Kokusai Street is a 1.6-kilometre pedestrianised-ish strip running through the heart of Naha, lined with souvenir shops, restaurants, izakayas, and the occasional traditional craft store. It is touristy and crowded in the evenings but not without charm — the density of activity, the smell of cooking, the Okinawan music drifting out of doorways, gives the street a genuine vitality.
The best way to use Kokusai is as a spine for exploring: turn off into the covered market arcades that run parallel (Heiwa-dori is the most atmospheric), duck into the Makishi Public Market at the eastern end for fresh produce and Okinawan specialties, and look for shops selling genuine awamori (the local spirit distilled from indica rice) among the rows of generic snacks. Street food vendors set up in the evenings, and the izakayas fill early with a mix of tourists and locals who work nearby.