CONTRIBUTED BY SARRA MCMILLAN

Perhaps you’ve seen it while strolling along Kokusai Street, the large, colourful letters adorning the side of the building, screaming “OPA”!! But have you ventured inside this huge shopping mall, investigating the world of Japanese fashion and accessories? The window shopping is a cultural experience and it is an ideal place for people-watching and absorbing some of the strange clothing concepts that people here love (and somehow manage to pull off without looking insane. How do they do it?!) OPA is a haven for teenagers, but with such a wide variety of stores, it can also become one of YOUR favourite places to shop.

An essential stop for anyone visiting OPA is WEGO, a shop that often carries things in Western sizes, including retro, second-hand, American t-shirts. Once, I was able to purchase an adorable dress for 900¥ in this magical shop. Both men and women sections are well-stocked and the sale prices are reasonable.

OPA Wego

Fashion isn’t all you’ll find at OPA; although the company declared bankruptcy in 2004, Tower Records has a home on the 4th floor of this shopping centre. With both Western and Asian music, Tower Records is a great place to find the best tunes from home and discover new songs and artists from Japanese (and even Okinawan) singers and bands!

OPA Tower

I won’t ruin your exploration fun by telling you about all my favourite shops in OPA (this review would get out-of-hand if I did that!). Instead, I urge you to enter and discover for yourself everything OPA has to offer. With everything from high-end brands to hat and shoe stores to a nail salon, this place is a must-visit when you want to see and perhaps even experiment with Japanese fashion.

Location: On Kokusai-dori in Naha, near Heiwa-dori and kitty-corner to Starbucks

Phone:  098-867-7808 ‎