Although it is November and this means “off-season” here in Okinawa, life seems to have slowly returned to the streets of Naha on the main island.
While six months ago, when I visited last, drinking was restricted and restaurants had to close early, now they are open and welcoming people to come in. It is still quiet, yet people seem to more freely enjoy going out. Especially the area in and around Makishi market in the heart of Naha seems to more and more fill up with locals and tourists (inbound only of course).
It is an interesting mix, young and old people sharing the same spaces. There is no madness yet, but it feels like everyone is aware that these might be the last days of quiet. The Pandemic seems more of a “yesterday’s thought” and there is an unconscious agreement, that in just a few months’ time tourists will return and fill these streets and shops again. It is a mixture of hope and sadness, hope as to finally get back to business and earn money, sadness as for many the lack of crowds had brought back different life, a slower pace, more that of a village…
This is certainly the Naha I will remember and feel quite lucky to have been able to experience. So the following photographs might just be a rare glimpse of what local Naha would be like. A schoolday evening, quiet yet lively.
