Still on the first day. After a rest, we visited AEON Naha during the evening. The shopping mall is directly-connected to Monorail Koroku Station and this is the view from the monorail station.
What was fascinating was that the residential buildings beside the monorail station looked exactly like Singapore’s HDB flats!
A closer look.
Aeon Naha
A big fan of Aeon malls wouldn’t want to miss exploring them.
We were here to have our dinner at the foodcourt.
The foodcourt was filled with students hanging out here after their school.
The prices were reasonable and the quality of food wasn’t compromise in terms of quality.
This is our favorite section in the Okinawa shopping malls. At certain hours, they may have discounts off the racks, some as much as 50%!
Kokusaidori Night Street
We thought spending one full day in Naha city would be enough. A meaningful visit to Okinawa should involve driving out to discover the attractions which travelling along monorail would not be possible.
When night falls, Kokusaidōri comes alive. Restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and shopping malls will be packed with people.
People thronging the streets and traffic is slow moving, sometimes coming to a complete halt. And it’s good to take a pause and admire the city of Naha.
Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters
On our second day, we picked up our rental car (Toyota Sienta) from the hotel and drove to the Former Japanese Navy Underground HQ, which is about 3km from Mercure Naha. This hybrid car is fuel-efficient and we only filled the petrol twice (~SGD100) throughout 5 days of usage which allowed us to cover about 650km.
The Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters, a 450 meter tunnel complex which was served as an underground headquarters during the Battle of Okinawa was established in 1944.
Best part of our visit here was the underground tunnel.
A reminder of the tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa.
The Chief Commanding Officer’s room.
Kaigungo Park Playground
At the exit of the Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters, we get to see the Kaigungo Park playground. Sob sob, it was raining most of the time in Okinawa and the kids were unable to play the slides.
However, we must say Okinawa definitely bring their playgrounds up to another level. Imagine this is where kids can slide for more than a minute and enjoy excitement to the fullest.
Tomari Iyumachi Fish Market
The Tomari Iyumachi Fish Market located at Tomari Fishing Port. It is a medium-sized seafood market with shops selling fresh tuna, salmon, grilled lobster, scallop, unagi, squid and many more.
There is a processing plant screened with glass for viewing. Workers are working hard to bring the freshest catch out for sale.
This is the best and biggest fish market in Okinawa where you can get same-day-fresh seafood and other marine products.
We had our breakfast here.
Freshly grilled and juicy lobsters.
She must be very happy!
Visitors come here for a taste of great Okinawa seafood!
Highly recommended to come here as the prices are reasonable.
As there are lack of sitting places, most of the time people would need to stand eating.
Tomari Iyumachi is the direct sales fish market in Naha with tuna specialty vendors from the Okinawa Fishing Cooperative and mozuku vendors in addition to wholesalers. The best time to visit Tomari Fish Market is in the morning.
Our gripe was the frequent rain but this has been a great trip so far!
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