Nagoya Dining

To my surprise, upon my arrival, unlike many Asian nations, Japan does not have a street food culture. I have spent time crouching on street corners eating curry in Thailand and pho in Vietnam. I have wandered Indian streets, munching pakora and gobbled soft crabs from paper bags strolling through southern Taiwan; I had expected Japan to be the same. However, to the Japanese, eating is very much something to do in restaurants. With that said, there are exceptions. Of course, at summer festivals, you can get all sorts of picky food to wander with, but what to do if you can’t wait until then? Well, get yourself down to Osu. What is Osu? Between Nagoya’s central transport area of Meieki (Nagoya Station) in the west and Sakae’s lively shopping district in the east sits Osu, one of the city’s more eclectic areas. Centered around its covered shopping arcade, Osu has an atmosphere similar to Tokyo’s Harajuku, with aging hippies, teenage Goth Lolitas, cosplayers, and hipsters all in one big melting pot. Furthermore, many places serve excellent street food. Here are just a handful of them: Osu Gohei Mochi Believed to have originated as offerings to the gods (or perhaps…