Donabe and Hot Pot Night: The 8 Things a Japanese Nabe Actually Needs
Written in Japan · Updated August 2026
Nabe in Japan is not a dish that arrives at the table. It is cooked on the table, all evening, and everyone eats out of the same pot as it goes. That changes what equipment you need, and the pot is only half of it.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through the links on this page, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I write from Japan and only include things that are in everyday use here.
No. 1
Portable Butane Table Stove · $40-80
This is the piece almost every guide outside Japan leaves out, and it is the one that makes nabe work. Nabe is cooked at the table over a small gas burner, topped up as the evening goes on. Without it you are carrying a pot back to the kitchen and it is a different meal.
- Runs on butane canisters, no wiring
- Folds flat, stores in a cupboard
- Also covers you in a power cut, which is why most Japanese homes own one
Link coming soon
No. 2
Donabe Clay Pot, 8-9 inch · $50-120
Porous clay heats slowly and holds heat long after the flame is off, which is why the pot keeps simmering on the table. Start smaller than you think — a large donabe is heavy, awkward to wash and rarely comes out.
- 8 inch suits two people, 9-10 inch suits three or four
- Goes directly on a gas flame
- Must be seasoned before first use — see below
Link coming soon
No. 3
Renge Soup Spoons · $12-25
The flat-bottomed Japanese spoon. It sits on a table without tipping and holds broth alongside a piece of food, which a round Western soup spoon does not do well. One per person.
- Flat base means it will not roll off the table
- Ceramic ones do not get hot the way metal does
- Buy the same number as your dipping bowls
Link coming soon
No. 4
Small Dipping Bowls (Torizara) · $20-40
Everyone takes from the pot into their own small bowl rather than eating directly from it. These are also where the ponzu goes. Around 4 to 5 inches across, deeper than a plate, shallower than a rice bowl.
- One per person, plus a spare
- Deep enough to hold sauce as well as food
- Cheap ceramic is fine — these get used constantly
Link coming soon
No. 5
Ponzu Sauce · $8-16
Citrus and soy. It is the default dipping sauce for nabe here and it is doing a specific job: cutting through a broth that is deliberately mild. If the pot tastes plain, that is intended, and the ponzu is why.
- The broth is meant to be subtle — season in the bowl, not the pot
- Keeps in the fridge for months once opened
- Sesame sauce is the other standard option
Link coming soon
No. 6
Fine Mesh Skimmer · $10-20
Removing the foam that rises off meat is not optional here. It is what separates a clear broth from a cloudy, slightly bitter one, and with everyone eating from the same pot for two hours it accumulates.
- Fine mesh, not a slotted spoon
- Skim in the first ten minutes, when most of it appears
- Keep a small bowl beside the pot for what comes off
Link coming soon
No. 7
Saibashi Cooking Chopsticks · $8-16
Long chopsticks used for cooking rather than eating. With a pot in the middle of a table, they are how you turn and serve without reaching across people or swapping to tongs.
- 12 inches or longer keeps hands away from steam
- Wood does not conduct heat
- Never use your own eating chopsticks in a shared pot
Link coming soon
No. 8
Trivet · $10-20
A donabe holds heat for a long time after the flame goes out, which is the whole point of it and also a real risk to a table. Cork or woven straw, wide enough for the base.
- Must be wider than the pot base
- Cork or straw, not thin silicone
- Needed for serving and for cooling afterwards
Link coming soon
How to choose
Will a donabe work on my stove?
Gas, yes. Induction, almost certainly not — clay is not magnetic, and only donabe sold specifically as IH-compatible will work, usually via a metal plate in the base. Electric coil is risky because the heat is uneven. This is the single most common expensive mistake, so check before buying.
What size?
8 inch for two people, 9 to 10 inch for three or four. Anything larger is heavy when full, difficult to wash in a domestic sink, and tends to stay in the cupboard.
Glazed or unglazed inside?
Glazed. Unglazed interiors absorb flavour and need more careful drying to avoid mould. Glazed is the normal choice for a household pot.
Questions
How do I season a new donabe?
Cook a thin rice porridge in it once — a handful of cooked rice with plenty of water, brought slowly to a simmer, then left to cool completely in the pot before washing. The starch seals the pores in the clay. Skipping this is the most common reason a new donabe cracks.
Why did my donabe crack?
Almost always one of three things: it was heated empty, the outside base was still wet when it went on the flame, or it went from hot to cold quickly. Clay tolerates slow changes and nothing else. Never put a hot donabe into water.
Can I put it in the dishwasher?
No. Wash by hand with a soft sponge, minimal detergent, and dry it completely — including upside down for a few hours. Clay holds water inside the walls and a pot put away damp will grow mould in the base.
Do I need a special broth?
No. A piece of kombu in water is the traditional starting point and it is deliberately plain, because the flavour comes from what cooks in it and from the ponzu. Packaged nabe soup bases are also completely normal here.
What goes in the pot?
Whatever you have, added in order of cooking time. Hard vegetables first, then mushrooms and tofu, then thin-sliced meat and leaves last. At the end, cook rice or noodles in the remaining broth — that final course is called shime and it is not an optional extra here.