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Street Food in Kobe Chinatown (Nankinmachi) | Motomachi, Kobe | Japan


Steamed panda bun filled with sweet black sesame paste. Nankinmachi, Kobe Japan.
Steamed panda bun

Kobe's Chinatown (also referred to as Nankinmachi) is centrally located in Kobe city. The street is filled with Chinese restaurants and street food stalls which are open from around lunch time until well into the night.


There are a only a few places to sit and eat your food, so you'll likely see lots of people standing and eating. I recommend trying something from the street food stalls, like this cute panda bun, freshly made dumplings, or a steamed pork bun.


Once you've had your fill of Chinese street food, I suggest walking toward to entrance of Nankinmachi for dessert from Kobe Milk, a store well-known for their soft-serve ice-creams and jiggly puddings.


If you're looking for other things to do in Kobe, I recommend walking down to Meriken Park, which is a grassy area by the ocean, and a lovely place to relax your tired legs. In terms of sightseeing Nunobiki Herb Gardens and Ropeway is popular with locals and tourists alike, and it visiting gardens gives you the chance to see Kobe from up above.


If you're starting to feel a little hungry later in the day, I suggest a coffee and a sweet bite to eat at The City Donuts and Cafe in Kobe - trust me... it's well worth the walk up the hill. Lastly, I have to recommend a great bakery called Isuzu Bakery. They have a couple of locations in Kobe, so pop the name into Google Maps and see if there's one close by.

Planning a trip to Japan? Don't forget to purchase a Japan Rail Pass to ensure discounted travel on JR trains throughout the country.


Click here to find the best JR Pass for your trip.

Pictured: Steamed panda bun filled with sweet black sesame paste, street food stall, entrance to Nankinmachi.

Click on the images to expand.


Suggested access: Motomachi station, Sannomiya station.

Address in English: 1 Chome-3-18 Sakaemachidori, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0023

Name in Japanese: 南京町中華街

Address in Japanese: 〒650-0023 兵庫県神戸市中央区栄町通1丁目3−18


Recommendations for booking accommodation, day trip tours and travel related needs. Accommodation: Agoda, Booking.com, HostelWorld Short tours, activities and day trips: Get Your Guide, Viator Reviews (restaurants, accommodation, local attractions etc.): Trip Advisor Travel Insurance: Visitors Coverage Learn the language: i-talki Access airport lounges worldwide: Priority Pass Cheap travel essentials: Daiso, Amazon


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Foreground: Steamed panda bun. Background: Chinatown (red pagoda, red lanterns). Image text reads "Chinatown (Nankinmachi) Kobe, Japan. Website address reads: LisaEatsTheWorld.com

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10 Comments


Guest
Dec 18, 2022

I want to visit now, thanks for the great read!

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Lisa
Lisa
Feb 26, 2023
Replying to

Thanks for you comment. I hope you can visit soon!

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Guest
Jul 14, 2022

That Panda is so so cute 😍 And I bet it's delicious 😂 I have always been obsessed with Japan <3 Thanks for sharing!

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Guest
Jul 14, 2022

We have visited Chinatowns in many cities as we travelled. So I will have to add the Chinatown in Kobe city to the list for future travel. Good to tell people that there are few places to sit when enjoying the great street food stalls. Thanks for the tasty bakery recommends! Linda (LD Holland)

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Lisa
Lisa
Jul 15, 2022
Replying to

Thanks for your comment, Linda!

It's interesting to see what's available at different Chinatowns around the world, isn't it? I love that the serving size isn't too big, so I'm able to try a few different things when I visit.

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Guest
Jul 14, 2022

Oh My God!!! Tha is the cutest thing I have ever seen! And I bet it's delicious. I love your blog posts, I have always been fascinated by the Japanese culture and I cannot wait to get there one day. Thanks for sharing!

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Lisa
Lisa
Jul 14, 2022
Replying to

Thank you! :)

It was delicious! I was so focused on eating it that I didn't even take a photo of the inside of the bun 😅😅

Hope you can visit Japan soon!

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Guest
Jul 14, 2022

The food looks delicious. I checked out some of your other Kobe links. Yum!!

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Lisa
Lisa
Jul 14, 2022
Replying to

Thank you! I hope you can enjoy visiting Kobe sometime :)

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