Kokusai Street Food Village
Food/Drink | Avg price: ¥0 | English Available: None (Unknown)
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Yatai Mura at Naha's Kokusaidori
When planing out trip to Okinawa I found the so called "Yatai Mura" (屋台村) only mentioned at a view guidebook. Because my husband is really interested into food and small food stands we decided to drop by on our first evening in Naha when we just walked down the main shopping street Kokusaidori. The Yatai Mura has a nice atmosphere at night with all the lights and lanterns. There are several food stands offering different kind of food that is not too pricy. It was difficult to decide what we should try, but we went with Okinawa Soba and some Gyoza at a shop called ゆらりあちねー. Both were pretty yummy! Because the Yatai Mura seems to be a more touristy think, most of the food stands have their menu in Japanese and English, even tough the staff is not speaking much English. If you are in Naha, you should definately walk through it, because it is for free and a nice spot to see. And maybe while this you will get hungry. Find the official website here: http://www.okinawa-yatai.jp
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on Aug 2
Pleasant, if not exactly authentic, collection of eateries off Kokusai Dori, Naha
Just off of Naha’s Kokusai Dori, tucked into a relatively quiet side street is the Kokusai Street Food Village, a collection of Lilliputian Japanese eateries crammed into a covered space that might have otherwise been occupied by but one or two restaurants. At night Kokusai Street Food Village looks a Japanese charm with glowing lanterns strung up as if during a summer matsuri, wooden facades that echo the Edo era (the default era for seemingly all novelty historical experiences in Japan), and an array of kanji characters scrawled across chalkboard signs and restaurant menus. Closer inspection, however, reveals that Kokusai Street Food Village is really just playing pretend. This place is far from old, and could well be one of the newer additions to the Kokusai Dori scene. In fact, were it not outside, the whole thing could fit seamlessly into the “theme park dining” floor of a massive shopping complex. Whether or not this faux-trad eating experience is a good thing or a bad thing is up for the individual to decide. Undeniably though, there’s plenty that’s good about it - user friendly for foreign visitors, a charming and cozy atmosphere (that doesn’t take too much in the way of imagination to be transported into a Ghibli film), the chance of interaction with locals (space is at a premium) and a range of eateries to choose from all under one roof. For the more seasoned Japan traveler though, Kokusai Street Food Village probably lacks a bit of edge when it come to authenticity. There are 20 eateries crammed into the “village”, from sushi to spit roast, gyoza to okonomiyaki. In between you’ll find liquor and juice bars, communal toilets (as in they are shared by all the restaurants) and a small performance stage. Each establishment is tiny, seating no more than about 15 people, either inside or out (but still sheltered from the rain), with wait staff loitering (in a nice way) at each joint as they appeal to potential customers. There’s no pressure to just have a walk around and see what takes your fancy. Just watch any big bags that you might be carrying as you could well knock drinks off tables if you’re not careful. At the time of visiting Kokusai Street Food Village, a Monday night, there were a few punters in (including plenty of foreigners) and the place seemed to have a nice atmosphere. The place is sometimes called “Kokusai Dori Yatai Village” (国際通り屋台村) but on the maps at the location the English translation is the one that I’ve been using in this review. “Yatai” refers to a traditional Japanese food stall that you might find on the street. You’ll find “Kokusai Dori Yatai Village” about 200 m southwest of Makishi station tucked into a block of buildings next to side street Orion Dori. Hours: Hours vary between establishments but most are in the 11:00 - 24:00 range
YokoLostinJapan
on Jan 19