If the Okinawan diet is the marvel of fad-chasing, image-obsessed America consumers for the moment, there's little hope that our young nation will achieve the longevity for which Okinawans are so famous. While certain foods are key to the prefecture's high number of octa and nonagenarians, attitude and lifestyle choices are equally as important, and in few places can the holy trinity of theOkinawan elixir be seen quite like in Makishi Public Market, located in the Heiwadori on Kokusai Street.

It's easy to write the market off as a tourist attraction. On any given day, there are swarms of camera-bearing outsiders swarming the alleys for deals and the perfect Okinawan omiyage (souvenir). But equally as numerous, especially when you venture into the bowels of the marketplace, are aging Okinawans who come to this machigwa (local market) buy a few fresh items (likely what they can't grow or catch on their own) and catch up with acquaintances.

Some call Makishi "Okinawa's kitchen," a moniker that's right on the money. In this maze of covered alleys, an alert consumer can find almost anything needed to create a traditional Okinawan meal. The inner sanctum is home to a vibrant fish and meat market whose vendors politely hawk their goods to passersby. Parrotfish, octopus, squid, blowfish, shrimp, snapper, yellowfin tuna, and a dozen other varieties of seafood abound, artfully displayed on ice or in cases. Across the building are the pork vendors, who offer up every portion of the pig except the oink, say locals. You'll find mimi (ear), intestines, feet, hocks, and even chiraga (face flesh). Shoppers are also sure to pass an entire pig head or two, the smiling carcasses likely bearing sunglasses.

Poultry, goat, and beef are available as well, though are not nearly as plentiful as pork. Vendors can also be found with wide selections of pickled vegetables, tofu, and fish cakes. Just outside are vegetable vendors, nearly all of whom grow what they sell. Goya, or bitter melon, is a common sight, as are daikon (radishes), fruits, kabocha (a gourd sort of like a pumpkin), and fresh flowers. Sata andagi (Okinawan donuts) are available in abundance, as are chinsuko (Okinawan cookies) and products made from beniimo (purple Okinawan sweet potato). Eye-catching irabu (smoked sea snake) and jars of habu sake reel in tourists to the many stalls.

Perhaps the best kept secret of Makishi is the second floor, which houses a cluster of restaurants, some of which will even cook fish purchased at the market below. Staples such as goya champuru and Okinawan soba are also available. Many of the aging, wrinkled faces here and on the first floor have been working in the market for decades.

More than 400 storefronts exist in Makishi, selling everything from sanshin and star sand to used military surplus clothing and cheap blankets. Though businesses are legitimate now, the area began as a black market alley after World War II. Slowly, as Okinawa recovered from the devastation of the Battle of Okinawa, the core of shops expanded one by one.

Today, the Makishi Public Market is an Okinawa icon, the largest market on the island. And while it may be a portal to the stomachs of Okinawans, it's also a community lifeblood. Economically, it brings in hundreds of thousands of tourist dollars annually. But emotionally, it's a way for residents who have long patronized the markets to continue the traditions of the Okinawa of yesteryear, to connect with a rural past that is rapidly yielding to mega tourist resorts and shopping malls. And it's this sense of charm and island energy that keep people-tourists and locals alike-coming back.