Delicious Food Deserves the Spotlight: New Trends in Japanese Hot Pot

Enjoying a steaming hot pot in the cold winter is a true delight, but with the widespread use of smartphones, the trends in hot pot popularity have also subtly shifted. Nowadays, people not only savor the flavors of hot pot but also care about how visually appealing it looks on camera. Many are using videos to showcase the charm of hot pot, drawing increasing attention.

Have you heard of a “fruit hot pot” made with ingredients like pineapple, apples, and bananas?

According to reporting by Nikkei Chinese, BWCAFE located near Shinjuku’s Shin-Okubo Station in Tokyo offered a limited-time “High-Cocoa Beauty Fruit Hot Pot” from November 2017 to February 2018. In a demi-glace beef bone broth base, with added bonito and mackerel flavoring, they cooked beef patties mixed with buckwheat and then added a generous amount of fruits rich in vitamins and known for their beauty benefits—like apples and blueberries—to create the “High-Cocoa Beauty Fruit Hot Pot.”

Although the use of cocoa and beef bone broth might suggest a strong flavor, the addition of buckwheat noodle-based soup actually makes it lighter than expected. After cooking for a while, the sweetness of the fruit infuses the broth, giving off a fragrant aroma. This fruit hot pot, which serves 3–4 people, is priced at 3,980 yen (nearly 1,050 TWD) and is especially popular among women in their mid-20s to 30s.

In addition, the “Buckwheat Tea Milk Fruit Hot Pot,” which includes milk-based sweet soup with apples, oranges, and kiwis, is priced at 2,480 yen (about 653 TWD). The buckwheat tea in the broth gives the hot fruits a surprisingly delicious taste and a visually stunning presentation, offering a double enjoyment.

Paying attention to the catchphrase award winner “Insta-worthy,” meaning photos shared on Instagram, this year the focus has shifted to “movie-worthy (Moviegenic) hot pots”—those that are so dynamic and full of sound that they whet your appetite and make you want to record them. In 2016, “photo-worthy (Photogenic) hot pots,” which focused on taking beautiful pictures, were a hot topic. For example, there were “character (Character) hot pots” that used creative food arrangements to depict popular anime characters.

For the “Spicy Lamb & Tomato Hot Pot with Rich Cheese Sauce” at the Italian restaurant “TOSCANA,” the melted cheese is the key to being “photo-worthy.” When the staff slowly pours cheese into the cabbage roll hot pot already containing lamb and chicken, it’s the perfect moment to start recording.

In August 2016, Instagram introduced a video upload feature called “Stories.” More and more users are not only sharing photos but also starting to post videos.

Food stylist Shunhiro Ueki, who has over 83,000 followers on Instagram, says, “Dishes that match the season tend to get more likes.” Now is hot pot season, and using five or more colors such as red and green can significantly boost visual appeal and attract more attention.

In a survey conducted by Japan’s research institute Trend Lab, 71% of women expressed interest in “movie-worthy hot pots.” Meanwhile, 77% said, “It seems to be this year’s trend.” Chief researcher Masayo Yamaguchi noted, “Sharing joys beyond just taste can become an opportunity to attract viewers to come and try the dish for themselves.”