Step-by-Step: Nagoya Castle Morning, Osu Kannon Afternoon, Itadaki Lunch
gotowpA guest recently sent me a message that really stayed with me. They'd been planning their Nagoya day for weeks — Nagoya Castle in the morning, a stroll through Osu Kannon and the shopping street in the afternoon — and they wanted to fit lunch at Itadaki somewhere in between. But when they looked at a map of the Osu district, their confidence quietly evaporated. "The streets all look the same," they wrote. "I'm worried I'll get lost and miss the restaurant entirely."
I hear this more often than you might expect. Osu is one of Nagoya's most beloved neighborhoods — layered, lively, and full of unexpected turns. That's exactly what makes it wonderful. But for a first-time visitor on a tight itinerary, those same winding passages can feel less like an adventure and more like a navigational puzzle. So I decided to write this guide: a step-by-step walkthrough of how to build a full Nagoya day, with Itadaki lunch sitting right at its natural center.
Who This Is For
- ✅ First-time visitors to Nagoya who want to combine sightseeing and lunch into one efficient day
- ✅ Travelers who have heard about Itadaki but aren't sure how to navigate the Osu district
- ✅ Anyone planning to visit Nagoya Castle and Osu Kannon on the same day
- ✅ Repeat Japan visitors looking to add a hidden gem lunch to their itinerary
- ✅ Guests staying in Nagoya before or after a trip to Shirakawa-go or Takayama
Morning: Nagoya Castle and the Birthplace of Japan's Three Great Warlords
Start your day at Nagoya Castle — and start early. The castle opens at 9:00 AM, and the grounds are at their best before the tour groups arrive. Nagoya is, after all, the birthplace of Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu — the three warlords who unified Japan — and there's a particular stillness to the grounds in the early morning that lets you feel that history rather than just photograph it.
Plan for roughly two hours at the castle. The main keep, the Hommaru Palace with its restored interiors, and a walk along the stone walls will take you comfortably to around 11:00 AM. That's when Itadaki opens — and the timing couldn't be more natural.
From Nagoya Castle, take the Meijo Subway Line directly to Yabacho Station. It's a short ride of just a few stops, keeping you well within the heart of the city and setting you up perfectly for the next part of your day.
Getting to Itadaki: The Exact Route from Yabacho Station
This is the section that guest message was really asking about — and I want to give you the clearest possible answer.
If you're coming from Nagoya Station, the route is straightforward: take the Higashiyama Line to Sakae Station, transfer to the Meijo Line, and ride two stops to Yabacho Station. Total travel time is approximately 10 minutes. From Nagoya Castle, you're already on the Meijo Line, so it's even simpler.
At Yabacho Station, use Exit 4. This is important — other exits deposit you in different parts of the neighborhood, and the streets around Osu can look deceptively similar. Exit 4 puts you on the correct side and within a 4-minute walk of Itadaki.
Once you're street level, here's what to look for: walk toward the main Osu Shopping Street entrance and keep your eyes up. Itadaki is on the 2nd floor, which is the single most common reason guests walk past without noticing. At street level, look for the Japanese sign that reads 「元祖レア牛丼 頂」 (pronounced: Ganso Rea Gyudon Itadaki — meaning "The Original Rare Wagyu Gyudon Itadaki"). The staircase entrance is right there. Take the stairs up, and you've arrived.
A few practical notes: Osu Kannon Temple is nearby and makes an excellent landmark. If you've already visited the temple or can see it from where you're standing, you're in the right area. Google Maps works reasonably well for the final stretch, but if it places you near the station exit and you're looking at a wall of shopfronts, don't second-guess yourself — just walk toward the shopping street entrance and look for the sign above ground level.
Also within walking distance if you're approaching from different directions: Sakae Station, Kamimaezu Station, and Osu Kannon Station. But for a day that starts at Nagoya Castle, Yabacho Exit 4 is your cleanest route.
✓ Key Takeaways
- From Nagoya Station: Higashiyama Line to Sakae → transfer to Meijo Line → Yabacho Station Exit 4. Approximately 10 minutes total.
