after getting off at Asato Station on the Yui Rail. It is a spot with a local feel that can be accessed in about 10 minutes on foot from Kokusai Street.

Sakaemachi Market is located on the former site of Okinawa Prefectural First Girls' High School, known for the Himeyuri Student Corps, but today it is a market that retains a nostalgic Showa-era atmosphere and is a place where locals gather. While the old historical facilities have disappeared, this maze-like corner remains as it was when it supported the food of the local residents during the post-war reconstruction.

During the day, you can see locals enjoying "yuntaku" (a word meaning "chat" in the Okinawa dialect), but at night, the market takes on a different face. Butchers, greengrocers, and delicatessens close up shop, and Sakaemachi Market transforms from a market into a drinking district lit by red lanterns. As the night deepens, people gather out of nowhere, and the town transforms into a nightlife district where strangers drink all night long, side by side.

The narrow streets lined with bars in a chaotic fashion are a unique sight, reminiscent of the lively streets of Southeast Asia or postwar Japan during its reconstruction period, as seen in films. This is a spot where you can enjoy a different kind of "out of the ordinary" experience from the many luxury resorts in Okinawa.

Sakaemachi Market

Characterized by its fluffy bubbles, the legendary "Bukubuku Tea" was once on the verge of being discontinued.

Orion beer is great in the drinking district, but if you feel the atmosphere is too deep for your liking, we recommend the popular strolling spot "Tsuboya Yachimun Street." Tsuboya Yachimun Street is an area where you can enjoy the atmosphere of old Okinawa, with pottery shops, craft shops, cafes, and more lined up on both sides of the cobblestone road. Here you can experience Okinawa's traditional tea "Bukubuku tea."

Bukubuku tea is a type of "furicha" that was drunk in Naha before the war. Furicha is homemade bancha tea that is whisked with a handmade tea whisk.

Buku-buku tea once had a history of almost being lost. Tea utensils were burned during World War II, and buku-buku tea itself was in danger of disappearing, but fortunately some tea utensils were left undamaged in Tokyo, so buku-buku tea was able to be revived just before it became a thing of the past. Nowadays, there are a few hotels and cafes that offer it as a traditional Okinawan culture.

The main ingredient in Bukubuku Tea is the fluffy white foam made by whipping Sanpincha and Genmaicha tea. You may wonder how the tea can be so foamy, but it is said that the firm foam can be created thanks to Okinawa's hard water, which contains components of Ryukyu limestone.

At "Uchinaa Teahouse & Gallery Bukubuku" on Tsuboya Yachimun Street, you can casually enjoy bukubuku tea, which has been popular since the Ryukyu Dynasty, along with Ryukyu sweets. Drinking bukubuku tea while laughing and getting white foam on the tip of your nose is sure to make you feel warm and happy. In addition, hot coffee is served in a yachimun (Okinawan pottery) cup that the customer chooses, making this a shop where you can experience the Okinawan spirit firsthand.

In addition to the cafe space, the store also has a gallery, and sells Yachimun pottery, Ryukyu glass, and Bingata dyeing. It's recommended because you can casually browse while enjoying the cafe, and if you like the products, you can also purchase them.

Okinawan teahouse Bukubuku

To the deeper Koza area

If you are fascinated by the deep spots of Naha, why not take a little trip and visit Koza, about 30 minutes by car from Naha? Koza was formerly located in the central part of the main island and is the only city in Japan written in katakana. In 1974, it merged with Misato Village to become Okinawa City, and the name Koza City disappeared, but Koza, adjacent to Kadena Air Base, is still one of Okinawa's deepest areas, retaining a unique atmosphere of a mix of American and Okinawan culture.

Koza Gate Street makes you feel like you're overseas

Currently, the name Koza is used as a nickname for the cultural sphere that stretches from Koza Jujiro to the Goya and Nakanomachi districts. Koza Gate Street stretches from the gate of Kadena Air Base and is like a town in front of the base. Lined with shops for the U.S. military and shops run by foreign businesses, the colorful signs, English writing, and a sense of style not found in Japan may even make you feel as if you are overseas.

Koza was not built for tourists, but flourished as the prefecture's busiest downtown area from the 1960s to the 1980s. You can feel the unique charm of a town that has grown with history. If you visit Koza after the fashionable Mihama American Village in Chatan, the contrast will be interesting and you will enjoy it even more.

Koza Gate Street

"Trip Shot Hotels Koza" - Unique rooms that will keep you excited

Koza's Central Park Avenue, once an entertainment district popular with American soldiers, is a shopping street that still retains some traces of its post-war bustle. It has a wabi-sabi feel that is reminiscent of the passage of time, which is somewhat common to shopping streets all over Japan, but there are also signs of young people opening new shops, making this an area to watch in the future.

Located in this area is Trip Shot Hotels Koza, a hotel created by the production team of the Okinawa City TV program "Behind the Scenes of Koza." The hotel is a renovated former store on Central Park Avenue and features 10 charming, unique guest rooms.

One of the rooms, "Rock Side," was renovated from a former beauty salon and designed to resemble a guest room used by rock stars in the 1970s. It is a spacious 91 square meter room with attention to detail, including vintage furniture, a claw foot bathtub, and crimson curtains. The time you spend in this unique space that you can't find anywhere else will be a lasting memory.

Another interesting room is the "Central," which was renovated from a former Philippine cabaret. The striking counter and distinctive walls evoke a 70s feel, giving it the charm of something you'd see in an old movie.

There are also other unique rooms in the lineup, such as a former coffee shop with impressive arched windows and a former snack bar with a noir atmosphere. If you share it on social media, it will surely attract attention. When making a reservation, be sure to look for a room that suits your tastes.

Trip Shot Hotels Koza

Enjoy Koza's specialty gourmet food at a US military-approved restaurant: "Charlie Tacos"

One of the things you should definitely try in Koza is the famous tacos. Located on Central Park Avenue, where Trip Shot Hotels Koza is located, is Okinawa's first taco specialty store, "Charlie Takuju Main Store."

Charlie Takuju was founded as the "A Sign Restaurant," an official US military restaurant, when Okinawa was still under American rule. At the time, it was a typical American restaurant, but its tacos became so popular that it was converted into a taco specialty restaurant.

The walls of the restaurant, which has a retro Okinawan American feel, are covered with autographs and photos of celebrities, as well as messages from customers written on paper napkins, showing how Charlie Takuju continues to be loved by many people.

The tacos at Charlie Takuju are soft and chewy. You can choose from beef, chicken, or tuna as your filling, and the 3P set is popular. The special salsa sauce made with island chili peppers is especially addictive. If you want to try taco rice (Charlie Rice), you can also choose the Charlie Set, which includes tacos and taco rice.

Charlie Tacos Main Store

On your next trip to Okinawa, explore some deeper spots

If you have visited Okinawa many times, why not go to a place where you can experience the deeper side of Okinawa, which you can find just half a step away from the tourist spots? New discoveries such as back alleys and shops in places that have not been turned into tourist spots will enrich your travel time. By experiencing Okinawa's culture and history in a fun way, you will find Okinawa even more attractive. Please use this article as a reference for your next trip to Okinawa.