Lovers of nabe may want to consider substituting Chinese cabbage with bean sprouts this winter when cooking up Japan's favorite hot pot dish.
Last fall's typhoon and prolonged cold weather stunted vegetable growth, causing prices for some seasonal produce to surge.
In the last week of December, retail prices for lettuce, cabbage, hakusai (Chinese cabbage) and daikon (radish) doubled compared with the average price for the same period over the past five years, figures released by the farm ministry showed this week.