Chef Takumi
Kyoto Summer Pike Conger Hot Pot (鱧鍋, Hamo Nabe)
Hamo nabe is summer nabe, not winter comfort in disguise. Bone-cut pike conger opens in the broth like pale petals, while onion and mizuna keep the pot clear.
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Chef Takumi
Edo Loach Hot Pot (柳川鍋, Yanagawa Nabe)
Yanagawa nabe looks like a difficult old Edo specialty. It is one shallow pot: fresh split dojō, clean burdock, sweet soy dashi, and egg pulled from the heat while still tender.
Chef Takumi
Chicken Meatball Hot Pot (鶏団子鍋, Tori Dango Nabe)
This is the household meatball pot: clear dashi, tender chicken dumplings, winter vegetables, and a broth that grows better as everything gives itself to the pot.
Chef Takumi
Wild Duck Hot Pot (鴨鍋, Kamo Nabe)
Kamo nabe is winter food from Lake Biwa: duck sliced thin, leek charred at the edge, and a clear soy dashi that grows richer with every piece.
Chef Takumi
Edo Tuna and Leek Hot Pot (ねぎま鍋, Negima Nabe)
Negima nabe is old Edo thrift turned winter comfort: fatty tuna, grilled leek, and soy-seasoned dashi sharing one pot, with the fish fat doing its quiet work.
Chef Takumi
Akita Sandfish Hot Pot (しょっつる鍋, Shottsuru Nabe)
Shottsuru nabe is Akita winter in one pot: clean dashi, hatahata at shun, tofu and napa cabbage carrying a salt-deep broth without anything heavy enough to hide the fish.
Chef Takumi
Hyōgo Wild Boar Hot Pot (ぼたん鍋, Botan Nabe)
Thin winter boar blooms in the pot like peony petals, then settles into miso dashi with burdock and mushrooms. Keep the slices fatty and the simmer steady, and the meat stays tender.
Chef Takumi
Mizuna Hot Pot (はりはり鍋, Hari-hari Nabe)
Osaka's leanest hot pot is a lesson in restraint: clear dashi, a little soy, sliced duck or pork, and mizuna added late so it keeps its bright snap.
Chef Takumi
Monkfish Hot Pot (あんこう鍋, Ankō Nabe)
Winter ankō looks fearsome until the pot teaches you otherwise: clean the fish well, let the liver enrich the miso dashi, and simmer everything gently.
Chef Takumi
Ishikari Nabe (石狩鍋, Hokkaido salmon and miso hot pot)
This is snow-country nabe: salmon on the bone, sweet cabbage, potatoes, and miso loosened into dashi. The pot looks generous, but the work is simply keeping the broth clean.
Chef Takumi
Yamagata Taro Hot Pot (芋煮, Imoni)
Autumn imoni is not a complicated hot pot. It is taro at its prime, beef for depth, konjac for chew, and a soy-dark broth kept clear enough to taste each piece.
Chef Takumi
Akita Mashed-Rice Hot Pot (きりたんぽ鍋, Kiritanpo Nabe)
Toast the rice until its skin is firm, then let it meet chicken broth, burdock, maitake, and seri. The pot looks grand, but the work is rice, broth, and patience.
Chef Takumi
Fukuoka Offal Hot Pot (もつ鍋, Motsunabe)
Motsunabe asks one plain thing of you: buy clean, sweet-smelling offal and simmer it gently. The cabbage softens, the nira stays green, and the broth turns rich without hiding anything.
Chef Takumi
Yudofu (湯豆腐, Kyoto tofu hot pot)
Yudofu is quiet winter cooking: good tofu, cold water, konbu, and the discipline to stop before the pot boils. The tofu should tremble, not toughen.
Chef Takumi
Gathered Hot Pot (寄せ鍋, Yose-nabe)
Yose-nabe is the everything pot with discipline: clear dashi, seasonal vegetables, tofu, chicken, and seafood added in the right order so each piece cooks cleanly and the broth stays bright.
Chef Takumi
Chanko Nabe (ちゃんこ鍋, sumo stable hot pot)
This is sumo stable food made reachable: a clear soy-seasoned dashi, chicken and fish added in order, and greens left bright so the pot stays generous without becoming heavy.
Chef Takumi
Shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ, swished beef hot pot)
Shabu-shabu is not a performance. It is good beef, clean konbu dashi, and the discipline to swish each slice only until it blushes pink.
Chef Takumi
Noto Fish-Sauce Hot Pot (いしる鍋, Ishiru Nabe)
Ishiru nabe is winter at the Noto shore: clear dashi, glistening seafood, sturdy vegetables, and a spoonful of fermented squid sauce doing quiet, serious work.
Chef Takumi
Osaka Pufferfish Hot Pot (てっちり, Tecchiri)
Tecchiri is Osaka at its most direct: licensed pufferfish, quiet konbu broth, ponzu at the table, and the final zōsui that proves the pot was never plain.
Chef Takumi
Buri-shabu (ぶりしゃぶ, Toyama yellowtail hot pot)
Toyama winter buri needs little bravery, only good fish and a steady hand. Swish each slice through clear konbu dashi for three seconds, just enough to warm the fat and leave the center glossy.
Chef Takumi
Winter Cod Hot Pot (鱈ちり, Tara-chiri)
Tara-chiri is winter made plain: fresh cod, tofu, greens, and konbu water barely moving in the pot. Lift the fish when it turns opaque, dip it in ponzu, and stop fussing.
Chef Takumi
Mizutaki (水炊き, Hakata chicken hot pot)
Chicken, water, and patience do the work here. Simmer the bones low until the broth turns ivory, then let ponzu, greens, and rice carry the pot to its quiet finish.
Chef Takumi
Sukiyaki (すき焼き)
Sukiyaki looks grand because it arrives in one pot. The work is plain: good thin beef, a balanced sweet soy warishita, and the patience to keep the simmer gentle.
Chef Takumi
Sea Bream Hot Pot (鯛ちり, Tai-chiri)
Tai-chiri is celebration without ornament: glistening fresh sea bream, konbu water, tofu, and greens, cooked gently so the broth takes the fish's sweetness and nothing rough.
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