Exploring Osu Market in Nagoya with a Chef

2015-04-07 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

After finishing up at Nagoya Castle, which I was most excited about, we headed to Osu Market for our final sightseeing stop in Nagoya. I actually debated whether to include the market in our itinerary, but figured we could just take a quick look around since it was nearby before heading to Gero. That was purely my own wishful thinking, though. In reality, we almost missed our train because Chef Kim wanted to go into every single shop.

Map of downtown Nagoya showing the area around Osu Kannon Station and wide-area evacuation sites.

People walking on the sidewalk in front of a Circle K convenience store and bicycles parked along the street. — We took the subway to Osu Kannon Station and went out Exit 2. Once you're out, you'll see a K-Mart. If you keep walking straight and look down the alleys to your left, you'll eventually spot an area that screams, "This is the market..." (By the way, you can also reach Osu Market from Exit 3 across the street. For the record, Osu Market is huge. Seriously, really huge.)

Entrance to a clothing store with a 50 percent discount sign and clothes on display. — Even before we officially reached Osu Market, Chef Kim was stopping at every discount store to check the prices. I should have known right then.

People walking in front of a traditional Japanese temple building with red pillars and a dark roof. — We came out of Exit 2 to see both the market and Osu Kannon (the temple in the photo above), but after looking at temples and castles yesterday and today, I wasn't really feeling it. Still, it's a pretty enough temple to make you think, 'Should we go in for a bit?' It has a brighter vibe compared to other temples.

Entrance to the Osu Niomon-dori shopping street with a large red paper lantern hanging. — Dun dun dun~ Time to explore the market for real!!

Two people looking at a store display case filled with traditional Japanese sweets. — We started off at a rice cake shop to find some mochi~ We just got some free samples and left. It was tasty, but the prices were definitely steep.

Yellow cat walking down a narrow alley next to bicycles parked along the street. — It was a warm day for winter, so the market's resident cat was prowling around with sleepy eyes, looking for a place to nap.

Person entering a store with a wooden sign that says Osu Uiro Main Store. — The mochi at this place was good, but again, expensive. Plus, the staff let us sample all sorts of things, so I felt really bad when we walked out.

Back of a person looking at the front of a traditional store where various pickled side dishes are displayed on wooden barrels. — Our next stop was a grocery store selling ingredients.

We listened intently to the explanations at the mochi shop, but the prices were too high, so we moved on to the grocery store. She marveled at all the fascinating ingredients, touching and examining each one, and correctly guessed what everything was made of... As if to announce to Japan that she didn't make a living cooking for nothing, she amazingly figured it all out without even tasting anything.

Vacuum-packed red and yellow pickled vegetables displayed in bamboo baskets.

Packages of long pickled radishes and round pickled vegetables piled high in baskets with price tags.

Transparent plastic containers filled with pickled plums and pickled ginger placed on a glass display case.

The owner politely folded his hands and explained everything one by one, answering all our questions. I was worried about what we'd do if we didn't buy anything here either, but that was another misconception on my part. After satisfying all her curiosity, she bought things like a storm. I mean, if we're out of side dishes in Korea, we should buy them in Korea. Why is she stocking up in Japan...

Screen of a blue-bordered Casio calculator showing the number 1728.

As a result, we spent 1728 JPY just on ingredients.

But that wasn't the end of it!!

Close-up of a graffiti wall with a human face and writing.

She went straight into a grocery store building for some serious shopping!!

Two people holding a smartphone and looking at packaged goods together in front of a store display.

On top of that, she started talking directly to the staff using Google Translate, which she had been practicing non-stop back in Korea. Google really is the best. I didn't expect it to be so immediately useful in real life... let alone that my mom would be the one using it. As a developer, it made me realize the true power of technology all over again.

Portrait graffiti painted on an old wall. — The haul bought with the help of Google Translate.

After that epic grocery shopping spree, we were so hungry that we grabbed a quick bite. There were plenty of options for a light snack, but we decided to get takoyaki, which both my mom and I love.

Back of a person walking past a takoyaki (octopus balls) shop with a red sign. — Takoyaki for a snack.

Employee holding a sauce bottle in front of an iron griddle cooking takoyaki (octopus balls) behind a glass window. — I have no idea what the guy grilling the takoyaki was so happy about, but he kept grinning the whole time. Maybe he got a girlfriend...

Six takoyaki (octopus balls) topped with katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and mayonnaise in a paper bowl. — There were small chairs right in front of the shop so we could eat right away. Strangely enough, street food always tastes better the more uncomfortable your posture is while eating it. Maybe that's why, but I really enjoyed this takoyaki.

Backs of people waiting in line in front of a Gin no An store. — This is the taiyaki (fish-shaped pastry) shop next to the takoyaki place, and the line was massive. You could tell at a glance that this was the most popular spot in the neighborhood. Honestly, I wanted to try it, but we were too short on time, so we sadly had to retreat. If anyone has been here, please let me know how it tastes.

Unlike when we first entered, the more we walked through Osu Market, the more it felt like a mix of Myeongdong and Namdaemun Market (in Seoul). It started off with a Namdaemun Market vibe and gradually shifted into Myeongdong, with familiar brand names starting to appear the further we went. It's the kind of place where housewives could lose their minds and just shop endlessly. I had no idea this place was so dangerous.

People walking through an arcade shopping street with an ABC-Mart shoe store. — I didn't know ABC Mart existed in Japan too. (I had no idea it was a Japanese brand.) For a brief moment, I actually thought I was in Korea.

Entrance to a mobile phone accessory store with a sign that says Smart & Collection.

Transparent Xperia smartphone cases hanging on a store display rack. — For our final purchase, we bought a phone case for Chef Kim's phone (Sony Z3C). Even in Japan, Xperia cases are pretty rare. It's all iPhone and Galaxy. And she ended up throwing away the case we did buy because it was uncomfortable...

My plan was to browse the market for about 30 minutes, but we ended up looking around for over an hour. We still had plenty of time before our train to Gero, but we hadn't eaten a proper meal yet. This was the biggest crisis of the trip. We were about to be late for a train time we couldn't change. If I were alone, I could at least run. Ugh, we shouldn't have come to the market. (Ironically, Chef Kim said the market was her second favorite part of Nagoya. Her first was eating hitsumabushi at Horaiken.)

Osu Market is so big that it doesn't fully show up on the map. Just find your way to Osu Kannon.

#ConqueredTheMarket #GoogleTranslateIsTheTruth #WhyLearnLanguages #WhenYouHaveGoogle #ByTheWayTheMarketIsHuge #WeDidntEvenSeeTheWholeMarket