Shabu Exterior
Shabu Exterior

CONTRIBUTED BY MONETTE EAMES

It was the day of Typhoon Songda and our Japanese friends decided to go bowling. Our family figured that if Japanese people were still out and about, the typhoon couldn’t be that bad — yet. We headed to Seaside Bowl in Chatan and after a few games, we left and found it pouring like cats and dogs accompanied by a slight wind. We walked right across to Shabu-Shabu and B.B.Q. and found it a safe and warm haven in the storm.

Shabu Pot
Shabu Pot

For those of you who are not familiar with Shabu-Shabu, it’s a Japanese dish that came from the Mongolian tradition of nabemono, or ‘one pot’ cooking. In shabu-shabu, thin slices of meat, veggies, and even noodles are placed in a communal pot of boiling water and swished back and forth until cooked. Then they are dipped in different sauces. Shabu shabu basically translates to ‘swish-swish,’ which is the sound they make in the broth.

Shabu Raw Food
Shabu Raw Food
Shabu Inside
Shabu Inside

We’ve had nabemono parties with friends before, but this was the first time we actually went to a restaurant to have shabu-shabu. It was 990Y per adult, 890Y for under 12, and 390Y for under six for all you can eat pork and chicken. If we wanted to add beef and pluck (that’s what it said on the menu—typo for duck, maybe?), it would cost a few dollars more and if we wanted to add BBQ, it would be 2290Y per adult. You’re given 90 minutes to devour all the meat you desire. We opted for the pork and chicken shabu-shabu and 990Y  sounds pretty cheap for all you can eat meat.

However, they got our family by charging 199Y for each bowl of rice. Our family LOVES rice, so I had to keep reminding family members to eat more meat and less rice. We had fun swishing the meat and veggies in the boiling broth. We could choose two types of broth for our meal: Korean, which was spicy and hot; Japanese, which was soy sauce-based; Light, which was seaweed-based; and Italian, which was tomato-based. We chose Japanese and Light. Our meal was perfect for a Typhoon Day. However, with it being so yummy, I woudn’t mind having it any day. We’ll just have to train ourselves to eat the meat without rice. Then that would be a super deal!

Directions:  From Foster commissary gate turn right on 58, turn left at the Ferris Wheel towards American Village. Park at the Sega/Seaside Bowl parking lot. It’s on the 2nd floor, right across the bowling alley. This restaurant is also next to Kami Sushi.

Shabu Square
Shabu Square

Hours:  11:30 am to 11:30 pm daily

Phone:  098-936-4598

Payment:  Yen

Menu:  Click for larger

Shabu Menu
Shabu Menu

10 COMMENTS

  1. One of my husband and I’s favorite places to eat! We always get the set for ¥1699 each, so we get unlimited chicken, pork, pork guts, and two kinds of beef. We always say no pork guts or chicken, but that’s personal preference on our part! It’s all you can eat in a 90 minute span, and they will let you know when you are getting close on time. This is a great place to go with friends so that you can have plenty of time to chat and eat at the same time! We have never had a bad meal here, and we go several times a month. This is actually where we are having dinner tonight as well. It’s our go-to for post-dive meals and when we are very hungry. You definitely want to come with an appetite so you can take advantage of all the great meat and veggies.

  2. I have been here twice now and I love it! The first time I took my 5 year old with me for a mommy daughter date. We had the bbq and a bowl of bibimbap that was to die for. I love that the table we were at had the grill built in and it used coal. My daughter got a kick out of them bringing it out. The food was delish.

    We went back tonight with the hubby and my son and had the shabu shabu. It was really good!

  3. Me and hubby got snobbed by the three teens in our house tonite, so we ended up here. Nice place. Tiny and quiet. Not a “great” atmosphere but perfect for hanging out and enjoying the night. The food was good and the service was great. We had shabu shabu tonite but will have bbq next time. we live right across of american village so it was a fun walk over and home for us. Thanks for this post.

  4. While it is good to be reminded that all SOFA status personnel need to follow typhoon safety and base lockdowns, I have confirmed with Monette that this did indeed take place before lockdown. I have removed portions of comments and entire comments that violate our comment policy. Please play nicely.

  5. Dear Seriously, you must not be aware of the typhoon conditions. They are posted on the Kadena Force Support webpage. When the TCCOR reaches a certain level, then they ask that all military (not SOFA!) people be inside. As you probably don’t remember, we didn’t reach that level during Songda until well after dark. having bad information is one thing, but being mean and using foul language is something completely wrong. Moderator, please delete Seriously’s posts and ban them from further comments. Thank you Monette for another wonderful post and please don’t let people like “Seriously” get you down – they are just jealous – in addition to being misinformed. 🙂