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The Battle of Okinawa was the only battle fought on Japanese soil during World War II, and the fighting was so fierce that Okinawans nicknamed it the "Typhoon of Steel," or tetsu no bofu. Battle veterans returning to the island today recognize little of the Okinawa of 1945, as most of the buildings were leveled and much of the landscape was bombed and blasted away.

The Japanese Imperial Navy built the headquarters of its Okinawa district headquarters under a hill in Oroku, near Naha. Abandoned for decades after the war, the chambers have been opened to the public since the 1970s. Visitors can see the marks left on the walls by the pickaxes of the men who carved the commander's office, storerooms, bunk rooms, powder rooms, and medical rooms from the earthy hill. Blast marks from the mass suicide committed by Vice Admiral Minoru Ota and his men are visible as well. Some tunnels and rooms remain exactly as they were during the war and are off limits to visitors.

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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 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.

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