Koza Gate Dori is conveniently situated near one of the entrances to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, but a visit to the shopping street, where "for rent" signs are common and numerous stores are shuttered, makes it clear that residents aren't profiting much from the presence of the United States Air Force.
"We don't see much activity around here, and many owners are closing their shops," an elderly woman who runs a small grocery store told The Japan Times last week.
Things were different in the 1970s, when the Vietnam War was raging and the yen was still cheap, but those days are gone, she said.