Makishi Market, Naha

Okinawa's food looks nothing like the mainland's, and Makishi is where the difference is laid out on ice. Reef fish come in blues, greens and reds that mainland Japanese visitors photograph in disbelief, alongside whole pork in every part, including ears and trotters, because the island wastes none of it. Around them sit bitter goya melons, purple sweet potato, sea grapes that pop like caviar, and bottles of awamori, the local spirit. The market's own system is the draw: choose a fish or a cut downstairs, pay, and carry it up to the eating floor, where a kitchen cooks it for a set fee per dish and serves it at a shared table.

What you actually see

• Reef fish on ice - parrotfish and other tropical species in colours that look artificial and are not.
• The whole-pig counters - Okinawan pork sold in every part, from belly to ears and face.
• Buy below, cook above - the market's arrangement where your purchase is cooked for a fee upstairs.
• Umibudo and goya - sea grapes and bitter melon, the two ingredients that define the island's cooking.

When to go

Stalls run through the day and start closing in the early evening; lunchtime upstairs is the busiest hour. Okinawa's summer is hot and humid with a typhoon risk from August into autumn, so the cooler months from November are more comfortable. The market closes on scheduled days each month, which are posted at the entrance.

Honest expectations

It is thoroughly touristed, and prices reflect that, particularly for the photogenic fish. The cooking charge upstairs is per dish and per person, so a small meal adds up faster than you expect. Seating is cramped and hot. The surrounding arcades are mostly souvenir shops selling the same shirts and sweets, and the genuine cooking is easier to find in ordinary neighbourhood places.

Nearby

Kokusai-dori runs alongside, and the Shuri hill with its rebuilt palace site is a short monorail ride away.