Nabe Day

The story

Nabe is the Japanese word for pot and for the shared hot-pot meals that gather families around steam and broth. Vegetables, tofu, mushrooms, seafood or meat, and noodles simmer together in a donabe or metal pot at the center of the table, and everyone serves themselves as ingredients cook. Broths range from light kombu dashi to miso-rich and spicy styles, changing with season and mood. Nabe Day in early November, near the traditional start of winter, invites people to reclaim that communal warmth.

The beauty of nabe is flexibility and togetherness. A single pot stretches ingredients, encourages conversation, and ends with rice or noodles stirred into the remaining broth—a final course called shime. From rustic countryside pots to refined restaurant nabes, the form stays rooted in sharing.

On Nabe Day, set a pot on a portable burner, fill it with seasonal vegetables and protein, and eat as it cooks. Invite friends to add their favorite ingredients, and finish with rice in the broth. Celebrating nabe is celebrating Japan’s warmest shared meal.