10 Things Asian Games Spectators Should Know About Osu Dining
gotowpYou've secured your tickets for the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya. You've mapped out the venues. You've even figured out which subway line gets you there fastest. But then comes the question that stumps almost every first-time visitor to this part of the city:
"Where exactly do I eat in Osu — and how do I actually find the place once I'm there?"
Osu is one of Nagoya's most rewarding districts for food, but it's also genuinely easy to get disoriented in. The shopping streets branch off in unexpected directions. Restaurant signs are almost entirely in Japanese. And if a place is on the second floor — which many of the best ones are — you can walk right past the entrance three times without realizing it.
This guide is written specifically for Asian Games spectators and visitors who want to make the most of lunch breaks and rest days in the Osu area, without spending 40 minutes wandering in circles before giving up and grabbing something from a convenience store.
Who This Is For
- ✅ Asian Games 2026 spectators spending time in Nagoya between events
- ✅ Visitors who want to explore Osu but are nervous about navigating unfamiliar streets and Japanese-only signage
- ✅ Food enthusiasts curious about Nagoya's local dining scene beyond tourist-facing chains
- ✅ Travelers who've heard about wagyu but want to understand what makes Aichi Prefecture's offerings distinct
- ✅ Anyone who has ever walked past a restaurant three times because it was on the second floor
1. Osu Is Not One Street — It's a District
The first thing to understand about Osu is that "Osu Shopping Street" is actually a network of covered arcades and open lanes, not a single straight path. There are multiple named sections — Banshoji Shopping Street, Osu Shopping Street, Shintenchi Shopping Street — that connect and overlap. If you're following Google Maps to a specific restaurant, be aware that the app sometimes drops a pin on the wrong side of an arcade, adding a few confusing minutes to your journey. Always check the exact exit number of the subway station listed on your destination's website before you leave.
2. Always Exit from the Correct Subway Exit
Nagoya's Meijo Subway Line has four stations that serve the Osu area: Yabacho, Kamimaezu, Osu Kannon, and (with a short walk) Sakae. Each one deposits you into a different part of the district. Getting off at the wrong station and trying to navigate across means crossing several arcade sections you haven't orientated yourself in yet — which is where most visitors lose 20 minutes.
For restaurants in the northern Osu area, Yabacho Station Exit 4 is almost always the most efficient starting point. Write that down or screenshot it before you go underground.
3. Second-Floor Restaurants Are Easy to Miss — Here's How to Spot Them
A significant number of Osu's most interesting specialty restaurants operate on the second floor of narrow buildings. The street-level facade is often just a sign and a staircase — which is invisible if you're looking ahead rather than up. This is especially common along the smaller lanes that run between the main covered arcades.
The practical advice: when you're within 50 meters of your destination according to Maps, slow down and look for staircase entrances on either side of the street, not just shopfronts at eye level. Look for the building's ground-floor sign or a small A-frame board pointing upward. If you see stairs going up with a sign above them, that's usually where you're headed.
4. Know the Landmark Before You Set Off
The most reliable way to navigate Osu is to anchor your destination to a landmark you already know. Osu Kannon Temple is the most recognizable fixed point in the district — the large red-lantern gate is visible from multiple directions. The main Osu Shopping Street arcade entrance is just a short walk from the temple. Once you've located either of these, most Osu destinations become considerably easier to find.
If your target is Itadaki — Nagoya's specialty rare wagyu gyudon restaurant — you're looking for a building with a sign that reads 「元祖レア牛丼 頂」 (pronounced "Ganso Rea Gyudon Itadaki") at street level. The restaurant is on the 2nd floor. Take the stairs up from street level. It's a 4-minute walk from Yabacho Station Exit 4.
5. The 10-Minute Route from Nagoya Station, Step by Step
Many Asian Games spectators will be staying near Nagoya Station, which is the city's main transportation hub. Here's the fastest route to the Osu area:
- From Nagoya Station, take the Higashiyama Subway Line (yellow line) eastbound toward Fujigaoka.
- Ride two stops to Sakae Station.
- Transfer to the Meijo Subway Line (purple line) — follow the signs for the circular line.
- Ride one stop to Yabacho Station.
- Exit from Exit 4 and walk approximately 4 minutes toward the Osu Shopping Street area.
Total journey time: approximately 10 minutes. The transfer at Sakae is straightforward once you follow the Meijo Line signage — both lines share the same station complex, so you don't need to exit the turnstiles.
✓ Key Takeaways
- Osu is a district made up of multiple connected arcades — not one single street. Pin your exact exit before you leave.
