Osu Kannon (大須観音, Ōsu Kannon) is a popular Buddhist temple in central Nagoya. The temple was moved from the neighbouring prefecture (which is much like a province in South Africa), Gifu to its current site by Tokugawa Ieyasu (very strong man) in 1612. The original temple was repeatedly damaged by severe flooding (which prompted its relocation), and was almost completely destroyed by fire. The current buildings are 20th century reconstructions.

The main object of worship at the temple is a wooden statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, which was carved by Kobo Daishi, an instrumental figure in Japanese Buddhism. Underneath Osu Kannon's main hall is the Shinpukuji Library which contains over 15,000 classic Japanese and Chinese texts. Among these texts are several national treasures and important cultural properties, including the oldest copy of the Kojiki, a chronicle of the early history of Japan including its mythological origins.

Alongside the temple is the entrance to the Osu Shopping Arcade, a network of aging but charming covered shopping streets containing over 400 shops and restaurants. The area is compared to Tokyo's Akihabara district as there are a lot of stores that specialize in electronics, cosplay, anime, jpop or idol goods.

Many of the stalls are selling Yukata (photo in Album). Yakuta (浴衣), which literally means bathing clothes, is considered as one of the Japanese traditional kimono. It is also known as summer robe and traditionally worn by the Japanese during the warm summer months (starting in July), like when watching the hanabi (fireworks) display, bon-odori festivals, and other outdoor summer events. We believe they take almost a full day to get dressed into, correctly. Haven't worked out exactly why as yet.