First Fire:
An early summer robata

There is something ceremonial about the first fire of the season. When the binchotan is lit and the grill comes to life, it marks more than a meal — it marks the true arrival of summer. Robata, Japan's open-fire grilling tradition, is at its most exciting in these early weeks, when the season's first vegetables arrive tender and full of potential. Early-summer produce has a brightness that later harvests can't replicate — delicate, sweet, and perfect for the clean, intense heat of binchotan charcoal. Premium cuts of meat join the skewers, seared quickly over the white-hot coals, caramelized on the outside and yielding within. Binchotan burns hotter, longer, and cleaner than conventional charcoal, imparting a subtle smokiness that never overwhelms. Everything is eaten hot off the skewer — no waiting, no ceremony, just the pure satisfaction of fire and flavor. The grill is open. Summer has begun.