- Always use Yabacho Station Exit 4 for the northern Osu area. It cuts your walking time significantly.
- Look up, not just forward — second-floor restaurants in Osu are easy to miss if you're only scanning at eye level.
6. Peak Lunch Hours in Osu Are Genuinely Busy
During Asian Games match days, expect the Osu and Sakae areas to be significantly busier than usual between 11:30 and 13:30. Popular restaurants fill up fast. If your itinerary includes a specific restaurant — especially one with limited daily quantities — arriving at or shortly after opening is the most reliable strategy. Some specialty restaurants limit certain signature dishes to as few as 10 portions per day, and those can disappear before noon on busy weekends.
If the dish you've come for requires an advance reservation, use that system. Don't assume a walk-in will work on a Saturday during Games week.
7. Horai Wagyu Is Not the Same as Kobe or Matsusaka — And That's the Point
Many visitors to Nagoya are already familiar with Japan's most famous wagyu brands. But Aichi Prefecture has its own extraordinary beef traditions that remain almost entirely unknown outside Japan.
Horai Wagyu is raised in the Okumikawa mountains of Aichi by just three farms, with only 300 heads produced annually. By comparison, Japan produces approximately 500,000 wagyu cattle per year — which gives you a sense of how rare this actually is. The cattle are fed on sake lees from Horaisen Sora, a local premium sake, giving the meat a flavor profile that's genuinely unlike anything in the mainstream wagyu world.
"I've had Kobe beef and Matsusaka beef, but Horai Wagyu at Itadaki was on another level."
— Guest review
At Itadaki, Horai Wagyu is served in the form of rare wagyu gyudon — Japan's iconic beef bowl, reimagined as a specialty dish using a proprietary two-stage cooking technique that heats the beef to over 70°C at the core, fully meeting Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare food safety standards while preserving the rare-style texture. It's a culinary concept that was created here, in this restaurant, and doesn't exist anywhere else in quite this form.
8. An English Menu and a Five-Step Eating Guide Are Waiting for You
One of the real anxieties of dining at a Japanese specialty restaurant — particularly one that serves an unfamiliar dish like rare wagyu gyudon — is not knowing what you're looking at on the menu, or whether you're eating the dish correctly. Itadaki addresses this directly: printed menus are available in English, Simplified Chinese, and Korean, with photos, prices, and ingredient explanations. The menu also includes a step-by-step visual guide explaining exactly how to eat the dish, from separating the egg through to adding wasabi at the final stage.
You don't need to know Japanese to enjoy the meal fully. Point-and-order works, and the staff are welcoming to international visitors.
9. Horai Wagyu Sells Out Daily — Reserve Before You Arrive
Itadaki limits Horai Wagyu to 10 bowls per day. This isn't a marketing tactic — it's a direct consequence of how rare the ingredient is. On busy days, those 10 portions are gone before 12:30.
For guaranteed availability, advance reservation via Tabelog Online is strongly recommended. When completing your reservation, copy and paste the following phrase into the notes field: 鳳来牛希望 (this means "requesting Horai Wagyu"). Tabelog's website is navigable in English.
If you'd prefer to walk in, Mikawa Beef Rare Gyudon is always available — prepared with the same two-stage cooking technique and equally worth your time, starting from ¥1,800.
10. Check the Monthly Calendar Before You Go
Itadaki operates on a specific schedule: open Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, with lunch service only (11:00–15:00, last order 14:30). On public holidays, the restaurant opens earlier at 9:00. The restaurant is closed Wednesday through Friday. During the 2026 Asian Games period, irregular closures are possible — always confirm the current monthly schedule before planning your visit.
The easiest way to stay current: check the official Instagram account, where the monthly business calendar is posted at the start of each month. It takes 30 seconds and saves a wasted trip.
Before Your Next Match: A Lunch Worth Planning For
Navigating Osu as a first-time visitor is genuinely manageable once you know the mechanics — the right subway exit, where to look for second-floor entrances, and which landmarks to use as anchors. The district rewards the visitors who slow down and pay attention to what's around them rather than sprinting between Google Maps pins.
For complete menu details, access information, and the full story behind Itadaki's rare wagyu gyudon, visit the official page at https://itadaki8.com/english/.
If you're planning to make Horai Wagyu part of your Nagoya itinerary — and with the 2026 Asian Games bringing extra visitors to the city, availability will be tighter than usual — reserving your spot in advance is the most reliable approach. We'd genuinely love to welcome you.
