{"id":2394,"date":"2017-02-26T13:51:30","date_gmt":"2017-02-26T04:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/osu-nagoya\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T11:35:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:35:19","slug":"osu-nagoya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/osu-nagoya\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting to know you: Osu, Nagoya"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Cat-Osu.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-28620 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Cat-Osu.jpg\" alt=\"Cat Osu\" width=\"640\" height=\"425\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Between Nagoya&#8217;s\u00a0central transport area of Meieki (Nagoya Station) in the west, and the lively shopping and commerce hub of\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/sakae-nagoya\/\">Sakae<\/a> in the east lies Osu, one of the city&#8217;s more interesting\u00a0and eclectic\u00a0areas. \u00a0Centered around its covered shopping arcade, Osu\u00a0has an atmosphere similar to Tokyo&#8217;s Harajuku,\u00a0with aging hippies happily rubbing shoulders with teenage Goth Lolita cosplayers;\u00a0though without quite so much of the self-referential pretension of it&#8217;s capital city counterpart.<\/p>\n<h2>A Spot of Culture &#8211; \u014csu Kannon<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Osu-kannon.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-28621\" src=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Osu-kannon.jpg\" alt=\"Osu kannon\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a>When getting off at the \u014csu Kannon subway station on the Tsuramai line, it is difficult to miss the large Buddhist temple from which the station takes its name. The original temple was built in 1333, though to save it from regular flooding the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu had it moved from where it had stood in \u014csu-g\u014d, Nagaoka village, (now known as Hashima in Gifu Prefecture) to its position today. Unfortunately this did not protect it from the devastation it suffered following a large fire in the 1820s. It was rebuilt 150 years later, which is what we can see today, but this does not\u00a0detract anything from its beauty.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Address:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.co.jp\/maps\/place\/%E5%A4%A7%E9%A0%88%E8%A6%B3%E9%9F%B3\/@35.1598007,136.8975412,17z\/data=!4m7!1m4!3m3!1s0x60037732493fb93b:0x6062ddc41569f5a1!2s2+Chome-21-47+%C5%8Csu,+Naka-ku,+Nagoya-shi,+Aichi-ken+460-0011!3b1!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0x27fbc9bd762df7e8\">21-47 Osu 2-Chome, Naka-ku, Nagoya<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Shopping &#8211;\u00a0Osu Shopping District<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Osu-Shopping.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-28623\" src=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Osu-Shopping.jpg\" alt=\"Osu Shopping\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a>Aside from the temple, the other thing that sticks out is the Osu Shopping district. It has stood for around 400 years and currently has something in the region of 1200 stores ranging from kimono shops that have stood for generations to brand new electronics stores selling top of the range goods. As well as retaining something of a traditional working class atmosphere with greengrocer markets and butchers it is also home to some of the city&#8217;s more outlandish fashion outlets, making it a place for\u00a0both\u00a0Nagoya&#8217;s teenagers and septuagenarians to come for their shopping needs.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Address<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.co.jp\/maps\/place\/%E3%80%92460-0011+Aichi-ken,+Nagoya-shi,+Naka-ku,+%C5%8Csu,+3+Chome%E2%88%9237+%E5%85%83%E6%B0%97%E5%A0%82\/@35.1596516,136.8993865,17z\/data=!4m6!1m3!3m2!1s0x0000000000000000:0xd0717f06b035523a!2sSMASH+HEAD!3m1!1s0x600377335a5feb73:0x5ce2e2e6ee02a75d\">Banshoji-Dori, Osu 3-chome, Naka-ku, Nagoya<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Website<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/inbound.nagoya-osu.com\/en\/\">www.inbound.nagoya-osu.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Street Eats &#8211; Osu<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Takoyaki.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-28630\" src=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Takoyaki.jpg\" alt=\"Takoyaki\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a>Perhaps due to the fact\u00a0that \u00a0eating whilst walking is frowned upon (if you are walking you are not showing enough respect to what you are eating), in Japan you don&#8217;t see much street food compared to other Asian countries. Osu is very much the exception to\u00a0this rule. Every where you look there are stalls selling a variety of food stuffs, mostly along the same lines\u00a0as the summer festival <a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/japanese-festival-matsuri-food-explained\/\">&#8216;yatai&#8217; food<\/a>, all of which are perfect for mid-shopping snacking in these cold summer months. Particularly popular is Tako Saka (<a href=\"http:\/\/tabelog.com\/en\/aichi\/A2301\/A230105\/23002597\/\">\u305f\u3053\u54b2<\/a>) a\u00a0small shack selling the perfect takoyaki. Highly recommended.