Odate Kiritanpo Nabe, Grilled Rice in Hinai Chicken Broth
Kiritanpo nabe is an Odate and northern Akita hot pot: partly pounded cooked rice is wrapped around skewers and grilled as tanpo, then cut and simmered with Hinai chicken broth and meat...
At a glance
| Name | Odate Kiritanpo Nabe, Grilled Rice in Hinai Chicken Broth (Kiritanpo Nabe) |
|---|---|
| Prefecture | Akita |
| Region | Hokkaido & Tohoku |
| Type | Grilled pounded-rice cylinders simmered with Hinai chicken and vegetables |
What is it?
Kiritanpo nabe is an Odate and northern Akita hot pot: partly pounded cooked rice is wrapped around skewers and grilled as tanpo, then cut and simmered with Hinai chicken broth and meat, burdock, mushrooms, Japanese long onion and seri (Japanese parsley). The grilled rice absorbs the broth.
Miso-tsuke tanpo stays on its skewer and is grilled with miso. Decide whether you want a served bowl, a freshly grilled skewer or ingredients to cook at home before choosing a stall or kit.
History and local context
Odate City records several origin traditions involving charcoal makers, forestry workers and matagi hunters, rather than one proven inventor. Communal new-rice gatherings and hospitality are part of its local role. The association lists tanpo, Hinai chicken broth and meat, burdock, mushrooms, onion and seri as its core. Damako mochi uses rounded rice balls, usually without grilling; kiritanpo is grilled on skewers before cutting.
Checked on 5 October 2026, the 54th Odate Kiritanpo Festival is scheduled for 10–11 October, 10:00–17:00 each day, at Nipro Hachiko Dome. Stalls differ: hot-pot bowls, miso skewers and goods for shipping are separate formats. Do not assume every stall has the same price or ordering method.
Nabekko is an outdoor activity where you buy a kit and cook it at your seat using a pot and stove. It costs ¥4,000 including tax for 2–3 servings; the last reception is 15:00, with a 10:00 start on both days. It is first come, first served and ends when sold out, unlike collecting an already prepared bowl.
Fast Tanpo costs ¥5,500 including tax for four bowls from four shops plus one miso skewer. You cannot choose the shops. The organiser’s indoor booth runs 10:00–15:00 on both days, first come, first served until sold out. Four bowls is a portion count, not a stated number of diners.
The outdoor Tanpo Ten-Thousand-Skewer grilling activity lets you shape, charcoal-grill and eat a miso-coated skewer. It costs ¥500 per session including tax, starting at 10:00 with last reception at 15:30 on both days, first come, first served until sold out. Activity cut-offs are earlier than the 17:00 festival closing.
The 2026 official shuttle plan has Odate Station and Aeon Supercenter Odate routes, ¥100 per person each way, about every 15 minutes from 9:45 to 17:15. The station-side terminus is beside Hotel Route-Inn Odate Eki Minami, via Odate Station. This does not guarantee a particular waiting time. Check the official stops, parking fees and any event changes before setting out.
Outside the festival, the city’s association directory distinguishes eating, buying and shipping. For a home kit, compare whether it contains only rice skewers or also chicken, broth and vegetables; check servings versus skewer count, concentrated versus ready-to-use broth, seri, chilled or frozen delivery and the expiry date of the delivered goods.
How to enjoy it
Read the actual kit’s ingredients, storage, thawing, broth dilution and cooking order first. A rice-only pack needs separately purchased meat, stock and vegetables. Whole skewer count is different from the number of cut pieces.
Odate City’s method cooks chicken, burdock and mushrooms before adding kiritanpo for about 2–3 minutes. That is a guide for this method, not a universal heating time for frozen or packaged foods. Do not shorten chicken cooking or thawing; follow your product’s instructions.
Add long onion and seri toward the finish; serve when the rice has absorbed broth, before it breaks apart. Wash attached seri roots thoroughly and follow the seller’s cooking directions. Compare broth-soaked rice in the hot pot with the grilled surface and miso of a skewer.
Availability varies by maker, season, and destination.
Sources and further reading
Order from Japan
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