An International City with a Champuru Spirit
Located on the Pacific Ocean side, Okinawa City, the second largest city on the island, serves as the administrative and commercial hub of central Okinawa. Hosting businesses developed primarily with military service members in mind, the city maintains a close relationship with the U.S. military bases in central Okinawa, including Kadena Air Base and Camp Foster.
The avenue between Kadena's Gate 2 and the Goya intersection is Airport Street, also called Gate 2 Street. Okinawa City is an international place where you can find signs in English, prices quoted in dollars and people of many nationalities. Within the Koza area live people from approximately 30 different countries. In addition, the Indian community, running imported goods shops on Gate 2 Street, is the third largest Indian community in Japan.
Gate 2 Street is a place where English and Japanese signs stand side by side, where the sound of rock music and sanshin intermingle with each other, and where American and Asian cultures are mixed.
This mixed culture in Okinawa is called "champuru culture," named after a popular type of Okinawan home cooking. Due to the many kinds of ingredients used in this dish, the word "champuru" carries the meaning of "blending." Okinawa City blends the cultures of many countries unlike Chinatown or Little Tokyo, which exist as one ethnic community. This borderless atmosphere is one of the charms of Okinawa City. |
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Okinawa City 