- Itadaki is on the 2nd floor — look for the sign 「元祖レア牛丼 頂」 at street level and take the stairs up.
- Arriving right at 11:00 AM opening gives you the best chance of securing a bowl of Horai Wagyu without a reservation.
Lunch at Itadaki: What to Expect When You Walk Through the Door
After the morning's sightseeing, there's something genuinely restorative about settling into one of Itadaki's sofa seats and being handed a menu you can actually read. The printed menu is available in English, Simplified Chinese, and Korean, with photographs, prices, and a five-step visual guide titled "How to Enjoy Rare Gyudon" that walks you through the dish from first bite to last.
The dish itself — our signature Rare Wagyu Gyudon — is built on an entirely different premise from anything most visitors have encountered before. Every single ingredient comes from Aichi Prefecture: the beef, the rice (Aichi no Kaori), the miso soup base (Hatcho miso from Okazaki), the pickles, the shiso leaves, and the Nagoya Cochin egg that sits atop the bowl. The Horai Wagyu, our most rare offering, comes from just three farms in Aichi's Okumikawa region, with only 300 heads raised annually across all of Japan.
The "rare" texture is achieved through a proprietary two-stage cooking technique developed here at Itadaki — one that heats the beef to over 70°C at the core, fully meeting Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare food safety standards. There is no need to hesitate about eating it. The texture is extraordinary; the safety is uncompromised.
"The rare wagyu was unlike anything I've ever tasted — a life-changing culinary experience."
— Guest review
If you're hoping for Horai Wagyu specifically, a reservation through Tabelog Online is strongly recommended — it's limited to 10 bowls per day, and peak lunch hours move quickly. When making your reservation, paste the following Japanese phrase into the notes field to request it: 鳳来牛希望. Walk-in guests will always find our Mikawa Beef Rare Gyudon available, prepared with the same two-stage technique and equally worthy of the journey.
Afternoon: Osu Kannon Temple and the Shopping Street
After lunch, you're already in the heart of the action. Osu Kannon Temple is a short walk from Itadaki, and it's one of Central Japan's most important Buddhist sites — the kind of place where a quiet moment in the main hall feels completely different from the busy shopping street just outside its gates.
The Osu Shopping Street itself stretches in several directions from the temple, with over 1,200 shops across a network of covered arcades. It's easy to lose an hour or two here, moving between 400-year-old temple grounds and shelves of vintage electronics, anime goods, and Nagoya specialty foods. The neighborhood has a rhythm all its own — and once you've navigated it successfully for lunch, the afternoon stroll feels entirely manageable.
If you'd like a quieter end to your afternoon, Hisaya-odori Garden Flarie is a 3-minute walk from Yabacho Station — free admission, six themed garden spaces including a Crystal Garden greenhouse, and a genuinely peaceful contrast to the energy of the shopping street. It's featured in several major English travel guides and is one of those spots that visitors discover by chance and end up recommending to everyone.
Making the Most of Your Nagoya Day
The most common version of this day — Nagoya Castle in the morning, Osu Kannon and the shopping street in the afternoon, with Itadaki in between — works so naturally because the geography of the city supports it. The Meijo Subway Line connects the castle district to Yabacho in minutes, and Itadaki opens precisely when most travelers are ready for lunch after a morning of sightseeing.
Before you go, a few things worth confirming: Itadaki is open for lunch only (11:00–15:00, last order 14:30), on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and public holidays. We're closed Wednesday through Friday. Irregular closures do happen, so checking our monthly calendar before your visit will save any disappointment. Our opening hours on public holidays are 9:00–15:00.
For guests traveling to Shirakawa-go or Takayama the following day, this Nagoya itinerary pairs especially well. Several guests have told us that lunch at Itadaki was the perfect send-off before a morning departure to the mountains — a full, satisfying meal that felt like a proper farewell to the city.
For our complete menu, access details, and store information, visit our official page at https://itadaki8.com/english/.
We'd love to be part of your Nagoya day. If you're planning to visit and want to secure a seat — especially for Horai Wagyu — reservations can be made directly through Tabelog Online. We look forward to welcoming you to the 2nd floor.
