​Nabemono which means "things in a pot" or simply Nabe is a term which encompasses a wide variety of Japanese hot-pot dishes in which a soup or stew is cooked in single pot.
Most popularly served during the colder seasons, in modern Japan nabemono is often kept hot with a portable stove at the dining table itself. The diners can pick and choose from a selection of prepared ingredients which they add to the pot to be cooked and eaten directly at the table.It is often considered a fun and sociable way to eat together, and nabemono parties are held sometimes as a celebratory occasion​

[Friends sharing a meal around the nabe pot. Source]

[A cast iron pot cooking a beef nabe known as sukiyaki. Source]

The pots that are used are also known as a donabe, and are usually made of a special clay similar to earthenware ceramic or stoneware, which allow the pot to stay warm longer when removed from the heat source. Some dishes are cooked in cast iron pots which distribute the heat evenly more evenly, and are prefered for dishes like sukiyaki.

Inside the pot usually simmers a flavored broth which is used to cook the ingredients arranged at a table already cut into bite sized pieces. Sometimes served with the nabe is a sauce or a dip which you can dip the meat or cooked ingredient into before eating.

Some would say there are no rules to making nabe, as there are many variations using a wide range of flavors and ingredients which change from region to region, even including more exotic meats such as turtle (suppon-nabe) and horsemeat (sakura-nabe).

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Some of the most popular nabe dishes consumed ​are sukiyaki, shabu-shabu, chankonabe, and yosenabe. Ingredients typically include leafy vegetables, onions, mushrooms, tofu, and many different meats. Noodles are sometimes added to the pot while it is cooking or afterwards, making use of leftover broth.

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The artist from cheftaro.com illustrates some of these popular variants on their website which offers an illustrative guide to Japanese food.

In “The Essence of Japanese Cuisine: An Essay on Food and Culture” by Michael Ashkenazi, nabemono is discussed as having the social benefit of being able to put aside the trappings of adulthood and power in order to indulge in the childish.

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The process of consuming a table-top nabe together with the mess that it entails contributes to a breakdown of social rules and expectations that one would normally be constrained by, as Ashkenazi exclaims "Even the stiffest of social functions are broken when communally fishing for tidbits in a boiling pot."

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He also points out how table-top meals are often consumed specifically with the intention of bringing people together and that with the growing affluence of Japanese society leading to many new forms of entertainment, the tradition of eating nabemono together remains a playful yet wholesome form of social entertainment that can be enjoyed by both children and adults alike, making it a great activity for family bonding.

[A scene in the anime Urusei Yatsura, from the episode titled "Wow! The Mysterious Matsutake Mushroom Soup!" Source]