Nankinmachi Chinatown

南京町

One of Japan’s three major Chinatowns. Two streets beside Motomachi offer Chinese snacks and lantern-hung archways, and it is the place to try pork buns and Peking duck rolls.

Nankinmachi lies on the south side of Motomachi Shopping Street. It is one of Japan’s three major Chinatowns, alongside Yokohama Chinatown and Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown. After Kobe opened as a port in 1868, Chinese merchants (then called Nanking) settled on the west side of the foreign settlement, forming a small district about 200 meters east to west and 110 meters north to south. The east end is marked by Chōan Gate (built in 1985 in Chinese style), the west end by Seian Gate, and the south side by Kaiei Gate. In the central Nankinmachi Plaza stands a hexagonal pavilion called Azumaya and a set of zodiac animal stone statues.

About 100 shops in the district sell snacks in Guangdong and Shanghai styles. The most famous is the original pork bun shop Rao Xiang Ji, which has a queue every day, so buy and eat by the plaza. Other favorites include Peking duck rolls, xiaolongbao, fried chicken, coconut chicken, candied hawthorn and mango desserts. Old shops sell Chinese tea, mooncakes and sundries. For a sit-down meal, long-established Cantonese restaurants such as Minsei and Tōei are good choices.

The Spring Festival celebration (dragon and lion dances, face-changing performances and a parade of Peking opera face-painted costumes) and the Mid-Autumn Festival in autumn are the liveliest times of year. At night the streets are hung with red lanterns. Visitors from mainland China often find it fun to compare the Japanese take on Chinese cuisine with the cooking in mainland China. That difference is part of the appeal.

Getting there: JR or Hanshin Motomachi Station is about a 5-minute walk, and it is about 10 minutes on foot from Meriken Park. It can be combined with Motomachi Shopping Street and the Former Foreign Settlement, which features the modern Western buildings and boutiques around Daimaru, into one walking route. Allow about 1 hour for snacking.

Notes: Most of the food is eaten while walking, and most small shops take cash only. The area is very crowded on weekends and during the Spring Festival. Rao Xiang Ji is closed on Mondays, and holidays shift the closing day.

Nankinmachi Chinatown

Opening hours

Nearby sights

Places to eat nearby