Founded in 1868 next to the port: it is one of only three official Chinatowns in Japan.
When the port of Kobe opened to foreign trade in 1868, Chinese merchants, unlike Westerners, were not allowed to live in the foreign settlement proper: they settled in the neighbourhood next to it, which became Nankinmachi. The neighbourhood was razed to the ground by the bombing of 1945 and rebuilt from scratch in the ’70s on the initiative of local merchants. Today, on a rectangle of about 270 by 110 metres, it is one of only three officially recognised Chinatowns in Japan, together with Yokohama and Nagasaki, with more street-food stalls (steamed baozi, spring rolls) than proper tables.
Chinese quarter in central Kobe, south of Motomachi Station, between Motomachi Street and Sakae Street.
ℹ️ The square and streets are always open and free. Shops keep their own hours, roughly 10:00–19:00; the neighbourhood is liveliest at lunchtime and at weekends.
🚉 Motomachi · 3 min walk
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