Roushouki (老祥記), the original pork bun (butaman) shop in Kobe's Nankinmachi, will reopen its flagship store on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, marking its 111th year in business. November 11 is also "Butaman Day." The reopening takes place during the 15th KOBE Butaman Summit 2026, an autumn tradition that fills the whole city of Kobe with pork-bun-themed events from November 8 to 15. The summit includes an attempt at a Guinness World Records title, a limited collaboration pork bun, and the sale of 15 summit-exclusive original pork buns gathered from around Japan.
Roushouki's Renewed Flagship Store: Tradition Meets Something New
Founded in 1915 (Taisho 4), Roushouki has long been a familiar face of Nankinmachi, one of Japan's three major Chinatowns. To mark its 111th anniversary, the shop is renewing its flagship store under its fourth-generation owner, Masahito So (曹 祐仁).
Construction on the new building began in February 2025. Throughout the construction period, the shop continued to serve "Roushouki's pork bun" (¥120 each) at its annex, 曹家包子館, across from Nankinmachi Square. On November 11, the store will hold its grand opening under the theme "a fusion of tradition and newness," with the aim of carrying the flavor and craftsmanship handed down over 111 years into the next 100.
Roushouki's skilled craftspeople can wrap 13 pork buns in one minute. The renewed store is an open, airy space with an open kitchen where visitors can watch this craftsmanship up close. While preserving its unchanged traditional flavor and techniques, the shop aims to contribute to the charm and liveliness of the town as a landmark of Nankinmachi.
On Butaman Day, the opening date (the date comes from the shape of a pig's nose, the pork bun's raw ingredient, which looks like the number 11), a Roushouki opening ceremony featuring a lion dance and more will be held as part of the KOBE Butaman Summit 2026.
Store Information
- Store name: Roushouki (老祥記)
- Official website: https://roushouki.com/
- Opening: Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 10:00 AM (grand reopening)
- Address: 2-1-14 Motomachi-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo
- Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM (closes when sold out)
- Closed: Mondays (the following day if Monday is a public holiday)
- Products: Original pork buns, 5 for ¥600 or 10 for ¥1,200 (tax included)
About Roushouki
In 1915 (Taisho 4), the first-generation owner, Shoki So (曹 松琪), was preparing to open a shop in Nankinmachi, Kobe. He wanted to make the steamed buns known as Tianjin baozi (天津包子, "Tenchin Paozu") from Tianjin, China, familiar to Japanese people in both flavor and name, and so created the "butamanju" (豚饅頭, pork bun). That shop is Roushouki, known as the "original pork bun shop." As Japan's first pork bun specialty shop, it has grown alongside Nankinmachi and remained beloved ever since. With the renewal, the shop aims to carry on the koji passed down from the first generation over 111 years and its craftspeople's handwork, and to help bring liveliness to the whole of Nankinmachi.
Roushouki's History
Roushouki has long been affectionately known as "the pork bun shop in Nankinmachi." The name "Roushouki" itself has become widely known only in recent years.
When it first opened, the shop was also a place of rest where Chinese sailors gathered in search of the flavors of home. The photo below shows the second-generation shop, before the district's land readjustment.
The handle of the shop's glass door has a hole in it. Customers opened and closed the door so constantly that the wood wore thin and a hole eventually appeared. The hole was reported in the newspapers at the time, and since then the line has never stopped and the door has hardly ever been closed. The shop is now in the hands of its fourth-generation owner, and some customers have been regulars across four generations.
KOBE Butaman Summit 2026: 15 Limited Pork Buns and a Guinness World Records Challenge
The KOBE Butaman Summit (KOBE豚饅サミット) was launched in 2011 with the wish to energize the city of Kobe and, through Kobe, all of Japan. Three long-established pork bun shops founded it as initiators: Roushouki in Nankinmachi, 四興樓 in Motomachi, Kobe, and 三宮一貫楼 in Sannomiya. The circle of participants has grown each year, and this is the 15th summit.
This year, 15 summit-exclusive original pork buns will gather in Nankinmachi on November 14 and 15 from Kobe as well as Yokohama Chinatown, Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown, Kumamoto, Niigata, Sendai, and Hakodate. The program also includes an eve-of-festival event on November 9 with a quiz contest where the prize is a year's supply of pork buns, and a challenge for a Guinness World Records title on November 10 (Largest pork bun tasting event). A series of unique, pork-bun-themed events will take place.
Event Information
- Name: The 15th KOBE Butaman Summit 2026 (第15回 KOBE豚饅サミット2026)
- Official website: http://www.kobebutaman-summit.com
- Dates: Sunday, November 8 to Wednesday, November 11, plus Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15, 2026 (6 days in total)
- Venue: Nankinmachi Square (1-3-6 Motomachi-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo) and other locations
- Organizer: KOBE Butaman Summit Executive Committee (initiators: Roushouki, 四興樓, 三宮一貫楼)
- Supported by: Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe City, Kobe Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hyogo Tourism Bureau, Kobe Tourism Bureau
Main Events
Sunday, November 8: Collaboration pork bun by KOBE Butaman Musume (KOBE豚饅娘) and Roushouki, limited to 200 buns
- Venue: Roushouki
- Price: ¥150
Monday, November 9: KOBE Butaman Summit Eve Festival
- Venue: Kobe Asahi Hall
- Doors open: 6:00 PM
- Admission: ¥1,000
- Program: Unveiling of the original pork buns, a quiz contest with a year's supply of pork buns as the prize, the KOBE Butaman Musume contest, and more
Tuesday, November 10: Everyone's Guinness World Records challenge
- Venue: Nankinmachi Square
- Time: From 9:00 AM (entries are now closed)
- Challenge: The attempt is for the "Largest pork bun tasting event." To succeed, 250 or more participants must each finish one pork bun from each of the three shops, three buns in total.
Wednesday, November 11: Renewed Roushouki 111th Anniversary and KOBE Butaman Summit Opening Ceremonies
- Time: From 9:00 AM
- Program: Two opening ceremonies will be held on Butaman Day, including a lion dance performance and the breaking of a pork-bun-shaped kusudama
Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15: Sale of summit-exclusive original pork buns (15 types)
Summit-exclusive original pork buns from Kobe as well as Yokohama Chinatown, Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown, Kumamoto, Niigata, Sendai, and Hakodate will gather in Nankinmachi.
- Venue: Nankinmachi Square and the north-side outer corridor on the 1st floor of Daimaru Kobe
- Time: 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM (closes when sold out)
Example product: "Initiator Pork Bun Assortment Set" (3 buns, comes with 1 pork bun lottery ticket)
- Roushouki: Crunchy Lotus Root and Porcini Mushroom Pork Bun (pictured)
- 四興樓: Octopus! Daikon! Pork Bun! (タコだ！大根だ！豚饅だ！)
- 三宮一貫楼: Unatta! Unatama Bun (うなった！うな玉まん)
