Yakitori (焼き鳥)

If you want to understand how Japan unwinds, find a smoky little yakitori counter under the train tracks, order a cold beer, and start pointing at skewers. Yakitori is chicken — every part of it — skewered on bamboo and grilled over roaring charcoal until the edges char and the fat drips and sizzles. It's the soul of the izakaya: cheap, sociable, smoky, endlessly orderable, and best enjoyed one stick at a time with a drink in hand.

The beauty is the range. It's not just thigh meat (momo). Yakitori is gloriously nose-to-tail — skin, liver, heart, gizzard, tail, meatballs, even cartilage — each part with its own texture, each turned delicious by salt, fire, and a little smoke. And if offal scares you, the basic skewers alone are worth the trip.

Born under the tracks

Grilled skewered food is old, but yakitori as we know it boomed in the 20th century as cheap post-war street food — smoky stalls and counters clustering around stations and in alleys like Tokyo's famous Omoide Yokocho ("Memory Lane") and Yurakucho under the train tracks. It was working people's food: a few sticks, a beer, a place to decompress after a shift.

That DNA is still there. The best yakitori is often a tiny, well-worn counter where the master grills in front of you, sweat and smoke and all. It's atmosphere you can taste.

Why salt-or-tare is the whole decision

Every skewer comes one of two ways: shio (just salt, letting the chicken and char speak) or tare (a glossy sweet-savory soy glaze, brushed on and caramelized over the fire). Purists say lean cuts like breast and sasami shine with shio; richer cuts and tsukune (meatballs) love tare. Honestly, order some of each.

The other secret is the charcoal — ideally binchotan, a dense white charcoal that burns hot and clean, searing the outside while keeping the inside juicy. That smoke is the flavor.

How it's made

1. Cut chicken (and various parts) into bite-sized pieces and thread onto bamboo skewers
2. Season with salt (shio) or prepare to glaze with tare
3. Grill over hot charcoal, turning, until the edges char and the fat renders
4. For tare, dip and grill repeatedly to build a caramelized glaze
5. Serve hot off the grill, often with a sprinkle of shichimi pepper

Before you go — point, sip, repeat

Your questions, answered honestly

"What do I order first?" — Start with the crowd-pleasers: momo (thigh), negima (thigh + leek), tsukune (meatball), and kawa (crispy skin). Then get adventurous.

"Shio or tare?" — Try both. A good move: lean cuts shio, richer cuts and meatballs tare. Tell them per skewer or just say "omakase" and let the chef choose.

"What's the small dish they bring first?" — That's otoshi, a small seated charge / appetizer that's normal at izakaya. Don't be surprised by it on the bill — it's basically a table/seating fee.

"Is the weird stuff worth it?" — Yes. Bonjiri (tail, fatty and rich), nankotsu (crunchy cartilage), and reba (liver) are favorites for a reason. Be brave.

"What do I drink?" — Beer or a highball (whisky soda). Cold, fizzy, and made for cutting through smoky charcoal chicken.

What the staff will ask you

To order, just say "Yakitori moriawase kudasai" (焼き鳥盛り合わせください) — "an assortment of yakitori, please."

Where to eat it

• Omoide Yokocho & Yurakucho (Tokyo) — atmospheric alleys of tiny smoky yakitori counters under the tracks.
• Any izakaya — yakitori is on nearly every izakaya menu nationwide; look for a charcoal grill (sumibi).
• Yakitori specialists (yakitori-ya) — for the nose-to-tail experience with a master at the grill.

Tiny counters fill up fast after work, so go early — and the seating charge (otoshi) is normal, not a scam.