Dinner is often a group activity. It’s always a fun idea to get friends together and go check out a restaurant as a group.
Because of this, many of us don’t really like the idea of having to eat alone. But if you manage to get over the anxiety of dining alone, it can really be a wonderful and liberating experience. Personally, I like going out to dinner on my own. It’s an empowering experience. And if you’re a solo diner in Japan, there is a hot pot restaurant in Tokyo that is designed for the table for one.
According to the Japanese food blog Grape, the restaurant, known as Hokkaido Menkoi Nabe Kuma-chan Onsen, is relatively new, having first opened up in December 2021. The restaurant does hot pot, which they share some photos of on Instagram.
However, as most people might know, hot pot is generally a sharing dish in which a group gathers to eat and spend time with one another. However, because the Hokkaido Menkoi Nabe Kuma-chan Onsen specifically has solo diners in mind, they’ve made a rather unique single-serving size for those seeking hot pot. And the most adorable part is that it comes with Kuma-chan, the restaurant’s bear mascot, as you can see in the picture below:
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Kuma-chan in Japanese means “little bear,” and it is fitting that the restaurant’s decor is full of cute little bear images. In the Hokkaido dialect of Japanese, menkoi translates to “cute.” In Japanese, nabe means “hot pot,” while onsen means “hot springs.” So, in full, the name translates to Hokkaido cute hot pot little bear hot springs – that is quite a title! But just because it has a very adorable aesthetic, doesn’t mean that there isn’t a little dash of darkness to the facade.
One of the establishment’s highlights is that you get to choose the flavor of broth for your hot pot. But then once you have selected your broth, they will bring you your hot pot for one – but with an addition. Looking like he’s enjoying a dip in the hot springs, your bowl will contain a cute little Kuma-chan, who will dissolve before your very eyes. Yes, the cute little bear is actually an integral part of your meal as it makes up the broth base for the hot pot. The adorable edible bear consists of edible fibers and collagen.
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But why an edible bear? According to Sora News 24, the restaurant’s staff, “It’d feel vicious if we went with dogs or cats, right? Sometimes bears kill people…”
Might seem a little dark, but the concept has shown itself to be a rather big success. The edible Kuma-chan comes in a variety of flavors, including seasonal flavors that change over the course of the year. The Kuma-chan doesn’t just come in different flavors, but also colors that can make your dish anything from a white broth to a vibrant green or blue broth.
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Of course, once you’ve picked your Kuma-chan broth base, you can customize your hot pot to your own taste with a variety of meats and vegetables to cook in your broth. You’re also given an option between dumplings, ramen, or Korean Tteok-bokki as well!
Despite the little edible bear getting cooked down to nothing, it still sounds like a very clever idea! Would you ever like to try this place for their Kuma-chan hot pot? Let us know!