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Address<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.co.jp\/maps\/place\/%E3%80%92460-0011+Aichi-ken,+Nagoya-shi,+Naka-ku,+%C5%8Csu,+3+Chome%E2%88%9237+%E5%85%83%E6%B0%97%E5%A0%82\/@35.1596516,136.8993865,17z\/data=!4m6!1m3!3m2!1s0x0000000000000000:0xd0717f06b035523a!2sSMASH+HEAD!3m1!1s0x600377335a5feb73:0x5ce2e2e6ee02a75d\">Banshoji-Dori, Osu 3-chome, Naka-ku, Nagoya<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Website<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/inbound.nagoya-osu.com\/en\/\">www.inbound.nagoya-osu.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>International dining &#8211; Solo Pizza<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/solo.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-28634\" src=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/solo.jpg\" alt=\"solo\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a>If you want something to eat whilst eating, there are also plenty of international options. You will more than likely be hallooed at by the guys in the kebab shop, you can get excellent burgers in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WOODS-DINER-733287566711733\/timeline\/\">Wood&#8217;s Diner<\/a>, drink coffee and smoke shisha in cafe <a href=\"http:\/\/kemuricafe.com\/\">Kemuri<\/a> and it takes a person of strong reserve to walk past Brazilian restaurant <a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/ossu-brasil-great-rotisserie-chicken-in-osu-5-recipes-for-leftovers\/\">Ossu Brazil<\/a>\u00a0without the smell of the rotisserie chicken drawing them\u00a0in. But for true international dining excellence head to Solo Pizza. <a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/authentic-italian-pizza-nagoya\/\">As winners of\u00a0a major Pizza Championship in Naples<\/a>, it is without hyperbole, amongst the best pizza in the world.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Address<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.co.jp\/maps\/place\/%E3%82%BD%E3%83%AD%E3%83%94%E3%83%83%E3%83%84%E3%82%A1+%E3%83%8A%E3%83%9D%E3%83%AC%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%8A+%E5%A4%A7%E9%A0%88%E6%9C%AC%E5%BA%97\/@35.160865,136.9029581,17z\/data=!4m5!1m2!2m1!1ssolo+pizza+osu+nagoya!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0xa73c03d162175f1d\">3 Chome-32-8 Sakae, Naka Ward, Nagoya<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Website<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.solopizza.jp\/\">www.solopizza.jp<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Expat Bar &#8211; Smash Head<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Smash-Head.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-28622\" src=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Smash-Head.jpg\" alt=\"Smash Head\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a>There aren&#8217;t so many expat bars in Osu, but without wishing to damn it with faint praise,\u00a0Smash Head is by a long way the best that the area has to offer. At one time it was a\u00a0motorcycle mechanics-cum-cafe, but it has since\u00a0forgone the grease monkey to focus on the much tastier grease element. Smash Head serves up a wide array of great burgers, as well as doing a pretty decent pint of Guinness, making it a meeting spot for much of Nagoya&#8217;s Irish contingent on the day of the area&#8217;s Paddy&#8217;s Day Parade.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Address<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.co.jp\/maps\/place\/SMASH+HEAD\/@35.1598007,136.8975412,17z\/data=!4m7!1m4!3m3!1s0x60037732493fb93b:0x6062ddc41569f5a1!2s2+Chome-21-47+%C5%8Csu,+Naka-ku,+Nagoya-shi,+Aichi-ken+460-0011!3b1!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0xd0717f06b035523a\">2 Chome-21-90 Osu, Naka Ward, Nagoya<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Website<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/smashhead.main.jp\/\">www.smashhead.main.jp<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Events &#8211; Antique\u00a0Market (Ennichi)<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Flea-market.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-28633\" src=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Flea-market.jpg\" alt=\"Flea market\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a>While the area of Osu is always buzzing with people, this is particularly the case during one of the many events that are held there. The most regular\u00a0is the<a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/nagoya-farmer-flea-market\/\"> flea market<\/a> held rain or shine on the 18th and 28th of every month, at which you can find\u00a0in the mishmash of genuine antiques and complete junk, fine art and kitsch. Other annual events include the <a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/st-patricks-day-parade-nagoya\/\">St Patrick&#8217;s Day Parade<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldcosplaysummit.jp\/en\/\">Cosplay Summit<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/inbound.nagoya-osu.com\/en\/?page_id=355\">Osu Summer Street Performers&#8217; Festiva<\/a>l. In February it is also the location of one of <a href=\"http:\/\/japaninfoswap.com\/setsubun-in-nagoya-at-osu-temple\/\">Nagoya&#8217;s biggest Setsubun<\/a> events.