The best Japanese culinary specialities to enjoy during winter

For many Japanese, winter is the best season for gastronomy. The cold weather brings out the best in fattier meats and fish, as well as exceptional ingredients. Rich, comforting dishes warm the body, while shared meals create warm moments with friends and family. Discover Japan's must-try winter specialties, as well as a selection of restaurants particularly popular during the cold season.

Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki is a classic Japanese winter dish, popularized during the Meiji period (1868-1912). It's often forgotten, but for almost 1,200 years, the Japanese diet was essentially plant-based, with fish as the main source of protein—in stark contrast to the country's current reputation for high-quality meat.

This dish consists of thin slices of very marbled beef, accompanied by vegetables and various ingredients, simmered in a sweet-salty broth made from soy sauce, sugar and mirin. A special feature of sukiyaki: the cooked food is traditionally dipped in a small bowl of raw egg yolk before being eaten. The whole dish is usually prepared and served in a metal pot in the center of the table.

Comforting and convivial, sukiyaki is particularly appreciated in winter, especially at the end of the year during bônenkai, those festive meals shared between colleagues or friends.

Nabemono

Oden

This Japanese stew originated in the Kantō region around Tokyo. To prepare oden, you start with a broth made from kombu seaweed, to which you then add eggs, daikon radish, chikuwa (fish paste) and konjac sticks (konnyaku). Oden is traditionally accompanied by karashi mustard, which delicately enhances its flavors.

In Japan, it is easily found in street stalls (yatai), but also in konbini and izakaya, where it is particularly popular during the winter months.

There are many regional variations. In Nagoya, where it's called Kantō-ni, the ingredients are simmered in soy sauce. In Kansai, it's known as Kantō-daki and features a more fragrant broth than that of the eastern capital. On the island of Shikoku, in the Kagawa region, udon noodles topped with a mild miso sauce are even served before oden.

Seafood

To simply say that "seafood" is one of Japan's winter specialties sounds vague. Yet, as an island nation, Japan enjoys an incredible wealth of marine life. In winter, colder waters cause fish and seafood to store more fat, making them tastier and particularly rich in omega-3s. It's the ideal season to enjoy seafood of exceptional quality, of all varieties.

Among them, the Japanese yellowtail, known as buri, occupies a place of choice. Catches off the coast of the Hokuriku region are considered the best on the market. Buri from towns such as Himi, Toyama or Kanazawa, in Ishikawa prefecture, enjoy international renown and feature prominently on the menus of top sushi restaurants from the start of the season.

Crustaceans are also very popular in winter. Echizen crabs from Fukui are the only ones allowed to be offered to the imperial family. Further north, in Hokkaido, tarabagani is the great crustacean specialty, often considered the most expensive crab in the world, with market prices reaching between 30,000 and 60,000 yen per unit!

Winter is also the season for the famous fugu fish, renowned for its deadly venom. Opening a restaurant serving fugu in Japan requires an official certificate. The fish can be eaten boiled (including the snout), dipped in nabe with mushrooms, vegetables and tofu, accompanied by a glass of hirezake (a sake in which a fugu fin macerates), or served as translucent sashimi, forming a veritable "winter flower" on the plate.

Other ways to enjoy winter gastronomy in Japan

Cafés and restaurants with kotatsu

There's nothing like a kotatsu to get you through the cold winter days. Still quite rare, cafés and restaurants equipped with kotatsu are winning over more and more Japanese across the country.

While many remain attached to their personal kotatsu, more and more are visiting these establishments to enjoy the comfort of heated blankets and a hot drink.

• Café Stay Happy (Tokyo)

Located in the trendy Shimokitazawa district, this café was opened by a couple of former backpackers who brought back two things from their travels: vegan cuisine and comfortable seating. Here, you can choose between a hammock or a kotatsu.

Address: 2 Chome-29-14 Daizawa, Setagaya City, Tokyo 155-0032

Opening hours: daily, noon to 9 p.m

Access: 15-minute walk from Shimokitazawa station (Inokashira and Odakyu lines)

• Kushikatsu-ichiba Umeda (Osaka)

With its jazzy music and modern decor, Kushikatsu is an izakaya not to be missed in Osaka. Fans of kotatsu will particularly appreciate its private rooms equipped with hori-kotatsu, or built-in heating tables.

Address: 3-27 Taiyuji, Kita-Ku, Osaka 530-0051

Access: 5-minute walk from Higashi-Umeda station (Tanimachi line)

Cafés with ashiyu

Ashiyu, or Japanese footbaths, are often found near hot springs, but there are also ashiyu cafés all over Japan. Even in big cities, you can enjoy the benefits of hot water without having to travel dozens of kilometers.

• Hogurest (Tokyo)

Located in Ueno, Hogurest is an original spa. In addition to massages and facials, it offers a one-hour footbath accompanied by the beverage of your choice, all in a relaxing setting.

Address: 4-8-5 Taito, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0016, T&T Okachimachi Building 3F

Opening hours: daily, 10.30 a.m. to 9 p.m

Access: 10-minute walk from Okachimachi station (Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines)

• Garden Terrace Café (Yokohama)

In a corner of the garden of this café in Yokohama's Chinatown is an outdoor ashiyu. After warming your feet and refreshing your spirit, you can enjoy the herbal teas on offer.

Address: 145 Yamashitacho, Naka-Ku Hakurankan 3F, Yokohama 231-0023

Access: a few steps from Motomachi-Chukagai station (Minatomirai line)

• Ohara Sansou Ashiyu Café (Kyoto)

In Kyoto, the Ohara Sansou Ashiyu Café invites you to relax in a traditional setting. Surrounded by plants, with large wooden tables and hot water running over your feet, it's never been so pleasant to enjoy the ancient capital in winter!

Address: 17 Ohara, Kusaocho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto

Opening hours: daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (closed Tuesdays)

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