Sukiyaki: Japan's Sweet Soy Hot Pot Shared at the Table

Learn how sukiyaki works, where it came from, how Kanto and Kansai styles differ, and how to enjoy this cozy sweet soy beef hot pot in Japan.

Published October 17, 2026 at 7:35 PM JST | By Tokyo Paul

Quick answer: Sukiyaki is a Japanese hot pot of thinly sliced beef, tofu, leeks, greens and mushrooms simmered in a sweet soy sauce at the table. Each bite is traditionally dipped in beaten raw egg and eaten with rice.

Why Sukiyaki Is Warming Up the Table Again

When the air turns crisp in autumn, Japanese menus start to fill with hot pots, and sukiyaki is one of the best loved. It is a dish built around sharing: a shallow iron pot sits in the middle of the table, thin slices of beef bubble away in a sweet and savory sauce, and everyone reaches in with chopsticks. Sukiyaki also has a built-in ritual that surprises first-time visitors, because each bite is dipped in a small bowl of beaten raw egg. This guide explains where sukiyaki came from, how it is cooked, what ends up in the pot, and how to enjoy it with confidence on a trip to Japan.

A Meiji-Era Dish with Deep Roots

Sukiyaki belongs to the family of Japanese hot pot dishes called nabemono, and it took its modern form during the Meiji era, which ran from 1868 to 1912. Before that time, beef was not a common part of the Japanese table, partly because of long-standing Buddhist ideas about eating the meat of farm animals. After Japan opened its ports in the 1860s, contact with foreign visitors and new food habits helped beef become popular, and sukiyaki turned into one of the favorite ways to serve it. In its early days the dish was often called gyunabe, which simply means beef pot.

Nobody is completely sure where the name sukiyaki comes from. One popular explanation joins the words for a spade (suki) and for grilling (yaki), though some researchers doubt it. Another idea connects the name to thinly sliced meat. Food historians still debate the details, and that mystery is part of the dish's charm. What is easier to say is that sukiyaki is strongly linked with winter and with year-end gatherings, when families and coworkers meet around a steaming pot.

Sukiyaki also traveled abroad. It became prominent in Japanese restaurants in the United States by the 1930s, and later, as sushi grew more popular overseas, it became less visible there. Related hot pots remain popular elsewhere in Asia, and in Thailand a dish called Thai suki is a very popular hot pot. Back in Japan, the original has never gone out of style.

What Goes into the Pot

The star of sukiyaki today is thinly sliced beef, ideally with soft marbling that melts as it warms. In some parts of northern and eastern Japan, including Hokkaido and Niigata, pork was historically common when beef was expensive, so you may still hear about regional pork versions. Around the meat, the pot is filled with seasonal companions that soak up the sauce. Typical choices include grilled firm tofu, long green onions called negi, Chinese cabbage, tender shungiku (edible chrysanthemum leaves), and mushrooms such as shiitake and enoki.

Another classic ingredient is konnyaku in noodle form, sold as shirataki or ito konnyaku. These translucent strands have almost no flavor of their own, so they drink up the broth and add a pleasant bouncy texture. The seasoning is a simple trio of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (a sweet cooking wine), usually with sake and sometimes dashi stock, which is a savory broth made from kelp and dried fish. The result tastes sweeter and richer than its cousin shabu-shabu, in which thin meat is swished through plain hot water or dashi and dipped in sauces such as ponzu or sesame.

Kanto Style and Kansai Style

Sukiyaki is a lovely example of how Japan's regions each do things a little differently. In the Kanto style, which is common around Tokyo, a ready-made sauce mixture called warishita is heated in the pot first. Warishita is made from sake, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and dashi, and the meat and vegetables simmer together in it. The pot stays soupy, and the flavor is balanced from the very first bite.

In the Kansai style, centered on Osaka and Kyoto, the approach is more like pan cooking. The beef goes into the hot pot first, and when it is nearly done, sugar, sake, and soy sauce are added directly, with the vegetables joining last. This gives the meat a quick sear before the liquid builds up. Some sources suggest that sukiyaki may have started in Kansai, and that Tokyo residents who moved west after the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake brought the Kansai method back with them. Many restaurants and families follow their own tradition, so the best advice is to enjoy whichever style is on the table.

How to Eat Sukiyaki and Plan a Visit

Sukiyaki is often cooked at the table, either by a server in a traditional restaurant or by the guests themselves. A shallow cast iron pot sits over a portable burner, and ingredients are added in stages so that nothing overcooks. Each guest receives a small bowl with a raw egg, which you beat lightly with chopsticks. When a piece of beef or a vegetable is ready, lift it out, dip it into the egg, and eat. The egg cools the food slightly and coats it in a silky layer that softens the sweetness of the sauce.

Steamed rice is almost always served alongside, and a sprinkle of black sesame seeds on top is a common touch. The sweet and salty sauce pairs beautifully with plain rice, so many diners take a bite of rice between pieces of beef. Visitors who are not comfortable with raw egg can usually skip it or ask whether the restaurant offers an alternative, and the dish remains tasty without the dip.

Because sukiyaki is a winter comfort dish, the most natural time to look for it is between late autumn and early spring. You can find it at specialty beef restaurants, traditional dining rooms, and some hotels or ryokan, which are Japanese inns. Prices vary widely, from casual set meals to elegant courses featuring high-grade wagyu, so it helps to look at the menu or the restaurant's official page before booking. Many sukiyaki restaurants take reservations, and group dining is the norm, since the pot is meant to be shared.

As the meal comes to an end, the broth is rich with the flavors of everything that cooked in it. A popular finishing move is to add udon noodles or mochi rice cake to the remaining liquid, which soaks up every last drop. Some restaurants also offer chicken sukiyaki, known as tori-suki, or versions built around fish or udon, so there are options for different tastes. If you are dining with someone who has dietary needs, it is worth asking in advance, because the sauce contains soy, sugar, and mirin, and the standard dish is built around beef.

Quick Takeaways

Sukiyaki is a sweet soy beef hot pot that took shape in the Meiji era and remains a cherished winter meal. Expect thinly sliced beef, tofu, leeks, greens, mushrooms, and shirataki noodles, simmered in a shallow iron pot. Kanto cooks start with a premixed sauce, while Kansai cooks sear the meat first and season it in the pot. Dip each bite in beaten egg, enjoy it with rice, and finish with udon if the restaurant offers it.

Whether you try it at a long-established restaurant or at a friendly family table, sukiyaki is a warm introduction to Japanese food culture. It rewards slow eating, good company, and a little curiosity about the details. If you can share the pot with others, even better.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is sukiyaki?

Sukiyaki is a Japanese nabemono hot pot that took its modern form in the Meiji era. Thin beef and vegetables simmer in a shallow iron pot in a sauce of soy sauce, sugar and mirin, and are often dipped in raw beaten egg.

What is the difference between sukiyaki and shabu-shabu?

Sukiyaki simmers meat and vegetables in a sweet soy sauce, while shabu-shabu swishes thin slices through plain hot water or dashi and dips them in sauces such as ponzu or sesame. Sukiyaki tastes sweeter and richer, shabu-shabu lighter and more savory.

Do you have to dip sukiyaki in raw egg?

Dipping in raw beaten egg is the traditional way to eat sukiyaki, and it softens the sweet sauce. It is not required. Visitors who prefer to avoid raw egg can politely skip it, and the dish is still tasty with plain rice.

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