Explore everyday life in Japan

Barbecuing in Japan

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I don’t know about you, but for me, the word barbecue evokes a specific set of images: large pieces of chicken and meat being basted with some kind of sauce or marinade and roasted over an equally large grill next to hot dogs, hamburgers, and Italian sausages, plates stacked with grilled and boiled corn-on-the-cob, Tupper-ware containers and large serving bowls full of various salads (macaroni salad, potato salad, green salad, fruit salad, etc.), bags of potato chips and pretzels, and, of course, beer, lots of it.

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If your image of a barbecue is at all similar to mine, you will probably be pretty surprised the first time you go to a barbecue in Japan.

Why? Well, to begin, barbecues in Japan usually aren’t held at people’s houses. Many people here live in apartments and condominiums, and those who do live in houses, generally don’t have enough space around their house to keep a grill and entertain people. In addition to space issues, people also worry about the possibility of accidentally causing a neighborhood fire and bothering their neighbors with unwanted smoke and noise. That is why, more often than not, barbecues in Japan are held at a park, a beach, or somewhere alongside a river.

Though their locations may change, here are a few things you can expect to find at just about any barbecue in Japan.

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1. A small charcoal grill, maybe even two or three of them.

Large gas grills simply aren’t used in Japan. Not only is there very little space for them, but they aren’t very portable, especially not in small Japanese K-cars. For a life hack, if you ever want to barbecue in Japan and don’t have access to a grill of your own, check with a local supermarket. Many of them will rent a barbecue set (a grill and other necessary utensils) to you if you can give them at least 24 hours notice.

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2. Slices of meat.

Along with a variety of grilled sea food (from fish, squid, and octopus to large scallops in their shells and a plethora of other shellfish) you will always eat long, thin slices of meat, much like American cuts of bacon, that have been quickly grilled and served with a dipping sauce of some kind.

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3. Yaki-Soba

In my experience, a barbecue simply isn’t a barbecue in Japan without yaki-soba, the famous Japanese spiced noodle dish that is made by sautéing onions, carrots, green papers, and cabbage with soba noodles and then mixing them all with a powdered spice mix.

Without yaki-soba, a Japanese barbecue is all meat, seafood, and alcohol.

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4. Buying ingredients and splitting the bill.

Many times, barbecues in Japan begin at a supermarket. Rather than meeting at the chosen barbecue location, people often meet at a supermarket and buy all the food, snacks, drinks, and supplies that are needed together. They then, simply split the total bill evenly.

In the event that only a few members take on the responsibility of buying the barbecue supplies, those members will bring the receipts to the barbecue and, more often than not, the bill will be divided evenly among the number of participants or families.

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Image Credits: All images in this post are original.

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This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.

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If you missed my last post, you can find it here Tanabata.

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