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Address<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.co.jp\/maps\/place\/%E5%A4%A7%E9%A0%88%E8%A6%B3%E9%9F%B3\/@35.1598007,136.8975412,17z\/data=!4m7!1m4!3m3!1s0x60037732493fb93b:0x6062ddc41569f5a1!2s2+Chome-21-47+%C5%8Csu,+Naka-ku,+Nagoya-shi,+Aichi-ken+460-0011!3b1!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0x27fbc9bd762df7e8\">21-47 Osu 2-Chome, Naka-ku, Nagoya<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Website<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/inbound.nagoya-osu.com\/en\/?page_id=366\">www.inbound.nagoya-osu.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">Mark Guthrie<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Main image: flickr.com &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/augustusolivier\/5736210467\/\">Lucky Cat<\/a>&#8221; by <a class=\"owner-name truncate\" title=\"Go to Tiffany Key's photostream\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/augustusolivier\/\" data-track=\"attributionNameClick\" data-rapid_p=\"28\">Tiffany Key<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>) -Modified<br \/>\nImage: flickr.com &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/genxx\/2162238669\/\">R0019076<\/a>&#8221; by <a class=\"owner-name truncate\" title=\"Go to Gen's photostream\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/genxx\/\" data-track=\"attributionNameClick\" data-rapid_p=\"29\">Gen<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>) -Modified<br \/>\nImage: flickr.com &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/kinpi\/21837827494\/\">Banshoji-Dori, Osu 3-chome, Nagoya<\/a>&#8221; by <a class=\"owner-name truncate\" title=\"Go to kinpi3's photostream\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/kinpi\/\" data-track=\"attributionNameClick\" data-rapid_p=\"28\">kinpi3<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>) -Modified<br \/>\n<span class=\"mw-mmv-title\">Image: flickr.com &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/zigazou76\/8708621212\/in\/photolist-egxXFA-7EJVuR-7EJVEP-9jjyzW-5VszfP-6jgPz5-4xfWDf-6jcDyV-6jcDBa-6jcDzi-6jcDxB-6jcDyi-6jgPzS-6jcDx2-862V5t-aMp6-a4Fno-8666os-6L7kH4-pMYXp-f8W1YM-9jjyom-5w7T75-bJo1tX-pTVCg2-eQv97t-fyZSxn-6E6aPX-brREs2-6gEhYH-agmyBd-7bkmv-5pUA5N-bbbg9-8C7A7L-5fiKMg-fk7cU9-6Yd9Yf-3Pkoy-7R1oDe-qLJFhH-eMpmzT-e1cZvp-2xrPV9-6gJxDQ-cmESv5-9ELvya-ecQJ6f-f56d74-4sSxJB\">Takoyaki<\/a>&#8220;<\/span> by <a class=\"owner-name truncate\" title=\"Go to Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric BISSON's photostream\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/zigazou76\/\" data-rapid_p=\"26\" data-track=\"attributionNameClick\">Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric BISSON<\/a> <span class=\"mw-mmv-title\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/2.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA 2.0<\/a>) \u2013 Modified<br \/>\nImage: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.solopizza.jp\/access.html\">www.solopizza.jp<\/a> -Modified<br \/>\nImage: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.blaineanderin.com\/the-best-little-vespa-repair-shoprestaurant-in-nagoya\/\">www.blaineanderin.com<\/a> -Modified<br \/>\n<span class=\"mw-mmv-title\">Image: flickr.com &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/vaneea\/4162252937\/in\/photolist-3XGPaR-7kNCMF-7kSxbJ-3XGpXg-2gC9Yb\">Flea Market in the Temple Complex<\/a>&#8220;<\/span> by <a class=\"owner-name truncate\" title=\"Go to Vanny's photostream\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/vaneea\/\" data-track=\"attributionNameClick\" data-rapid_p=\"79\">Vanny<\/a> <span class=\"mw-mmv-title\">(<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/2.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA 2.0<\/a>) \u2013 Modified<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Between Nagoya&#8217;s\u00a0central transport area of Meieki (Nagoya Station) in the west, and the lively shopping and commerce hub of\u00a0\u00a0Sakae in the east lies Osu, one of the city&#8217;s more interesting\u00a0and eclectic\u00a0areas. \u00a0Centered around its covered shopping arcade, Osu\u00a0has an atmosphere similar to Tokyo&#8217;s Harajuku,\u00a0with aging hippies happily rubbing shoulders with teenage Goth Lolita cosplayers;\u00a0though without [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,94,42,63,103,104],"tags":[83,100,101,148],"class_list":["post-2394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-festivals","category-food-and-dining","category-nagoya-2","category-outdoors","category-shopping","category-temples-shrines","tag-aichi-prefecture","tag-nagoya-city","tag-nagoya-dining","tag-nagoya-festivals"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2394"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50975,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2394\/revisions\/50975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}