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Kobe’s Nankinmachi is one of Japan’s three big Chinatowns, together with Yokohama Chinatown and Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown. Located in an area measuring 270 meters east-west and 110 meters north-south that is a quick walk away from JR/Hanshin Motomachi Station, the lively streets of Nankinmachi buzz with Chinese eateries and general goods stores. The historic streetscape was built by people who came to Japan from China with the opening of the Port of Kobe in the Meiji period (1868–1912), and remains today.

Nankinmachi’s greatest appeal has to be trying the different foods! Appetizing aromas drift from the stalls along the road, and you can easily enjoy authentic Chinese gourmet dishes, including butaman steamed pork buns, xiaolongbao soup dumplings, Peking duck, and shark fin soup here. Stores you’ll especially want to visit are the long-established Roushouki, said to have sold the first butaman in Japan, and the YUNYUN, offering popular fried xiaolongbao.

Crimson gates and lanterns line the streets, and taking in this Chinatown’s exotic ambiance is a fascinating experience. The central Nankinmachi Square is a perfect place for a commemorative photograph.

This Chinatown holds plenty of events—in addition to Shunsetsusai, the celebration of the lunar new year, and the mid-Autumn festival, which celebrates the harvest moon, you can also enjoy the December Lantern Fair, with magical lamps. It's a destination that is lively throughout the year.

*Please don't eat/drink as you are walking around