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tourism・eat・shopping 2023.12.03

“Daiichi Makishi Public Market” has just been renewed.

Writer

Nacky247

Born in Okinawa, Japan, she has worked as a local newspaper correspondent and freelance writer. Currently living in the Philippines from 2022, accompanying her husband on his work assignment. Although she is fluent in nothing but Japanese, she is a traveler who goes abroad once every two months. She has a skill to overcome language barriers by using body language. On her personal blog, she writes about the happenings of her travels and her daily life overseas, where she is repeatedly embarrassed.
https://nacky247.com

”Okinawa’s Kitchen” Fresh local ingredients lined up

Naha City Makishi Public Market reopened in March 2023.

Daiichi Makishi Public Market is a place where you can experience Okinawan culture and food in this historical place that has been going on since 1950. It is known as the “Kitchen of Okinawa” and is a very popular spot among local residents and tourists. Ingredients unique to Okinawa are lined up, with products that can only be purchased here, such as fresh fish, vegetables, prefectural pork and beef, goat meat, and local soup stock.

Approximately 15 minutes by car from Naha Airport to Kokusai Dori.

If you walk about 150 meters through the market street arcade along Kokusai Street, you will see a large building.

When you enter the store, the center of the building is an atrium, making it a spacious space.

There is an escalator in the center, the first floor is a store, the second floor is a restaurant, and the third floor is an administrative office.

A row of colorful fish

The fresh, locally caught fish are colorful, unique, and rare fish caught in subtropical climates.
Photos for SNS will look great!

Among them, the prefectural fish called Gurukun is a familiar fish to the people of the prefecture. It is a typical Okinawan fish dish that is loved by the locals and can be prepared either by deep-frying it or by boiling it.

It is one of the fish that you should try at least once when you come to Okinawa.

Shrimp and shellfish are also fresh and abundant.

Live shrimp, large giant clams, and oysters are on display at the store.

The best time to catch fresh fish is in the morning.
Please note that in the evening, there will be fewer products available, and some stores may be sold out and closed.

From the pork, we eat everything except for the squeal.

In Okinawa Prefecture, where pork is often eaten, it is said that “everything is eaten except for the squeal” because every bit of pork is used in cooking.

When you think of Okinawa, you think of Okinawa soba, but the ingredient used in soki soba is bone-in pork ribs. There is also other pork belly called sanmainiku.

In addition, “Nakamamijiru”, a popular local dish unique to Okinawa, uses pig’s large intestine, small intestine, and stomach as ingredients called “Nakamami”. It is seasoned with bonito stock and has a surprisingly light taste.

Many people who eat it for the first time are worried because it looks creepy, but when they try it, they are surprised at how delicious it is.

At stores, you can also buy packs of the contents that have been boiled and prepared, making them easy to prepare.

We have a wide selection of beef, including Ishigaki beef from Ishigaki Island and Yamashiro beef from central Okinawa.

A wide range of Okinawan souvenirs

We also have Okinawan food souvenirs such as dried asa and wheat gluten, canned pork and corned beef hash that are easy to take home as souvenirs.
They also had a wide variety of Orion beer goods and miscellaneous goods.

Enjoy your food!

There are so many Okinawan restaurants lined up that it can be difficult to decide where to go.

The standard here is the “lifting system”.

You can bring the ingredients you purchased on the 1st floor directly to the restaurant on the 2nd floor and have them cooked on the spot!

Apparently, the cooking fee is 500 yen per meal. (May vary depending on ingredients and cooking method)

It’s exciting to be able to have the fish of your choice cooked and eaten on the spot.

When I went there, there were many Chinese tourists.

Description of the lifting system.
The price seems to vary depending on the cooking method, so it would be best to ask at the store.

We have menus in Japanese, English, and Chinese!

History of Makishi Public Market No. 1

Makishi Public Market No. 1 began as a black market that spontaneously sprung up near the Kainan bus stop shortly after the war, and in 1950 it was established as Naha City’s Makishi Public Market.

Reconstruction was completed in 1972, the year Okinawa returned to the mainland, and it has become a popular kitchen for citizens and residents of the prefecture.

With the completion of the Heiwa Dori arcade in 1982, Machigwa, centered around the First Makishi Public Market, has become a popular area for many tourists from outside the prefecture and from abroad.

In 1990, the service was modeled after restaurants in Singapore and other Asian countries, and allowed customers to purchase ingredients from the store on the first floor and then cook and eat them in the cafeteria on the second floor. Started a so-called “lifting” service. By purchasing the ingredients that I actually saw at the store and tasting them as Okinawan cuisine, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of Okinawan culture and create a sense of cultural exchange. In the 2000s, rebuilding of facilities was considered based on surveys of aging facilities, and in 2019, the market shifted to temporary construction. After four years, the new Makishi Public Market was opened in March 2023 as a core facility for commercial and cultural exchange in Machigwa, including the surrounding shopping streets. (From the Daiichi Makishi Public Market website)

INFORMATION

Facility name/location name
Makishi First Public Market
Address
2-10-1 Matsuo, Naha City, Okinawa PrefectureGoogleMap
Business hours
8:00-22:00 (varies by store)
*2nd floor cafeteria last order 20:00

4th Sunday of every month (open every day in December) New Year's Day, Lunar New Year, and Obon (varies by store)
Fee
No admission fee
Wi-Fi
No
Multilingual display
Available on the homepage (English, Chinese, Korean)