Sukiyaki and shabu-shabu: Japan's autumn hot pots

When temperatures drop in Japan, nabe (鍋) takes centre stage at the table. These are hot pot dishes cooked at the restaurant — or at home — with everyone sitting around the pot, adding ingredients as the meal progresses. Sukiyaki and shabu-shabu are the two most iconic versions, and while they share the same format, the experience is quite different.

Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki (すき焼き) is a sweet beef and vegetable stew. The pot is heated with a little beef fat, thin slices of beef are added, and then comes the broth: a blend of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar that gives the dish its intensely umami, slightly sweet flavour.

Alongside the beef goes tofu, spring onion, shirataki (translucent konjac noodles), shiitake mushrooms, and Chinese cabbage. Everything simmers together in the broth, and each mouthful is dipped in raw beaten egg before eating — the contrast between the hot, savoury stew and the cold, silky egg is an essential part of the experience.

The Kanto (Tokyo) and Kansai (Osaka) versions differ slightly: in Kanto the broth is added already prepared; in Kansai the beef is first sautéed with sugar directly in the pot before any liquid is added. If the waiter starts doing things directly on the dry pot without adding broth, you’re at a Kansai-style restaurant.

Sukiyaki is a celebratory dish in Japan. Historically it was expensive — beef wasn’t consumed until the late nineteenth century — and that association with special occasions persists. At specialist restaurants the beef is usually high-quality wagyu.

Shabu-shabu

Shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ) is lighter. The base broth is kombu dashi — unsalted, unsweetened — bubbling gently in the pot. Very thinly sliced beef or pork is swished through the broth for a few seconds, along with vegetables and tofu.

The name comes from the sound the meat makes when you move it through the water (shab-shab). It’s not a metaphor: you literally wave the slice in the hot broth for a few seconds, remove it when it changes colour, and dip it in one of two standard sauces — ponzu (citrusy and salty) or a creamy sesame sauce — before eating.

The flavour is more delicate than sukiyaki’s. At the end, once all the ingredients have cooked and their flavour has absorbed into the broth, rice or ramen noodles are usually added to finish the remaining liquid. This final stage is called shime (締め) and is, for many people, the best part of the meal.

Where to eat them

Specialist restaurants for both formats exist in every Japanese city. The two most accessible chains for tourists are Shabusen and Nabezo, which offer all-you-can-eat options where you pay a fixed price and can order as much meat and vegetables as you want within a set time. Buffet pricing is roughly ¥3,000–4,500 per person depending on the time of day and meat quality.

For a higher-end experience, wagyu sukiyaki restaurants serve Kobe, Matsusaka, or Ōmi beef from ¥8,000–15,000 per person. It’s an occasional dinner rather than an everyday one, but if you’re interested in Japanese beef, it’s hard to find a better context.

A practical note

At most shabu-shabu or sukiyaki restaurants, raw ingredients and a lit pot are brought to the table and a staff member briefly explains the process. If you don’t speak Japanese, tourist-oriented restaurants usually have someone who can show you cooking times. Don’t worry about it: the process is straightforward and a small mistake won’t ruin the meal.

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