Robatayaki

In Japanese cuisine, robatayaki (炉端焼き, literally "fireside-cooking"), often shortened to robata (ろばた in hiragana), refers to a method of cooking, similar to barbecue, in which items of food are cooked at varying speeds over hot charcoal.

Robata originates from a centuries-old country style of cooking by northern Japanese fishermen around a communal hearth (irori) that serves as a cooking area and a source of heat, found on the northernmost island of Japan, Hokkaido.

After a government campaign depicting Hokkaido as an idyllic rustic area, this style of cooking became popular all over Japan.

[3] While the setup varies, a common arrangement has the grill in a central position, whether as a hearth in a sandpit as for the traditional irori, or on a raised dais, around which the customers are seated.

In Japan, where the robata restaurant is often also a male-dominated drinking establishment (izakaya), this evokes a highly prized nostalgic feeling among the clientele.