Near Nagoya Tokyu Hotel: Premium Lunch After Watching the Asian Games

Here's a number that surprises most first-time visitors to Nagoya: of the roughly 500,000 wagyu cattle raised across Japan each year, only 300 heads qualify as Horai Wagyu — the ultra-rare breed produced exclusively in Okumikawa, Aichi Prefecture. That's 0.06% of Japan's entire wagyu population. And yet, most visitors to Nagoya have never heard of it, let alone tasted it.

During the Asian Games 2026, thousands of spectators, athletes' families, and curious travelers are filling Nagoya's hotels right now. If you're staying near Nagoya Tokyu Hotel — or anywhere in the city center — you may be wondering: where do I go for a lunch that actually feels like Nagoya? Not a hotel buffet. Not a chain restaurant. Something that tells you a story about this city and its land.

The short answer is Itadaki, the originator of Rare Wagyu Gyudon, located in the Osu district. But there's a real question that stops many visitors before they ever arrive: the Osu district looks like a maze on the map. How do I actually get there without getting lost?

This article is specifically about that journey — before and after — so you arrive confident, not confused.

Who This Is For

• ✅ Visitors staying at Nagoya Tokyu Hotel or nearby Sakae-area hotels during the Asian Games 2026
• ✅ Anyone who has tried to navigate Osu district on Google Maps and felt overwhelmed by the small streets
• ✅ Travelers who want a memorable Nagoya lunch but aren't sure how to find a restaurant that isn't on the tourist circuit
• ✅ Asian Games spectators looking for a purposeful lunch plan between events — not just a random restaurant
• ✅ First-time visitors to Nagoya who want clear, step-by-step directions they can follow without knowing Japanese

Before: "Osu Looked Impossible to Navigate"

Let's be honest about something. Osu is one of the most vibrant districts in all of Central Japan — over 1,200 shops, 400 years of history, Osu Kannon Temple, a subculture scene unlike anywhere else in the country. But from above, on Google Maps, it looks like someone dropped a plate of spaghetti and called it a street plan.

For many visitors staying in Nagoya's Sakae or Fushimi areas during the Asian Games, Osu is genuinely on the radar — it's only 10 to 15 minutes away. But the combination of narrow covered shopping arcades, Japanese-language signage, and the fact that Itadaki itself is located on the 2nd floor (easy to walk right past at street level) means that a meaningful number of guests arrive at the general area… and then give up. They walk the wrong arcade, circle back, check Maps again, and eventually settle for something they can see immediately from the sidewalk.

We understand this completely. Founder Masayuki Goto has watched guests come through the door slightly flustered — relieved but a little disoriented. That moment of relief, when they finally climb the stairs and see the warm interior, is something the team at Itadaki takes seriously. The goal is to make that moment happen for every visitor, not just the persistent ones.

After: A 10-Minute Journey That Changes Your Lunch Entirely

Here is the route, broken into steps you can follow without a single word of Japanese.

From Nagoya Tokyu Hotel / Sakae area:
You are already incredibly close. Nagoya Tokyu Hotel sits in the heart of Sakae, which is served by both the Higashiyama Line and the Meijo Line. Take the Meijo Line (the circular subway line — easy to identify on the map) just one stop south to Yabacho Station. From Exit 4, Itadaki is a 4-minute walk.

From Nagoya Station:
Take the Higashiyama Line east to Sakae Station (approximately 5 minutes), then transfer to the Meijo Line and ride one stop to Yabacho. Total journey: approximately 10 minutes.

On foot from Yabacho Exit 4:
Walk in the direction of Osu Kannon Temple — you'll pass the entrance to the main Osu Shopping Street arcade. Before you enter the covered shopping street, look for a signboard at street level that reads 「元祖レア牛丼 頂」 (pronounced: Ganso Rea Gyudon Itadaki). That's your landmark. Take the staircase up to the 2nd floor, and you've arrived.

