Guest Story: A History Fan Discovers Modern Rare Wagyu in Osu
gotowpA few weeks ago, I received a message on Instagram that genuinely made my day. A visitor from overseas — a self-described samurai history enthusiast who had spent the morning at Nagoya Castle — wrote to tell me that he had almost given up finding us. He had been wandering the back streets of Osu for nearly 20 minutes, phone in one hand, a screenshot of our address in the other, convinced he had walked past the same temple gate twice. Then he spotted it: the sign at street level reading 「元祖レア牛丼 頂」 (Ganso Rea Gyudon Itadaki), climbed the stairs to the 2nd floor, and sat down to what he later described as the most memorable lunch of his entire Japan trip.
His story isn't unusual. We hear versions of it often — and honestly, I think about it every time I consider what kind of experience we're asking our guests to make the effort for. Osu is a wonderful, layered, sometimes wonderfully chaotic neighborhood. But for a first-time visitor, those same winding streets that give the district its character can also feel genuinely disorienting. So today, I want to walk you through exactly how to reach Itadaki — whether you're arriving from Nagoya Station, from your hotel in Sakae, or straight from a morning of sightseeing at Nagoya Castle or Osu Kannon Temple.
Who This Is For
- ✅ History enthusiasts and samurai culture fans spending a day in Nagoya before or after Nagoya Castle
- ✅ First-time visitors to Osu district who are unsure how to navigate from the station to the restaurant
- ✅ Travelers who've had mixed results with Google Maps around Osu and want clear, human directions
- ✅ Anyone wondering what makes Itadaki worth the detour — and whether the Horai Wagyu will still be available when they arrive
- ✅ Visitors already planning a stop at Osu Kannon Temple who want to combine it with a memorable lunch
Why Osu Is Worth the Navigation Challenge
Before the directions, a word on why this neighborhood deserves your time. Osu is one of Nagoya's oldest commercial districts — over 400 years of history compressed into a stretch of covered arcades and narrow lanes. Osu Kannon Temple anchors one end of the shopping street, drawing visitors who arrive for the incense and stay for the vintage record shops, cosplay boutiques, and Taiwanese food stalls that fill the surrounding blocks.
It is also, genuinely, a neighborhood where locals eat. Not because it's famous in the way that Dotonbori or Shibuya crossing are famous, but because it has always been a working, breathing part of the city. When founder Masayuki Goto chose Osu as the home for Itadaki in 2022, that character was part of the point. He wanted the Original Rare Wagyu Gyudon to live in a neighborhood that had its own identity — not in a tourist corridor, but somewhere that rewarded the guests who made the effort to seek it out.
For a samurai history fan who has already spent the morning at Nagoya Castle — birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu — the Osu district offers a natural continuation of that day. Ancient temple, living merchant tradition, and now a culinary concept that takes Japan's most humble bowl and reimagines it entirely. That combination is, in my view, one of the more satisfying ways to spend a half-day in this city.
The Clearest Route: From Nagoya Station to Itadaki
Here is the route I recommend to every guest arriving by shinkansen or staying near Nagoya Station.
Step 1: At Nagoya Station, board the Higashiyama Line (the yellow line) heading toward Fujigaoka. Ride two stops to Sakae Station.
Step 2: At Sakae, transfer to the Meijo Line (the purple line). Board in the direction of Kanayama and ride one stop to Yabacho Station.
Step 3: Exit from Exit 4. Total journey time from Nagoya Station is approximately 10 minutes.
Step 4: From Exit 4, it is a 4-minute walk to Itadaki. Head toward the covered shopping arcade. When you reach street level, look for the sign reading 「元祖レア牛丼 頂」. That is us. The entrance is at street level — take the stairs up to the 2nd floor.
One important note: Itadaki is on the 2nd floor, which means there is no shopfront at eye level in the way many restaurants have. This is the most common reason guests walk past us the first time. If you are using Google Maps, treat it as a general guide for the block, then look up for the signage rather than scanning storefronts at ground level.
If you are coming from Osu Kannon Station or Kamimaezu Station, both are also within comfortable walking distance — Osu Kannon Temple itself is a 5-minute walk from our entrance, making a temple visit and lunch combination easy to plan in either order.
For History Fans: Arriving from Nagoya Castle
If your morning starts at Nagoya Castle — which I strongly encourage, especially during cherry blossom season or autumn foliage — the most direct route to Itadaki afterward is via the Meijo Line. Nagoya Castle's nearest station is Shiyakusho Station, also on the Meijo Line. From there, it is just two stops to Yabacho. The ride takes under five minutes.
This makes Itadaki a very natural lunch stop after a castle morning. You finish your exploration of the grounds, descend into the station, and arrive at Yabacho in time for the 11:00 opening — which matters, because our Horai Wagyu is limited to 10 bowls per day. Arriving early gives you the best chance of securing one without a reservation.
