3 Must-Visit Shops around Kokusai-Dori St. to Get Okinawa’s Handmade Items during Girls’ Trip

On and around Kokusai-dori Street, the main street of Naha city, you can come across a great variety of shops from long-established ones to the latest ones. This time, we selected 3 recommended shops under the theme of ‘Okinawa’s handmade items stimulating aesthetic sense’ from among them. Accessories-making experiences, adorable tableware that makes cooking fun and organic items that are kind to the skin will let your girls’ trip more exciting.

All of them are within 15 minutes’ walking distance from Hotel Gracery Naha.

“Kanoa Kokusai-dori Shop” giving visitors experiences to create accessories using natural stones and coral and photo frames made with shells

Reference from アソビュー！ “Kanoa（カノア）国際通り店“

“Kanoa Kokusai-dori Shop (Kanoa国際通り店)” catches your eyes with rainbow-colored staircase and cute illustrations. Inside the store full of a tropical atmosphere, you can find unique accessories and interior goods. All gem-like items such as bracelets and earrings made with plenty of beautifully colored natural stones, ring pillows with shisa (Okinawan Lion) made of shells, and many other ones are handmade. It seems that staff makes each one carefully. At such this shop, handmade workshops allowing visitors to make accessories including bracelets, earrings, necklaces and photo frames are especially very popular. In addition to 30 types of natural stones, they prepare over 50 types of charms like starfish and sea glass that make you imagine the sea of Okinawa. As the name of the shop means ‘Freedom’ in Hawaiian language, let’s enjoy yourself with your own free ideas.

Opening Hours	11:00AM – 7:00PM
Address	2F 1-1-42 Makishi, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture
Access	A 4-minute walk from Hotel Gracery Naha
URL	http://kanoa.okinawa/

“guma guwa” with a great variety of tableware fusing traditional Okinawan style and modern one

Located at halfway point of ‘Tsuboya Yachimun Street (壷屋やちむん通り)’, “guma guwa” has an appearance of retro folk house with a red roof. ‘Yachimun’ means pottery in Okinawan language. Above all, ‘Tsuboya-yaki (壺屋焼)’ is a traditional Okinawan pottery that inherits the traditional techniques cultivated by Okinawa’s ancestors. At this shop whose space makes even those who don’t know Tsuboya-yaki can stop by here without hesitating, there are lots of tableware such as plates and bowls. Although most of Tsuboya-yaki has bold designs that depict the deep blue sea and rich nature, items whish are made by mainly young female craftsmen use soft colors and has easy-to-use forms or parts. Why not choose your favorite one while touching and looking at their unique shapes, texture, thickness and so on that differ depending on each one?

Opening Hours	10:30AM – 6:30PM
Address	1-16-21 Tsuboya, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture
Access	A 14-minute walk from Hotel Gracery Naha
URL	https://www.ikutouen.com/gumaguwa/

“La cucina SOAP BOUTIQUE” offering organic items gentle on your skin like handmade soaps and bath salt using Okinawan sea salt

Reference from OKINAWA CLIP “毎日着る服をさがすように好みの石鹸がみつかるブティック「ラ クッチーナ ソープ・ブティック」“

“La cucina SOAP BOUTIQUE” has a stylish appearance with red-colored window frame. In this shop where elegant smell comes wafting in the air, items making our daily life a little special are lined up, including handmade soap made from herb or aroma and bath salt using Okinawan sea salt. The most popular one is the Okinawan material series ‘Facial Soap,’ which contains shell ginger and blue papaya with excellent beauty effects. Using a technique called “cold process” that can keep moisturizing ingredients, the soap handmade in their own factory let your skin feel refreshing but moist and smooth after washing. Besides, they offer soap that can be used for the body and hair, and a moisturizing balm that can be used not only to prevent skin irritation due to dryness but also to be used as a perfume paste and something like that. It’s also one of the charms that staff familiar with aroma will give us advice.

Opening Hours	12:00PM – 8:00PM　Closed on Wednesday
Address	2-5-31 Matsuo, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture
Access	A 5-minute walk from Hotel Gracery Naha
URL	https://lacucina.jp/