Osu: temples, shopping arcades, vintage clothes, and subculture
Osu mixes Osu Kannon, about 1,200 shops, vintage clothing, electronics, international food, cosplay stores, and covered shopping streets.
Osu sits south of Sakae, between Kamimaezu Station and Osu Kannon Station on the subway. Temples, shopping arcades, vintage clothing, electronics parts, international food, and cosplay shops sit together, making it Nagoya’s most walkable mixed neighborhood.
Osu shopping streets
Osu Shopping Street is a network of streets such as Niomon-dori, Banshoji-dori, Akamon-dori, and Shintenchi-dori. The area contains about 1,200 shops, many under arcades, so rain is less of a problem.
The mood is part old Akihabara, part vintage-clothing district, and part international food street. Vietnamese restaurants, Brazilian food, taiyaki, matcha sweets, game shops, and electronics stores can appear on the same block.
Osu Kannon
Osu Kannon, formally Shinpukuji Hoshoin, sits in front of Osu Kannon Station. Antique markets are held on the 18th and 28th of each month, with around 50-100 outdoor stalls selling old kimono, ceramics, and small goods.
In February, the Setsubun event brings bean throwing, while the Osu Daido-chonin Festival in October fills the streets with performance, music, magic, and street acts. Festival days are lively but crowded.
Vintage and KOMEHYO
Osu has Nagoya’s highest density of vintage-clothing stores. Around Banshoji-dori and Akamon-dori, about 30 shops sell everyday used clothes, vintage denim, and branded secondhand items. Prices range from ¥500-3,000 for casual used clothing to ¥3,000-30,000 for vintage Levi’s.
KOMEHYO started in Nagoya and is a major secondhand luxury chain. Its Osu main store has 7 floors and is useful for checking watches, bags, jewelry, and branded clothing prices in one stop.
Street food
| Food | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Taiyaki | ¥200-350 | Several shops inside the arcade |
| Karaage | ¥300-500 | Ri-san no Karaage is well known |
| Kebab | ¥800-1,200 | Turkish shops are common |
| Pho | ¥900-1,200 | Around Niomon-dori |
| Taiwan ramen | ¥800-1,000 | Misen Osu branch |
For sit-down meals, international restaurants and izakaya usually run ¥1,500-3,000 per person. Weekends are busy, but the streets usually keep moving better than Kyoto’s most crowded temple approaches.
Walking route
Start at Osu Kannon Station, visit Osu Kannon for 10 minutes, walk east along Niomon-dori, loop through Banshoji-dori, Akamon-dori, and Shintenchi-dori, then exit toward Kamimaezu Station.
The route is about 2-3 km and takes 2-3 hours with food stops. Walking north for 10 minutes brings you to Yabacho and Sakae, so Osu pairs well with Sakae in the same afternoon.