Nankinmachi in Kobe is one of only three designated ‘Chinatowns’ in Japan and one of Kobe’s busiest neighborhoods.
This post may contain affiliate links to tours and hotels. These help us earn a small commission at no additional charge to you.
Kobe’s Chinatown is referred to as Nankinmachi (南京町), full of tasty food stalls and easily of the most fun things to do in Kobe.
Established in 1868, the Nankinmachi area grew with Chinese settlers moving here and quickly became a hub of trade activity associated with the nearby Kobe port.
Visiting Kobe Chinatown is a real culinary treat and popular food items you must try include koshou mochi (Taiwanese black pepper buns), Peking duck wraps, xiao long bao (soup dumplings) and milk tea.
From the best Chinatown dumplings to Kanteibyō (Kuan Ti Miao Temple), here is our guide to Nankinmachi Kobe Chinatown in Japan with photos.
You might like – 25 things to do in Kobe, Japan >
Japan checklist
We love using booking.com and agoda.com (use the Agoda code TAIWANDERERS for a discount) for researching and booking all our hotels. You can also purchase eSIMs from Airalo.
For booking tours, transfers and SIM cards we recommend Get Your Guide, Viator or Klook.
For booking rental cars visit Discover Cars.
Check out our Japan travel resources page >
How to get to Nankinmachi / Kobe Chinatown
The nearest station is Kobe Motomachi JR station – it is around a 3 minute walk from Motomachi station to Nankinmachi. Alternatively, it is a 10 minute walk from Sannomiya station.
Plan My Japan tip – Buy a Kobe Travel Smart passport which gives you discounted admission to over 45 Kobe attractions and things to do >
Join our Facebook Japan Travel Tips Group!
Need help with your Japan itinerary or have any questions?
Head on over to our friendly Facebook group with 130,000+ members and ask the experts!
Click here to join our group >
We also run a brand new Japan Hauls, Souvenirs and Shopping Tips group >
Or if you just want to see more of our Japan photos and videos, follow our Plan My Japan Facebook page >
History of Nankinmachi
With a population of around 10,000 local residents plus thousands of visitors from Japan and all over the world every day, Kobe’s Chinatown Nankinmachi is a popular spot for good food and traditional temples.
Nankin-machi originated in 1868, when Kobe’s port was first opened to foreign settlers who worked in the shipping trade, including Chinese immigrants.
Whilst many Western settlers took residence in the historic Kitano-chō neighborhood high in the hills, many Chinese migrants settled in the western part of Kobe’s foreign district.
Nankinmachi (南京町) gets its name due to the large number of Chinese settlers who came to Kobe from Nanjing in China (Nankinmachi means ‘Nanjing Town’).
Tragedy struck during WWII when the area was devastated by bombs and the area was rebuilt – it was partially destroyed again by the Great Hanshin Earthquake in the mid 1990s.
You might like – Our guide to Japanese convenience stores including 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson and konbini egg sandwiches
Chinatowns in Japan
Nankinmachi is one of three official Chinatowns in Japan – the other two are in Nagasaki and Yokohama, all created by settlement of Chinese immigrant in Japanese port cities.
The largest Chinatown in Japan is Yokohama Chinatown which you can read more about here >
You might like – 25 things to do in Dotonbori, Osaka >
You might like these Japan chain restaurants guides
A Happy Pancake >
CoCo Ichibanya >
Denny’s >
Kura Sushi >
Matsunoya Tonkatsu >
Mister Donut >
Saizeriya >
Arriving in Nankinmachi / Kobe Chinatown
We were lucky enough to be in Kobe’s Chinatown during a warm spring in Japan so every day, the streets were packed with souvenir hunters and hungry diners.
To get your bearings, head to Nankinmachi Square, which is one of the most popular areas of Kobe Chinatown – the pagoda here is a popular meeting spot plus where many tourists and locals eat their takeaway Chinese food and snacks.
This is also where you’ll find the Roshoki store – our favorite steamed buns place in Nankinmachi (more on this later).
You’ll also notice that each of the main street entrances to Kobe Chinatown / Nankinmachi are marked with highly decorated gates such as Seianmon Gate 西安門, which light up at night.
Try this – Kobe tours with Get Your Guide or Viator
Nankinmachi restaurants and street food
A marvelous mix of sit-down restaurants, takeaway stalls and hole in the wall joints, you will never go hungry in Kobe Chinatown and they have some epic all you can eat experiences (‘Tabehoudai’ in Japanese).
From excellent xiao long bao to Peking style duck, there is something to suit all tastes (and budgets) in Nankinmachi.
That said, for the more popular places like Roshoki, you may need to queue at peak times.
Some of the best street foods to try in Nankinmachi Chinatown include:
Chinese steamed pork buns from Roshoki
Dare we say these might be the best Chinese steamed pork buns we tried in Kobe, possibly even Japan? So juicy and moist plus full of flavor, each pork bun costs 100 Yen.
We went several times during our stay in Kobe and every time there was a huge queue – it starts from in front of the restaurant and then snakes across Nankinmachi Square.
They even have a cardboard clock face which tells you how long to expect to queue before getting your delicious buns.
Roshoki buns are takeaway only and everyone just seems to eat them beneath or around the pagoda in the square.