A direct Google Maps link is available on Itadaki's official English page, which removes the guesswork entirely. We strongly recommend opening it before you leave your hotel.

✓ Key Takeaways

• From Nagoya Tokyu Hotel or the Sakae area, Itadaki is just one subway stop away — Yabacho Station (Meijo Line), Exit 4, 4-minute walk.
• The street-level sign reads 「元祖レア牛丼 頂」 — look for it before entering the Osu Shopping Street arcade, then take the stairs up to the 2nd floor.
• A Google Maps direct link is available on Itadaki's official English page — save it to your phone before you head out.

What Waits at the Top of Those Stairs

Once you're seated at Itadaki, the disorientation of Osu's streets dissolves quickly. The restaurant has 18 seats in total — counter seats ideal for solo visitors, and comfortable sofa-style tables for pairs, families, and small groups. The atmosphere is calm and unhurried, a deliberate contrast to the shopping street energy below.

Itadaki's signature dish is the Rare Wagyu Gyudon, prepared using a proprietary two-stage cooking technique that brings the beef to over 70°C at its core — fully meeting Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare food safety standards — while delivering a tender, rare-style texture that conventional gyudon simply cannot offer. The Horai Wagyu version is limited to just 10 bowls per day, sourced directly from farms in Okumikawa, Aichi Prefecture.

Every single ingredient on the table comes from Aichi Prefecture: the rice, the miso soup, the pickles, the shiso leaves, the Nagoya Cochin egg. Goto's vision — born during the pandemic, when he saw small Aichi farmers struggling with unsold produce — was to build a restaurant around a genuinely local supply chain. That vision is what you taste in every bowl.

The menu is available in English, Simplified Chinese, and Korean, and the team's five-step guide walks you through the experience at your own pace. You don't need to know Japanese to understand what you're eating or how to enjoy it.

"The lunch was the highlight of my Nagoya trip — I'm telling all my friends about it."

— A visitor to Itadaki during their Nagoya stay

That kind of reaction isn't accidental. It reflects what happens when a 10-minute journey leads somewhere genuinely worth finding.

Practical Notes for Asian Games Visitors

If you're attending events at venues around Nagoya during the Asian Games 2026, a few things are worth knowing as you plan your lunch.

Itadaki is open Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, from 11:00 to 15:00 (last order at 14:30). On public holidays, opening is at 09:00. September 15, 2026 is a Tuesday — a regular business day. That said, irregular closures do sometimes apply, and the monthly schedule is confirmed each month on Itadaki's official Instagram.

For the Horai Wagyu version of the gyudon — limited to 10 bowls daily — reservation via Tabelog is strongly recommended, especially during peak event periods when foot traffic in Nagoya increases significantly. The Mikawa Beef version is always available and equally prepared with the same two-stage cooking method and the same all-Aichi ingredients.

If you'd like to explore more about how Itadaki fits into a broader Nagoya lunch plan during the Games, this complete guide to Nagoya lunch during Asian Games 2026 covers a wider range of options and logistics. And if you're weighing venue-area eating against city-center lunch spots, this comparison of venue lunch vs city center Nagoya during Asian Games 2026 lays out the practical trade-offs clearly.

From Lost to Seated: The Before-and-After in Summary

Before: Osu district on a map — winding arcades, Japanese signage, a 2nd-floor restaurant that's easy to miss, and the quiet worry that you'll spend your lunch hour walking in circles.

After: One subway stop from Sakae, a 4-minute walk from Exit 4, a street-level sign that confirms you're in the right place, and a staircase that leads you to one of the most distinctive lunches available in Nagoya during the Asian Games.

The navigation question has a clear answer. The harder part — deciding to make the trip — is entirely yours. But if you're the kind of traveler who values a meal with a story behind it, a restaurant that exists because a founder believed Aichi's farmers and ingredients deserved a stage, then the 10 minutes from your hotel is well spent.

For our complete menu, access details, and store information, visit our official page at https://itadaki8.com/english/