If you would prefer to guarantee your Horai Wagyu in advance, reservations are available through Tabelog Online. When making your reservation, please copy and paste the following into the notes field to request the Horai Wagyu bowl: 鳳来牛希望. Reservations can be made in English on the Tabelog website.
✓ Key Takeaways
- From Nagoya Station: Higashiyama Line to Sakae → Meijo Line to Yabacho → Exit 4 → 4-minute walk. Total: approximately 10 minutes.
- From Nagoya Castle (Shiyakusho Station): Meijo Line direct to Yabacho, two stops, under five minutes.
- Itadaki is on the 2nd floor — look for the 「元祖レア牛丼 頂」 sign at street level, not a ground-floor shopfront.
What Awaits You at the Top of Those Stairs
Once you've made it up to the 2nd floor, the experience is deliberately unhurried. Eighteen seats, comfortable sofa-style seating, and a fully multilingual printed menu in English, Chinese, and Korean greet you before a word is exchanged with staff. For guests who feel anxious about ordering at authentic local restaurants in Japan, that menu is designed to remove every barrier — photographs, clear prices, and an explanation of what makes the Horai Wagyu and Mikawa Beef different from anything you've had before.
The menu also includes something that many of our international guests specifically mention after their visit: a step-by-step visual guide called How to Enjoy Rare Gyudon. As one of our guests put it:
"The five-step eating guide made the dish even more enjoyable and memorable."
Guest review
That guide matters because the Rare Wagyu Gyudon at Itadaki is not meant to be eaten the way you might approach a bowl of ramen or a plate of sushi. It unfolds in stages: separating the Nagoya Cochin egg, tasting the wagyu first in its purest form, then layering in the golden yolk, the complimentary condiments, and finally a finish of wasabi. Without the guide, you could easily rush through it and miss half of what makes the dish worth the journey.
For guests who have already tried Kobe beef or Matsusaka beef, the Horai Wagyu tends to come as a genuine surprise. Produced by only 3 farms in Japan with just 300 heads raised annually — fed on sake lees from the renowned local brewery Horaisen Sora — it is a wagyu with both marbling and lean meat flavor in the same bite. Something distinct. Worth the extra few minutes it takes to find the building.
"I've had Kobe beef and Matsusaka beef, but Horai Wagyu at Itadaki was on another level."
Guest review
Planning Your Visit: A Quick Comparison by Starting Point
To make your planning straightforward, here's how the approach differs depending on where you're coming from — and what I'd suggest in each case.
Starting from Nagoya Station (hotel or shinkansen arrival): Take the subway. Higashiyama to Sakae, transfer to Meijo, get off at Yabacho Exit 4. Roughly 10 minutes door to station. If you want to combine with Osu Kannon Temple, arrive at 11:00 for the best chance at Horai Wagyu, visit the temple after lunch while the streets are still quiet.
Starting from Nagoya Castle (Shiyakusho Station): Two stops on the Meijo Line to Yabacho. Ideal for a castle-morning-and-wagyu-lunch pairing. Arrive at 11:00 if you're hoping for Horai Wagyu without a reservation.
Starting from a hotel in Sakae: Sakae Station is within walking distance of Itadaki, or one stop on the Meijo Line to Yabacho. Either works. Walking through the Osu Shopping Street on your way is a pleasant way to arrive.
Planning ahead for Horai Wagyu: Reserve via Tabelog Online and add 鳳来牛希望 to the notes. Walk-in guests who prefer not to reserve can always enjoy the Mikawa Beef Rare Gyudon, which is always available and prepared with the same two-stage cooking technique.
Itadaki is open for lunch only — Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, 11:00–15:00 (last order 30 minutes before closing). Public holidays follow a slightly earlier start at 9:00. Please check the monthly business calendar on Instagram before your visit, as irregular closures do occasionally apply.
The Effort Is Part of the Story
When that samurai history fan finally sat down, slightly out of breath from the search but pleased with himself for finding the entrance, he told me afterward that the moment he spotted the sign had felt like a small victory. I understand that feeling. Osu rewards the guests who pay attention — to the signage, to the side streets, to the layers of old and new that coexist in the same block.
Itadaki fits into that neighborhood honestly. We're not easy to walk past and immediately find. But once you've climbed those stairs, settled into the sofa seating, and worked through the five-step guide with a bowl of Horai Wagyu in front of you, the minor navigation puzzle of getting here tends to feel like the right kind of beginning to the experience.
For our complete menu, access details, and store information, visit our official page at https://itadaki8.com/english/.
If you'd like to secure your Horai Wagyu bowl in advance — particularly if your Nagoya stay is just one or two days — we warmly invite you to make a reservation below. We look forward to welcoming you.
Reserve Your Rare Wagyu Experience
And if you'd like to check which days we're open before planning your trip, our monthly schedule is always current on Instagram:
