"Sakadokoro Nabegoya" will be held for the 10th time since 2016

This event has become a winter tradition in Yokohama, with a record of approximately 24 visitors last year, and this year marks its 10th anniversary since its first event in 2016.

This year's theme is "Utage," and in a retro and nostalgic atmosphere, there will be a wide selection of unique hotpots and snacks from all over the country, such as beef tongue spicy hotpot (Miyagi Prefecture), Hinai chicken drops and Akita kiritanpo hotpot (Akita Prefecture), Echigo crab milt miso hotpot (Niigata Prefecture), and duck and marbled oyster mushroom hotpot (Nagano Prefecture), as well as a wide variety of sake, and there will also be a rich lineup of entertainment content.

The event involves going around the food stalls and ordering your favorite hotpot and sake.

If you purchase the "Choi Nomi Ticket" (2,200 yen), you will receive an original sake cup and three sake tickets as a set. Recommended for those who want to try a variety of sakes in small amounts.

We recommend pairing your Kiritanpo hotpot with the winter-only "Yuki no Bosha Junmai Ginjo Namazake."

We spoke to each booth at "Sakadokoro Nabegoya 2026 supported by Daisho" to learn more about their local hotpots and the sake that pairs well with them. First up is "Akita Odateya."

When it comes to hot pot in Akita, the first thing that comes to mind is Kiritanpo hot pot. The rich flavor of the Hinai chicken base will warm you up during the cold season. When we asked the owner what sake would go well with Kiritanpo hot pot, he recommended Yuki no Bosha Junmai Ginjo (Saiya Sake Brewery).

"Kiritanpo is rich in flavor thanks to its base of free-range chicken broth and soy sauce, so it goes perfectly with the refreshing Yuki no Bosha sake. It has a flavor that sake connoisseurs love, and you can really feel the attention to detail that went into it. This is Yuki no Bosha Junmai Ginjo Namazake, which is only available in winter, and you can enjoy its easy-to-drink, mellow, full-bodied flavor that you can only enjoy now."

He also recommended the popular Yamamoto Pure Black (Yamamoto Sake Brewery). Each bottle of Yamamoto Pure Black is carefully crafted to ensure the perfect taste for the drinker, and it pairs perfectly with Kiritanpo hotpot.

How do you compare the tastes of "Nabeshima from around the world"?

Kagoshima Kuronabe Nankyu Noir offers a menu mainly using Kagoshima's famous black pork and black beef, as well as a variety of Kyushu meat dishes and fried foods.

Their signature hotpot is the "Kagoshima Kuronabe Kuroushi Kurobuta - Kiwami-." It's a flavorful dish made with black pork, black beef, and black miso. The sake that pairs well with this hotpot is "Nabeshima" (Fukuchiyo Sake Brewery). In 2011, it won the championship in the sake category at the International Wine Challenge (IWC), one of the world's largest wine tasting events, and is therefore also known as "Nabeshima of the World."

"Nabeshima is a beautifully balanced sake that pairs well with any dish, but I particularly recommend the delicious Nabeshima Tokubetsu Honjozo and the dry Nabeshima Seishu Hishu. Hishu is a textbook dry sake that's perfect for hot pot. Also, while a rich hot pot typically pairs well with a rich, mellow flavor like junmai sake, this delicious Tokubetsu Honjozo is modest and elegant, so it pairs well with rich dishes."

Kagoshima Kuronabe Nankyu Noir offers six different types of Nabeshima, so it might be fun to try them all and find your favorite.

A crisp, dry flavor goes well with fatty dishes like horumon nabe (hot pot) and kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers).

"Tsuruhashi Takadaya" offers a lineup of Osaka's famous gourmet dishes, such as horumon nabe and doteni. When asked what sake goes best with them, they replied "Sen no Rikyu Tokubetsu Junmaishu Gomi Karakuchi" (Rikyu Brewery).

"It has a light, refreshing taste at first, but is also very well-balanced. Horumon is quite fatty, so this crisp, fresh taste goes well with it and makes you want to eat more. It also pairs well with Osaka delicacies like dote-ni and kushikatsu."

So I ordered a tasting set of four types of sake: "Sen no Rikyu Junmai Sake," "Sen no Rikyu Tokubetsu Junmai Sake Gomi Karakuchi," "Chitosezuru Namara Junmai Dry" (Nihon Seishu Co., Ltd.), and "Ichikasa Fugetsu Kuro Junmai" (Kikusui Sake Brewery).

When I took a sip of "Sen no Rikyu Tokubetsu Junmaishu Gomi Karakuchi," I was greeted with a sharp spiciness and an overwhelmingly light and refreshing feeling. However, after that, the aftertaste was very refreshing and clean. "Sen no Rikyu Junmaishu" was smoother and easier to drink, and it was interesting to enjoy the clear difference.

"Chitosetsuru Namara Junmai Dry" has a crisp taste and goes well with the mellow flavor of the miso in the dote-ni. "Ichikasa Fugetsu Kuro Junmai" has a strong body and a distinctively rich flavor. By comparing the two, I was able to notice the subtle differences in their refreshing flavors and spiciness.

At the end

When it comes to a piping hot, flavorful hot pot, the first thing that comes to mind is a cold, carbonated drink like beer or highball, but this event made it clear that pairing it with dry sake like this really brings out the flavor of the hot pot and stimulates the appetite. Not only did each local hot pot pair well with the sake made in that area, but people also discovered that they could "try pairing this hot pot with this sake" and find their favorite hot pot and sake at the same time. The venue was decorated with kotatsu tables, snack bars, and retro signs, making it an event where people could fully enjoy the nostalgic Japanese culture that is unique to winter.

I visited around noon on a weekday, but the venue, the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Event Plaza, was packed to capacity. In this bitterly cold season, it's a luxurious experience to enjoy a variety of nutritious hotpot dishes from around the country while sipping on sake that perfectly complements the hotpot.

Writer: Junko Ethanol
After drinking various types of alcohol, I finally decided on sake after turning 30.
Lately, I've been addicted to sparkling sake.