Enjoy Shopping At the Osu Arcades

Osu once flourished as Nagoya's No. 1 entertainment quarter, and is a place where you will find extensive shopping arcades. The area developed after the war as a place of electrical and second-hand clothing stores, and now the district is a proud center for nerd, idol and other sub-cultures, securing its enduring popularity. Besides anime merchandise, shoppers can also pick up all manner of other interesting items that individual storekeepers have in stock. It's a fun place to go even if you just stroll around.

Located directly east of Osu Kannon Temple, the covered arcades run parallel and perpendicular to one another, featuring over 1,200 stores selling anything from the kitsch to computers, cameras to trendy (even tacky) fashions, antiques, new and used kimono and clothing, restaurants and cafes, variety and souvenir stores, and pretty much everything in-between. Many of the shops offer Duty Free services for tourists too.

The arcades have become famous for being the pop-culture center of not just Nagoya, but the world, as Osu is one of the venues for the annual World Cosplay Summit. Various pop-culture themed anime specialty shops, sci-fi goods outlets, Maid Cafés and costume shops cater to the many Cosplayers who gather there regularly.