Chinatowns, exotic tourism resources as they are, receive increasing global popularity these days and their events attract millions of tourists every year. Based on the fieldwork of Kobe Chinatown’s 150th Anniversary from January 2017 to June 2019, this paper discusses how and why non-Chinese diversity can be presented publicly in Chinatowns, where are originally regarded as ethnically “Chinese-ness.” Firstly, this paper finds out that the preparatory committee of Kobe Chinatown’s 150th Anniversary is composed of diverse groups, such as Kobe Chinatown Development Association, Kobe Tourism Bureau, and other associations of tourist attractions. Such groups bring tourist resources with multi-cultural backgrounds to Kobe Chinatown. These tourist resources reflect the local characteristics of Kobe as an international city. Secondly, this paper identifies the local characteristics presented publicly in the jazz events and the main festival of Kobe Chinatown’s 150th Anniversary. According to the informants working in Kobe Chinatown, the appropriation of non-Chinese diversity conveys their Kobe-ness. In this paper, investigating from the participation of diverse participants, the occurrence of non-Chinese diversity in Kobe Chinatown’s 150th Anniversary is analyzed. For non-Chinese participants, their non-Chinese diversity could promote local tourism. For local Chinese participants, the acceptance of non-Chinese diversity results from their place-making of Kobe Chinatown where they can express their experience, feelings, and collective memories in Kobe.
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