Kobe Beef
Given it is one of Kobe’s most famous dishes, it is no surprise there are lots of stalls and street food kiosks selling Kobe beef (often blowtorched to perfection). Prices vary greatly though so do your research.
Try this – Our favorite attraction in Kobe: the Nunobiki Herb Gardens ticket & ropeway >
Dim Sum
There are numerous dim sum restaurants and takeout places across Nankinmachi like Saien Dim Sum Club and Tianshi Hall.
Gua bao pork belly buns
A traditional Taiwanese dish, be sure to try the pork belly buns (Gua Bao) – there are several stalls in Chinatown but we usually just went where the biggest queue of locals was.
Mapo tofu
A spicy, Sichuan style snack that’s made with minced meat, tofu and a sauce of fermented bean paste, chili oil, and Sichuan peppercorn – it costs around 350 Yen per serving.
You might like – Our guide to Kura Sushi, Japan’s fun conveyor belt sushi restaurant >
Pan fried xiao long bao soup dumplings (yaki shoronpo)
We ate our body weight in delicious pan fried soup dumplings whilst in Nankinmachi. One of the most popular places was Yun Yun.
The meaty broth inside is so flavourful but just remember to let them cool down first or create an air hole otherwise you might get a face or mouth full of red hot broth – and believe us, it is hot at the start!
Many of the xiao long bao restaurants have a glass window into the kitchen where you can see them roll out the dough and fill the dumplings
Steamed panda buns / animal buns
Ok, so it may not be the tastiest street-food in Chinatown Kobe, but one of the most popular snacks and foods we saw were animal and panda buns (and no, there is no actual panda inside, just chocolate).
P.S. If you love pandas, keep an eye out for the cutest ever Panda-themed Coca-Cola vending machine at the eastern end of Chinatown by Choanmon Gate and the Nankinmachi Buddha statue.
You might like – 34 Kawaii things to do in Tokyo, Japan >
Peking duck pancakes
Available in many restaurants plus several takeaway places, served in wraps with hoisin sauce. Ducking tasty but they can be quite messy.
Fried sesame / taro balls (age goma dango)
Good things come in small packages including this sublime sesame ball (tasty but quite greasy / fatty).
You’ll find fried sesame balls all over Kobe Chinatown and it is one of the cheapest Chinese street foods to eat.
You might like – Our guide to Don Quijote discount stores or 20+ best products in Daiso Japan
Other things to do in / near Nankinmachi & Kobe Chinatown
Kanteibyō (Kuan Ti Miao Temple)
Also check out the Kanteibyō (Kuan Ti Miao Temple), built in the 1880s and dedicated to Guan Yu, a revered Chinese warrior. It has a grand entrance gate plus a gold leaf exterior and red lanterns adorning the ceiling.
Initially the temple started life as a small shrine built in 1862, with a wooden idol of Guan Yu as the centerpiece.
Sadly the temple was destroyed firstly by the 1932 Great Kanto Earthquake and then subsequently in the WWII bombings in 1945. The third Kuan Ti Miao Temple burned down in 1986 so the current temple is the fourth incarnation.
Kanteibyō (Kuan Ti Miao Temple) is open daily from 9am to 7pm and offers free admission.
You might like these Tokyo neighbourhood guides:
Akihabara
Asakusa
Ginza
Harajuku
Ikebukuro
Nakano
Odaiba
Ryogoku
Shibuya
Shimokitazawa
Shinjuku
Also check out our
Where to stay in Tokyo guide
Sorakuen Garden & Hassam House
A traditional Japanese garden located just over 10 minutes walk from Chinatown, Sorakuen Garden was given to the public in 1941 after a period as the residence of Kobe magnates, the Koderas.
Sorakuen Garden is a sublime and peaceful place to visit, with several traditional style Japanese gardens, ponds, and bridges interspersed with western style buildings including the Hassam House, which was relocated here from nearby Kitano-cho.
Sorakuen Garden is 300 Yen admission as of summer 2024 and is open from 9am to 5pm (closed every Thursday).
You might like – Japan’s top 22 chain shops or our guide to the best Japanese 100 Yen shops
Love cute and ‘kawaii’ stores in Japan?
Check out our shopping guides!
• Tokyo Character Street stores
• Studio Ghibli stores
• Don Quijote stores
• Doraemon Future Department store
• B-Side Label stores
• Mandarake stores
• Best Gachapon Capsule toys
• Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo
Plus our guide to the best kawaii things to do in Tokyo >
Ikuta Jinja
One of the oldest shrines in Japan and a 10 minute walk from Nankinmachi, Ikuta Jinja dates back to the third century and is one of the most wonderful places of worship in Kobe.
Located with the Ikuta Jinja grounds, there are lots of small stalls selling random fortunes and religious offerings, plus is often referred to as the match-making shrine of Kobe.
This is because the deity of Ikuta Shrine, Wakahirume-no-Mikoto, is known as the “Goddess of weaving”, and is said to weave threads together to create good relationships – you might also catch a Shinto wedding ceremony taking place here.
Ikuta Shrine is free admission and open from 7am to 6.30pm daily.
Found this Chinatown in Kobe article helpful?
Did you enjoy our Kobe chinatown blog post? Let us know in the comments or by sharing it on social media.
You can follow us on:
Instagram
Tik Tok
Facebook
Pinterest
YouTube