CONTRIBUTED BY CALYN PAQUIN
Minami Exterior
Buying fruits and vegetables makes me feel good because I don’t seem to feed my family enough of it. Since I went to this farmer’s market, I’ve been back every time I need to get fresh produce.
Minami Veg 1
The sign says Nakagusuku Farm. Choku baijo which means “direct selling place”. That means the produce sold there are from the farmers of that area.
Minami Veg 2
When I first walked in, I saw bags of mandarin oranges for 280 yen. There were 16 small oranges in the bag I got. I remembered paying over US$6 at the commissary for 8 of those! The next time I went back, I bought a bag of 10 bigger ones for 280 yen. As I looked around, I kept going oooh and aaahh at the different bags and prices. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cucumbers, eggplants, bell peppers, carrots, green beans, you name it!
Minami Interior 1
Smaller bags for families and bigger bags for businesses or bigger families. Some are one price for as many as you can squeeze into the bag they provide (pretty good size bag) eg; onions and bean sprouts. Everything looks so fresh. The colors are vibrant and calling you to eat them! If and when they start looking just a little “not so fresh” they mark down the prices. Sometimes it’s just because of one leaf or one bean! Just like any produce for sale, the prices fluctuates so what you see in my pictures may change.
They have cabbage, lettuce, spinach, huge daikon and all leafy veggies. Fruits like star fruit, water melon, pineapples, persimmons, bananas, apples and more! The produce I buy from the farmer’s market lasts longer than the ones from the grocery stores for some reason. I am not an expert, but I’m sure it’s because they were picked fresh and didn’t need to be shipped. They definitely taste better.
Minami Interior 2
Along the walls, you’ll see rows of local made goodies like pastries, cookies, candies, etc. They also have tea, sauces and many products that I do not know what they are. They even sell big stuffed toys. Right by the entrance and the registers, they have some bento meals, pastries and tofu as well.
Minami Interior 3
Directions: From Foster Legion Gate, take 330 south. Be sure to stay to the left and not get onto 81. Continue on 330 behind Futenma to the Nagata traffic lights. Make a left at that light. Keep going until you past a Family Mart on your right and then you’ll see the building on your right. This is closest to Futenma. It’ll take about 15 minutes if you come from Foster.
Payment: Yen.
Hours: 8am – 8pm daily.