Japan’s Most Powerful Local Hot Pot – A 70-cm Iron Pot Filled with Sweet Black Pork in Kagoshima

▲ The "Kumaso Nabe," winner of Japan’s National Local Hot Pot Awards.

Reported & photographed by You t□/Ryu □ Kyushu

In order to preserve a beautiful iron pot left by his grandmother, he developed the"Kumaso Nabe", which won the championship at Japan’s National Local Hot Pot Awards. In the alleys of downtown Kagoshima City in Kyushu, Japan, there is an unassuming inn that looks like any ordinary lodging. However, this place serves Japan’s most delicious local hot pot — a giant, oversized iron pot filled with locally grown vegetables and pork from Kagoshima. The enticing aroma attracts travelers from all over Japan and Asia, who come here especially for this experience.


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Kagoshima inn “Nanzoukan” was not a well-known lodging spot in the area. The inn used to house 10 large iron pots with diameters of 70 cm and weighing 10 kg each. “These are heirlooms passed down from my grandparents,” said Ryuujiro Hashimoto, the owner of the inn. The iron pots are 50 years old, inherited from his grandparents, and had not been used for many years until one day he thought about how to utilize them for cooking, leading to the creation of the massive “Kumaso Nabe.”

The term “Kumaso Nabe” comes from a traditional tribe in Kagoshima. It earned its name because of the bold and hearty eating style of the local tribe. Following that tradition, the “Kumaso Nabe” is served in an extra-large pot, using locally grown vegetables from Kagoshima. The presentation during the meal also emphasizes visual appeal — slices of meat and vegetables are arranged artistically as they are served, and there is dedicated service that takes both aesthetics and taste into account, making it truly irresistible.


▲The soup is first tasted with added yuzu pepper, garlic, and chopped green onions to let customers experience the flavor of the broth.

 
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The “Kumaso Nabe,” which won the Japan Local Hot Pot Award in 2006, is definitely worth trying. The main dipping sauce is made with yuzu pepper, a specialty of Kyushu, mixed with the savory-sweet broth. First, the server will pour the broth with yuzu pepper, garlic, and chopped green onions for guests to try. Then, slices of meat are placed in the pot and briefly blanched in the broth. This allows you to enjoy the flavor of the Kagoshima black pork, which has fed on sweet potatoes — the white fat parts are refreshing and naturally sweet, offering a very pleasant taste.

During the cooking process, the shop fills the pot with a variety of vegetables, adding lettuce and meat slices to the broth and slowly pouring the hot broth over them, allowing guests to alternate between different flavors. At the end of the meal, handmade ramen is scattered in a shower-like fashion into the broth. The broth, which remains clear despite cooking a lot of vegetables, is paired with noodles that have absorbed the flavors of the soup, and a touch of yuzu pepper adds extra zing — this is the satisfying feeling of having hot pot in Kagoshima.

 
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HOTEL&RESIDENCE Nanzhoukan
Address: 19-17 Higashisenjicho, Deer QP Island City
Phone: 099-226-8188