Nankin-machi, Chinese commercial district in Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan.

Nankin-machi is a densely packed Chinese commercial district in Kobe built around two main streets that intersect at a central plaza. The area contains more than one hundred restaurants and specialty shops offering food and goods from various regions of China.

Nankin-machi began in 1868, when Kobe's port opened and Chinese from Guangdong and Fujian settled just west of the foreign concession, barred from living inside it. The 1926 market association joined Chinese and Japanese traders. The 1945 air raids destroyed the district; after rebuilding it declined until the 1970s, then the city-backed revival from 1976-1981 brought the gates and plaza.

The name Nankin-machi was once a general term for Chinese quarters in Japan; Yokohama and Nagasaki renamed theirs after the war, but Kobe kept it. The Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival bring lion dances and mooncakes, and since the 1995 earthquake, takeaway dim sum and steamed buns sold from street stalls have become the district's signature.

The district is located a short five-minute walk south of Motomachi Station and is easily accessible on foot. Shops and restaurants operate during daytime and early evening hours, making it convenient for visitors to explore at their own pace.

A central pavilion features stone carvings of all twelve Chinese zodiac animals, representing the traditional calendar system used for centuries. These sculptures offer visitors a visual reference to a cultural system that remains important in Chinese cosmology.