Here’s what to know about the new food hall on Kokusai Street

Here’s what to know about the new food hall on Kokusai Street

As phase one of the “Kokusai Street Noren-gai” food hall project, the second of its four planned zones launched on December 16, in Makishi, Naha City.


December 17, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo

On December 16, South Island Spice Co., Ltd. (Naha City,) owned by Spice Works Inc. (Tokyo, CEO: Wataru Shimotono) launched the “Okinawa Kokusai Noren-gai” food hall complex inside the former Okinawa Mitsukoshi building in Makishi, Naha City.

The first floor and the first basement floor of the building are sectioned into four categorized zones, and the planned food hall complex will accommodate over 30 food vendors in total.

The project launched with the public soft opening of “Naha Market” zone on October 23, with seven vendors.

The new “Kokusai Street Yokocho” zone will add eleven more vendors to the first floor of the food hall complex, offering a total of 18 restaurants for visitors to choose from. (Yokocho, literally side street, usually refers to a drinking alley.)

The remaining two zones, the “Ryukyu Yokocho” zone, which will comprise branches of local restaurants acclaimed for its Okinawan cuisine, and the “Ramen Yokocho” zone, are slated to open on Februry 1, 2020, in the first basement level.

The first basement floor through the second floor of the former Mitsukoshi building previously housed the “Ryukyu Kingdom Market,” a gourmet theme park that went under.

Spice Works Inc. has since refurbished the complex in an effort to relaunch the business under a new model.

Inside the “Naha Market” zone, customers can pick up locally-sourced fresh meats and fish along with other Okinawan food items, or order freshly prepared meals. Visit Okinawa Steak to enjoy steaks (1,000 yen per 300 grams) and hamburgers, or treat yourself to A4 and A5 grade Wagyu beef at Mizutomi Seiniku-ten, where you can grill the meats at your table.

The “Kokusai Street Yokocho” is aptly marketed as “the yokocho offering delectable fare from all over Japan.”

It boasts a wide-ranging roster of restaurants, from Okinawan cuisine purveyor Okinawa SOULFOOD Jam to udon-noodle tavern Kagawa Ippuku; Pork Man, a restaurant specialized in Yanbaru pork and chicken; and Gyutan Iroha, a beef tongue restaurant.

Visit the “Kokusai Street Yokocho” between 11 a.m. and 4 a.m., and the “Naha Market” between 11 a.m. and midnight (10 a.m. – 11 p.m. for some restaurants.)

(English translation by T&CT and Monica Shingaki)

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