Kokusai-dori and Makishi Public Market: How to Do Naha's Main Street Right

Kokusai-dori in five minutes

Where it runs. The Naha City Tourist Association puts the street at roughly 1.6 km (1 mile). It starts by the north entrance of the Prefectural Office, near the Palette Kumoji intersection, and ends at the Asato intersection (as of October 2026, official site). Two monorail stations sit near its ends:

• Prefectural Office (Kenchomae) Station, at the Palette Kumoji end
• Makishi Station, toward the Asato end

What it's for. Shopping and food are the main draws, and the street also hosts events such as Eisa dance performances. Walk one way and ride the monorail back, or start at whichever end is closer to your hotel.

Why it's called "International Street." The name comes from a postwar movie theater, the Ernie Pyle International Theater. It stood where the Tenbusu Naha building is now, near the middle of the street. The theater was named for Ernie Pyle, the American war correspondent killed on Ie Island, off Okinawa, on April 18, 1945. People started calling the street after the theater, and the name stuck (as of October 2026, Kokusai-dori shopping street association official site).

The "Miracle Mile." The tourist association says the street was one of the fastest parts of the city to rebuild after the war, which earned it that nickname (as of October 2026, official site).

Makishi Public Market, floor by floor

The First Makishi Public Market (第一牧志公設市場) is Naha City's public market. It first opened in December 1950, and the current building opened in March 2023, replacing the 1972 one (as of October 2026, Naha City official site). Older guides mention a temporary market used during the rebuild; the market is now back in its new building.

1st floor: shop. About 75 shops sell meat, fish and other fresh food (as of October 2026, Naha City official site).

2nd floor: eat. Restaurants serving Okinawan food. Last orders are at 8:00 pm (as of October 2026, Naha City official site).

Mochiage: having it cooked. This is the market's best-known trick. Some of the meat and fish sold on the 1st floor can be cooked for you. Naha City says the cooking costs extra, only some items qualify, and the last order for it is 7:45 pm (as of October 2026, official site). The fee, which items qualify and who does the cooking are unconfirmed — ask the stall before you buy.

Lunar New Year. Naha City's list of closing days doesn't include Lunar New Year. Whether the market or its shops close then is unconfirmed — ask the market before you plan a visit around it.

Watch the 4th Sunday. Our first-night guide found the first scheduled SFO flight landing on Sunday, March 28, 2027. That's the fourth Sunday of March, so expect the market to be closed that evening.

Paying. Whether the stalls and 2nd-floor restaurants take cards is unconfirmed — ask the shop before you order. Bring some yen; our cash and ATM guide explains where to get it.

The covered arcades

The market doesn't sit on Kokusai-dori itself. It's a short walk off the street through covered shopping arcades, so you stay dry on a rainy day.

The tourist association's walking course starts at the Mutsumibashi intersection on Kokusai-dori and reaches the market in about 240 m (800 ft). It passes stalls on Ichiba Hondori, one of the arcades (Naha City Tourist Association walking course, information dated February 2020). Another arcade, Heiwa-dori, opens off Kokusai-dori nearby. Shop hours along the arcades vary, so we don't list them.

Getting there

From the airport, ride the Yui Rail monorail. Pick the station by which end of the street you want.

about 13 minin all

¥290fare

Notransfers

1. StartNaha Airport Station
2. MonorailYui Railabout 13 min¥290
3. Get offPrefectural Office (Kenchomae) Station

For reference only. Travel times depend on traffic, and routes and fares change. Check the operator's official site before you go (as of October 2026, official sites).

about 16 minin all

¥320fare

Notransfers

1. StartNaha Airport Station
2. MonorailYui Railabout 16 min¥320
   More about this ride

   Naha City gives about a 9-minute walk from Makishi Station to the First Makishi Public Market, or about 10 minutes from Miebashi Station (14 min and 320 yen from the airport).

3. Get offMakishi Station

For reference only. Travel times depend on traffic, and routes and fares change. Check the operator's official site before you go (as of October 2026, official sites).

At about ¥157.81 to the dollar, ¥290 is about $1.80 and ¥320 about $2. From Makishi Station, Naha City gives about a 9-minute walk to the market (all as of October 2026, official sites). For the whole arrival, from the plane to the platform, see our Naha Airport to your hotel guide.

Arriving with bags. The shopping street association lists coin lockers at both Makishi and Prefectural Office stations, open 6:00 am to 11:00 pm. The Naha City Tourist Information Center in the Tenbusu Naha building, mid-street, is open 9:00 am to 7:00 pm (all as of October 2026, Kokusai-dori shopping street association official site).

Car-free Sundays

On Sundays, about 1.3 km (0.8 mile) of Kokusai-dori closes to cars from noon to 6:00 pm. The street association calls it the Transit Mile (as of October 2026, official site). Performers and food trucks who register with the association in advance can set up on the road.

It doesn't happen every Sunday:

• Rain or bad weather calls it off.
• Big events on the street replace it, such as the Naha Tug-of-War festival in October and the NAHA Marathon in December.

The association posts each change on its Transit Mile page (in Japanese). Check it on the Sunday morning.

A sample evening

This is our own suggestion, built around the market's official times.

• Late afternoon. Get off at Prefectural Office Station and walk Kokusai-dori toward Makishi.
• Early evening. Turn off into the arcades and reach the market with time to spare before the cooking deadline above.
• Dinner. Eat upstairs, or buy on the 1st floor and ask about mochiage.
• After dinner. Walk back along Kokusai-dori, or ride the monorail from Makishi.

A market visit plus a walk along the street fits in an evening. If you want to shop properly, give the market its own morning: the building opens at 8:00 am (as of October 2026, Naha City official site).

When to go

Kokusai-dori and the market work all year, and the covered arcades help on wet days.

• Rainy season: usually from around May 10 to around June 21 (Japan Meteorological Agency).
• Typhoons: most often in August and September (Japan Meteorological Agency). On a typhoon day, check the Japan Meteorological Agency for the weather and the market's and street association's official sites before heading out.
• December: the market skips its fourth-Sunday closing, but it closes January 1 to 3.

Official info

• First Makishi Public Market, Naha City page (Japanese): city.naha.okinawa.jp
• Kokusai-dori shopping street association (Japanese): naha-kokusaidori.okinawa
• Naha City Tourist Association: naha-navi.or.jp
• Yui Rail: yui-rail.co.jp

Next:

• Plan the whole first evening with Landing in Naha in the afternoon.
• Choose a base near the monorail with Where to Stay in Okinawa.
• Put Naha into a full trip with the 5-day itinerary from SFO.