Explore the Osu Shopping Streets in Nagoya in depth and from all angles. Find out about its past, present and future, and it’s unique culture (traditional and modern) while snacking on the most delicious street food Nagoya has to offer, including national favorites and local specialties.
9,000 yen/person
4 ~ 12 years old: 4,500 yen/person
0 ~ 3 years old: free
Private Experience
Osu Kannon (Google Map)
Fureai Plaza (Google Map)
start time flexible between 11:00 and 16:00 (2 hours)
English, German, Japanese
English: Fluent ★★★★☆
German: Native ★★★★★
Japanese: Business ★★★☆☆
This tour is your opportunity to really get to know the Osu Shopping District. And not the typical superficial visit everyone else does.
Meet your guide at the popular Osu Kannon and start by recognizing the differences between a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist temple. Something many of you has probably wondered about.
Start snacking on delicious Miso Kushi Katsu, skewered meat with a hearty red Miso sauce.
Next, you will try another Miso snack, Gohei Mochi, grilled rice on a stick covered in Miso sauce, an invention from Gifu Prefecture to the north of Nagoya. You will also try Karaage, from one of the first stops selling the popular street food in Osu.
Uiro is a local dessert, produced for more than 100 years here in Nagoya. Street food can be found on every corner of Osu, sweet and savory, from ultra-cheap to luxury items. Your guide knows the best spots for each dish.
The history of Osu is fascinating, its continued development as a main entertainment district of Nagoya started with the founding of Nagoya and continues even today. Glimpse the past by visiting old temples and burial sites.
At the end of this tour, your belly will be filled, and your mind will also be satisfied and appreciative of Osu, a district that has been through so much but has retained its popularity and charm.
*Food items might differ slightly between tours
One of the most popular Buddhist temples is the meeting place of the ‘Street Food Walking Tour of Osu’. Here you will finally understand the differences between a shrine and a temple and even learn how to correctly pray at one.
The first food stop is Gohei Mochi, a grilled rice cake with Miso sauce. Invented in the mountains of Gifu prefecture (just to the north of Nagoya).
A favorite of every Japanese person, Karaage are deep-fried pieces of chicken. They go especially well with an ice cold beer, but aren’t bad as a snack in between either.
Uiro is a traditional Japanese confectionery made from rice flour, water, and sugar. It is usually enjoyed with tea.
Miso Katsu is a favorite dish in Nagoya. A deep-fried pork cutlet drenched in red Miso sauce. On the tour you will get to try it served on a stick. Because everything on a stick is automatically a street food.
The Japanese are crazy about bubble tea, and the drink from Taiwan doesn’t seem to loose any steam. In Osu alone there are more than 50 bubble tea shops and if you have never tried this extraordinary drink, now is your chance.
At the most high-tech temple in Nagoya you will learn about your fortune. But don’t worry, if you aren’t lucky you will also learn how to get rid of your bad fortune at once.
The last stop of the tour is Fureai Plaza where you are greeted by a big beckoning cat. Here you will learn about the Maid Cafe culture before saying goodbye to your guide giving you time to explore more of Osu on your own.
I offer unique and authentic food tours in Nagoya. I have been living in Japan for more than 5 years and I have always loved trying and learning about the different kinds of Japanese food. Starting my food tour business in Nagoya gave me the chance to really dive deep into the local cuisine which is very different from other parts of Japan.
After living in Nagoya for one year and devoting my time to the local food, I now have knowledge about the Nagoyan food not even many locals have. I love sharing my knowledge with foreign visitors to Japan and I want people to fall in love with the local Nagoya cuisine as I have.
This well-organized tour is thoroughly researched and offered an enjoyable balance of local culture and information about “deep” Osu along with a fun variety of tasty food and drink. Highly recommended!
I really enjoyed my time on the food tour!
Excellent choices on the traditional stuff. I would never have thought to seek out those traditional Japanese snacks, they were super yum! Maybe it could do with another savory bite to the list but otherwise all excellent choices.
The stops at the shrines and temples were cool. It gives you some insight into how Nagoya City was established and the values of the ancient day Japanese.
The guide Lena was nice and super chilled. It was an all-round great afternoon at Osu with delicious bites and a short history lesson.
I’d definitely recommend it!
The tour was great fun, Lena was very knowledgable about the food we were enjoying and the area of Osu-Kannon.
It was good to try new things and meet lovely people in the process.
I really enjoyed all the dishes but my favorite food on the tour has got to be the Mochi sticks. I’ll be back for more!
Lena’s food tour is a great walk through Nagoya’s cool Osu neighbourhood.
I’ve been living here for a few months and visited this neighbourhood often, but Lena showed us hidden places with both sweet and salty foods, all with local charm.
You’ll also learn cultural aspects and see some neighbourhood temples and shrines.
It’s a great tour as an introduction to the area or to find new things in familiar places.
