Nankinmachi Shunsetu Sai

The Nankinmachi Shunsetu Sai (Chinese New Year) is celebrated every year in the month of February in Kobes Chinatown (Nankinmachi quarters). The festivals involves a number of performances showcasing Chinese culture, from dragon dancing to parades of colorful dressed historic figures … and of course a lot of Chinese food.

The festival is mostly centered on a single street holding a little stage for performances in the middle of it. It does get crowded very quickly and i was struggling to move into a good position to shoot some pictures. Might be a good idea to come early if you want a good spot!

There are also Chinese New Year festivals in other cities all over Japan. Tokyo has one and especially the Nagasaki lantern festival is known as one of the biggest and nicest Chinese festivals.

Transport: JR Kobe Line, Motomachi Station (3min from Sannomiya Station,25min from Osaka Station) or
Hanshin Main Line, Motomachi Station (3min from Sannomiya Station,30min from Umeda Station). There is also plenty of car parking available if you don’t mind paying the parking fees.

Websites: Nankinmachi has it’s own festival website (all in Japanese).