Looking to buy a house with a small yard in an urban area. I was told there are no rules against making a small fire and have BBQ, but does anyone have any experience in doing this?
Is it legal or okay?
I’d hate to buy a home and not have any right to use my land how I want, without some busy body calling the fire department.
8 comments
I BBQ all the time in front of my house. In high density Tokyo.
More important than what the formal rules say is what your neighbors are like. Neighbors on both sides of my place are OK with it and have BBQs themselves, so I’m OK. But others might not be the same.
More than likely busybody neighbors would complain about noise from an outdoor BBQ rather than the smoke.
If you own a detached house is not illegal to barbecue on your private land in Tokyo but you have to make sure to keep the noise down and not produce too much smoke and foul smelling emissions. These are public nuisances and you may have the police called on you. To prevent this you should invite/warn your neighbors about the barbecue, giving them ample time to take in their laundry from their balconies.
I live in detached house, though we dont have yard , we have a perfect space on balcony(2nd floor) . We just bbq up there. Bought bbq grill setup from home decor for just about 7-8000¥. And we enjoy it most of the weekend. Main thing is to not to make noises and disturb neighborhood.
Thanks for all the replies. It’s a relief to know people do have BBQ without much problems.
Were still looking for houses. In two of the areas there were some very troublesome neighbors. Hopefully we can fine a good place.
BBQ all the time here every season. The closest I’ve come to a complaint was one autumn, around about the time in the afternoon people like to air their houses out, I hear a “someone’s bloody bbqing” followed by a slammed window. I avoid that time slot in the spring and autumn to keep the peace now. Still no complaints after many years.
Edit: I should add I use some odd looking bbqs to improve burn and reduce smoke. Largely looks like a cross between a shichirin and a rocket stove. You could have some fun with a larger fire starter stove, with a hanging grill about 30 cms above. Little to no smoke once you get it going.
Just mention to the neighbours you will be having a BBQ.
If anyone does come round to complain, greet them warmly, hand them a burger and beer, then start introducing to everyone.
I BBQ all the time but as many said it’s dependable on your neighbors.