Savor Tendo’s Hot Pot at the 32nd Tendo Winter Battle: Reiwa Nabe Gassen

A hot pot battle featuring each vendor’s own creations

Tendo’s hot pot battle began in 1996, and this year marks its 32nd edition. The event is described as a food festival where visitors can enjoy a wide variety of hot pot dishes during the cold season. Its number of editions also reflects the history of winter food events in Tendo.

The event’s description calls the hot pot battle “a peaceful battle without weapons.” Despite its name evoking a contest, the focus for visitors is the pleasure of sampling hot pot dishes. Rather than expecting a particular competition, look out for the hot pots created with care by each vendor and participating restaurant.

The main attraction is not just one dish, but a wide variety of hot pots. With each vendor adding its own touch, the event begins with choosing which dishes catch your eye. No source listing individual menu items for 2026 is available, so rather than planning around a particular bowl, it may be best to look forward to discovering what’s on offer on the day.

Your choice of hot pot will depend on how much you want to eat and how much you plan to spend on food. If you’re deciding whether to try several dishes or choose one that catches your eye, remember to budget for admission and food separately. Prices vary by vendor, so you can decide based on the hot pots available at the event rather than assuming a set price.

The event is organized by the Tendo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with the Tendo Chamber of Commerce and Industry Youth Division (Tendo YEG) serving as the organizing committee. The playful name and the event’s description as a food festival showcasing each vendor’s creations come together to make food the focus of a visit that visitors can shape to suit themselves.

Plan around the event hours and food costs

The event takes place for one day only, on November 29. According to the official announcement, it runs from 10:00 to 15:30, with hot pot sales beginning at 10:20. Since sales start 20 minutes after the event opens, use the sales start time as a guide when planning your visit if you’re coming for the hot pots.

Another listing gives the hours as 10:30–15:00. As this differs from the official announcement, don’t treat the two sets of hours as the same; check the official event information when planning your visit.

The venue is the multipurpose plaza at Michi-no-Eki Tendo Onsen Wakuwaku Land. The official address is 2-2-37 Kuwano-machi, Tendo, Yamagata Prefecture. As no route or travel time from a station is provided here, check the venue address and the official access information before setting out.

Admission is free. Hot pot dishes cost extra, with prices set by each vendor. Check the event hours and sales start time, and consider your food budget to help plan a day choosing hot pots from different vendors in wintertime Tendo.