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With over 30,000 visitors expected every day, celebration of Chinese Spring Festival has brought vitality to Nanjing town, the second largest Chinatown in Japan, as well as economic benefits to the region.
On Feb. 8, the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, Nanjing town was filled with festival atmosphere. Red lanterns and flags hung high on the Chinese-styled buildings along the streets, with traditional spring couplets soliciting good luck pasted on the magnificent painted archways.
The festival celebration started with a praying ritual in the Chinese temple dedicated to Guan Yu, a deified historic figure in the Three Kingdoms period of China. People lined up to offer incense to Guan Yu's statue and prayed for good fortunes for the New Year.
At the center of Nanjing town, a stage was set up, where Chinese artists gave shows such as facechanging stunt of Sichuan opera, acrobatics and lion dances, with onlookers snapping their cameras and cellphones eagerly to capture the moment while murmuring "fantastic, great!"
Along the streets, restaurants and shops showed off their cuisine on display stands, hawking about dim sum, dumplings, buns and other traditional Chinese food. Dozens of people lined up in front of a renowned restaurant selling steamed stuffed buns. Two hours passed, and the line was not shortened a bit.
"It's so fantastic here," remarked Amy, an American student from Kyoto university. She read about the Spring Festival celebrations on the Internet and came here with her friends.
"I came to see the Chinese dancing. And of course, also to taste the Chinese food. They are so good," she said.
According to the organizer, about 30,000 people were expected to visit every day during the five-day celebration, including not only nostalgic Chinese immigrants, but also Japanese citizens and foreign tourists who are fascinated by Chinese culture.
"Spring Festival celebration has become a grand event for Nanjing town as well as for the city of Kobe. We will continue to hold colorful activities to attract more visitors to Nanjing town, " said Hiroshi Takigawa, head of the executive committee of the Spring Festival celebration of Nanjing town.
"Spring Festival celebrations held in Nanjing town brought vigor and vitality to the city of Kobe," said Kizo Hisamoto, mayor of Kobe.
With a history of over 120 years, Nanjing town is the second largest Chinatown in Japan after the Yokohama Chinatown. Since 1987, Nanjing town celebrated Chinese Lunar New Year almost every year. In 1997, the Spring Festival celebrations at Nanjing town were named district intangible folk cultural heritage of Kobe.
