Nabe (鍋, literally "pot") is Japan's communal hot pot tradition — a single vessel of broth in the center of the table, everyone cooking ingredients in it and eating together. It is fundamentally a winter practice (though not exclusively), associated with gathering and warmth.
The nabe pot itself is typically a wide, shallow ceramic donabe (土鍋), placed on a small gas burner at the table. Everyone cooks their own ingredients and eats from the shared broth.
The Main Nabe Styles
Sukiyaki (すき焼き)
Broth: Sweet soy-based sauce (warishita — soy + mirin + sugar + sake), no water added Key ingredients: Thinly sliced wagyu or premium beef, tofu, napa cabbage, shirataki noodles, scallion, chrysanthemum leaves How it works: Ingredients cook in the sweet soy liquid; each piece is dipped in raw beaten egg before eating Season: Autumn/winter. The most prestigious nabe — premium beef, sweet broth, raw egg dip
Shabu-Shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ)
Broth: Kombu dashi (very plain, almost unseasoned) Key ingredients: Paper-thin beef or pork, tofu, vegetables How it works: Swish each slice of meat briefly through the hot broth until just cooked (the name comes from the swishing sound) Dipping sauces: Ponzu or sesame sauce — the condiment is the flavor Season: All seasons but particularly winter
Mizutaki (水炊き)
Broth: Chicken broth (torigara dashi), unseasoned Key ingredients: Bone-in chicken pieces, tofu, napa cabbage, vegetables How it works: Cook ingredients in the chicken broth; season individual bites with ponzu Region: Particularly associated with Fukuoka, Kyushu
Chankonabe (ちゃんこ鍋)
Broth: Usually chicken or mixed broth — varies by sumo stable Key ingredients: Chicken, tofu, fish cakes, vegetables — high calorie, high protein Context: The daily training meal of sumo wrestlers. Not a delicate dish — designed for caloric density and protein. The term chanko refers to any communal sumo stable cooking. Note: Chanko is always cooked on two feet (chicken, not four-legged animals) — a superstition about sumo wrestlers never touching the ground with all fours
Yudofu (湯豆腐)
Broth: Plain kombu dashi with a piece of dried kombu in the water during cooking Key ingredients: Silken or soft tofu only How it works: Float tofu in simmering kombu water until heated through. Dip in ponzu with grated daikon and scallion Context: Kyoto specialty — the ultimate simple dish, associated with temple cooking and Buddhist vegetarian tradition Season: Winter
Kimchi Nabe (キムチ鍋)
Broth: Kimchi + chicken or pork broth, gochujang, garlic — spicy and fermented Key ingredients: Pork belly, tofu, kimchi, mushrooms, napa cabbage Context: Japanese adaptation of Korean influence — extremely popular in Japan Season: Winter
Oden (おでん)
Broth: Clear dashi-soy broth (lighter soy in Kanto, saltier in Kansai) Key ingredients: Daikon radish, konnyaku, fish cakes (chikuwa, hanpen), boiled eggs, tofu pouches How it works: Long-simmered (hours), not quick-cooked. Each ingredient absorbs the broth over time Context: Konbini oden (convenience store) in autumn/winter is a Japanese institution
The締め — Nabe Ending
Every nabe traditionally ends with shime (締め, "ending") — using the enriched, ingredient-flavored broth remaining in the pot to make one final dish:
- Rice shime: Add rice or pre-cooked rice to the broth, cook until a soupy porridge forms. Add egg.
- Ramen shime: Add ramen noodles to the remaining broth
- Udon shime: Add udon noodles
The broth at shime carries the essence of everything cooked in it — the shrimp, the mushrooms, the chicken, the vegetables — making the final bowl the richest, most complex thing you ate all night.