A Chinatown in Japan
Japan is quite a monocultural country, in most parts there are few ethnic minorities, immigration is deliberately keep low. This then results in most Japanese people having little contact with other cultures, unless they travel. The few exceptions are the cities that were the original ports open to trade. Kobe being one of them.
The port of Kobe was opened up to foreign trade in 1868 and soon after a Chinese settlement was established. Its location was to the west of the European settlements down by the port, the area was called 'Nankin-machi'.
This is still its name although in English it's referred to as 'Chinatown', until recently I hadn't looked into the origins of the name, I just knew that's what this area in Kobe was called. Turns out the 'nankin' part refers to the city of Nankin (Nanjing) which was where the local Japanese thought most of the Chinese came from, the machi part I knew meant town, so rather than 'Chinatown' the Japanese in Kobe referred to the Chinese settlement as 'Nankin town'.
The Chinese traders set up shops and trading posts and the area reached the height of its prosperity during the 1920s. Traders sold imported goods and many of the businesses were Chinese owned. The 1930s saw a decline with some Chinese returning to China and the Sino-Japanese war. The whole area was destroyed by allied bombing in 1945 just before the end of the war.
Local business leaders in the 1980s had the foresight to work to revive Nankin-machi, the main Chinese entrance gate was constructed, and the local population began visiting to experience their small taste of China. Taste is the key word as the main reason to visit is for the food. Nankin-Machi is packed with people on a weekend. I visited on a Sunday afternoon and there were crowds milling through the streets, so I came back on a Monday morning to take some photos that actually show the restaurants and shops.
The narrower roads of Nankin-machi cross at this wider plaza, I can remember coming here to watch a lion dance during the Chinese New Years celebrations in Kobe. It's still the focal point of Chinese celebrations in the town.
The serving of the food is very Japanese festival style, food that can be eaten walking around, so basically a lot of food on sticks!
These decorative buns are a feature of the area. All very cute!
Chinese restaurants, mid-morning on a Monday so before the lunchtime crowds!
Monday picture, Sunday I couldn't get near the stalls!
The area is mainly food stalls but there are a few shops selling Chinese products.
The central plaza on the Monday morning with one of the stone lions that was carved and placed in Nankin-machi during the 1980s when the area was revived.
There are now three Chinese gates, this is the southern gate I think, there's a western gate, the main eastern gate which I have to admit I thought was the only one! I've only entered Nankin-machi from the main road that goes from Motomachi station down to Meriken park. There is no gate at the northern entrance.
Late afternoon on the Sunday with the lanterns being lit, eastern gate by main road from Motomachi station.
There are two other Chinatowns in Japan, a large one in Yokohama which was established before the Kobe one, and a small one in Nagasaki which dates back to the 16th century. Although the rest of Japan was shut off to the outside world, a small part of Nagasaki was allowed to remain open to trade with foreigners including the Chinese.
While most people come to Japan to experience Japanese culture, Kobe is an interesting city as it's been historically multicultural unlike the rest of Japan. That in itself I think makes it worth experiencing even for just a short time, Nankin-machi is small and very well loved by the locals, so be prepared for weekend crowds!
Japan is quite a monocultural country, in most parts there are few ethnic minorities, immigration is deliberately keep low. This then results in most Japanese people having little contact with other cultures, unless they travel. The few exceptions are the cities that were the original ports open to trade. Kobe being one of them.
The port of Kobe was opened up to foreign trade in 1868 and soon after a Chinese settlement was established. Its location was to the west of the European settlements down by the port, the area was called 'Nankin-machi'.
This is still its name although in English it's referred to as 'Chinatown', until recently I hadn't looked into the origins of the name, I just knew that's what this area in Kobe was called. Turns out the 'nankin' part refers to the city of Nankin (Nanjing) which was where the local Japanese thought most of the Chinese came from, the machi part I knew meant town, so rather than 'Chinatown' the Japanese in Kobe referred to the Chinese settlement as 'Nankin town'.
The Chinese traders set up shops and trading posts and the area reached the height of its prosperity during the 1920s. Traders sold imported goods and many of the businesses were Chinese owned. The 1930s saw a decline with some Chinese returning to China and the Sino-Japanese war. The whole area was destroyed by allied bombing in 1945 just before the end of the war.
Local business leaders in the 1980s had the foresight to work to revive Nankin-machi, the main Chinese entrance gate was constructed, and the local population began visiting to experience their small taste of China. Taste is the key word as the main reason to visit is for the food. Nankin-Machi is packed with people on a weekend. I visited on a Sunday afternoon and there were crowds milling through the streets, so I came back on a Monday morning to take some photos that actually show the restaurants and shops.
The narrower roads of Nankin-machi cross at this wider plaza, I can remember coming here to watch a lion dance during the Chinese New Years celebrations in Kobe. It's still the focal point of Chinese celebrations in the town.
The serving of the food is very Japanese festival style, food that can be eaten walking around, so basically a lot of food on sticks!
Chinese restaurants, mid-morning on a Monday so before the lunchtime crowds!
The area is mainly food stalls but there are a few shops selling Chinese products.
The central plaza on the Monday morning with one of the stone lions that was carved and placed in Nankin-machi during the 1980s when the area was revived.
There are now three Chinese gates, this is the southern gate I think, there's a western gate, the main eastern gate which I have to admit I thought was the only one! I've only entered Nankin-machi from the main road that goes from Motomachi station down to Meriken park. There is no gate at the northern entrance.
Late afternoon on the Sunday with the lanterns being lit, eastern gate by main road from Motomachi station.
There are two other Chinatowns in Japan, a large one in Yokohama which was established before the Kobe one, and a small one in Nagasaki which dates back to the 16th century. Although the rest of Japan was shut off to the outside world, a small part of Nagasaki was allowed to remain open to trade with foreigners including the Chinese.
While most people come to Japan to experience Japanese culture, Kobe is an interesting city as it's been historically multicultural unlike the rest of Japan. That in itself I think makes it worth experiencing even for just a short time, Nankin-machi is small and very well loved by the locals, so be prepared for weekend crowds!
Comments
Post a Comment