Chinatown

People tend to think of different things when they hear the word “Kobe”. Some will instantly refer to Kobe as the famous basketball player Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers. Others, especially foodies, will connect the name to Kobe Beef. For me, Kobe is home, and it’s also home to a very interesting Chinatown.

The Chinatown of Kobe can easily be found and accessed, as it’s just opposite Motomachi JR train station, one stop after Sannomiya. There are a few things to see and of course, taste here. I would recommend that you take your time to first walk around before deciding to settle for something to eat. As you enter from the main entrance, you definitely have a capture a moment with the massive red gate to show that you’ve been to Kobe’s Chinatown! It’s quite a famous spot for photos actually.

Walk a little bit further and you can take pictures of there vending machines on your left. But why would I even want to take pictures of a vending machine you may ask. Because there’s something posing on it! I find that this is pretty cool and goes perfectly well with the theme of Chinatown. Your phone slash camera is probably still in hand from the picture you just took of the gate anyway, so take a few snaps here like I did.

Okay moving on to the main events. This section just right after the entrance will bring you to some shops selling dried and canned ingredients. There is a shop just on the left where my mom likes to get her Asian groceries from. They have products from Thailand, Indonesia and many other ingredients used in other Asian nations. You can also get frozen foods here if they still have it. Other than this very shop, other places will sell more Chinese focused items, like teas, herbs and spices. In front of every shop, there’s a small display that sells snacks. They’re either dumplings or deep-fried stuff, or duck pancakes. I’ve tried them and I would advise you not to. Take my experience as a warning. They’re not fresh at all, and only they know how long the food sat out in the cold/heat.

Walk for about three minutes and you’ll be in the middle of Chinatown. Yes, that’s how small it is! You’ll be able to tell by how the space just opens up and they are places you could take a seat and enjoy your food. If you turn right, and then look to your left, you’ll see a small store that people line up for. This place makes one of the best gyozas I’ve ever had in my life. You could either them and squeeze in for a seat or take away your order. We like to sit in the place, and enjoy the busy workers pumping out orders. They also have tea there, which is perfect for winter.

In saying this, you’re more than welcome to try the Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. I would rather enjoy the street foods and small dishes, as I find that they’re more authentic and are more fun to eat!