I’m looking at getting a propane BBQ (just prefer having better heat control and less hassle than charcoal). However, I have no idea what the situation is here with regards to getting gas. In the west you can pretty much pickup a propane tank or get it refilled at any gas station, but I don’t see any of that here. So I’m curious how propane tanks/refills work in Japan. My wife was mentioning something about having to subscribe to a service, but that sounds a little extreme to me. Any advice appreciated!
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I went with charcoal because, in Japan, gas seemed to be more of a hassle. There’s no drop-in exchange places, at least in my area, so you have to order and wait for delivery.
Granted, I only did a limited search into this, so there might be an easy way, I just didn’t find it.
You can get setups that use an array of those little cans, but that seems cumbersome and a lot of little cans.
There were pick up / drop off places but I’ve only ever seen them in the countryside and it’s been a few years and I know the laws on gas tanks and usage have changed since then. I would just call up your local propane and propane accessories place and ask them what the deal is…
If you have city gas or propane for the house you could hook up the respective grill to the house line..
I use a smaller Coleman grill with two tiny propane cans. I can order them from Amazon or buy them at donki.
Not as large as a normal western grill but it does the trick.
It’s not this one but similar.
[BBQ](https://store.alpen-group.jp/f/dsg-52544-229891?gclid=Cj0KCQjw27mhBhC9ARIsAIFsETEgdoFFhU9U7wsgsUl1ALJAoHnuQsdBCr4IkRGCtwc8mPupUc2ByK8aAod0EALw_wcB)
I’ve used two methods. One is to take it to my local gas station and drop it off and wait for it to be filled. That sucked, so I searched and found a place that sells propane and is basically a propane gas station for taxis. I had to fill out a card and become a member so they know who I am and know if I bomb some place, but they fill it up right there. I’m in Aichi though.
Just use the regular canisters used for camping stoves, but buy an attachment which lets you use multiple canisters at once. Like this:
[https://car.motor-fan.jp/article/photo/10019907/4515743202107011624360000001](https://car.motor-fan.jp/article/photo/10019907/4515743202107011624360000001)
The merit of this is that you can buy these types of canisters in any supermarket or DIY store. Even some convenience stores have them.
You can buy the attachment on Amazon Japan:
[https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%94%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%83%A0%E3%83%BC%E3%83%B3%EF%BC%88CAMPING-MOON%EF%BC%89-%E3%82%AC%E3%82%B9%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%B3-%E3%82%BB%E3%82%A4%E3%83%95%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E5%9E%8B-3%E6%9C%AC%E9%80%A3%E7%B5%90%E5%BC%8F/dp/B088MDVKJ4](https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%94%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%83%A0%E3%83%BC%E3%83%B3%EF%BC%88CAMPING-MOON%EF%BC%89-%E3%82%AC%E3%82%B9%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%B3-%E3%82%BB%E3%82%A4%E3%83%95%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E5%9E%8B-3%E6%9C%AC%E9%80%A3%E7%B5%90%E5%BC%8F/dp/B088MDVKJ4)
assuming you live in a house, and maybe even have natural gas for your cooking stove/hot water, see if you can get the gas company to install a line outside. you can find converter kits for bbq’s that run on natural gas. then you have a constant supply and dont have to worry about running out.
Most people here use those butane canisters. There are endless options for burners from small tabletop ones, to double or triple burner giant barbecue grills. You can even connect multiple canisters together.
The best thing is that spare canisters are sold cheaply even at convenience stores, usually for around 100 yen each.
Propane is just not worth it in Japan as they don’t have the infrastructure.
Call Hank Hill’s half Japanese brother
This subject hurts my soul and I have to be reminded of it every year as the weather warms. Propane grills are a prohibitively massive headache here and I’m left with no choice but to use (admittedly better tasting) slow-ass charcoal. Bbq is now a big deal at my house even if just cooking a couple ears of corn
huh, I thought propane was more restricted for some reason. Does anyone here have one of those propane mosquito magnets? I really want to try one.
[https://www.amazon.com/Mosquito-Magnet-MM4200B-Patriot-Plus/dp/B07CLT5D6Z/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3UAQ18QRBPT5L&keywords=mosquito+magnet&qid=1680843892&sprefix=mosquito+magne%2Caps%2C243&sr=8-2](https://www.amazon.com/Mosquito-Magnet-MM4200B-Patriot-Plus/dp/B07CLT5D6Z/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3UAQ18QRBPT5L&keywords=mosquito+magnet&qid=1680843892&sprefix=mosquito+magne%2Caps%2C243&sr=8-2)
In my area (rural Tohouku) nobody has gas lines so they have companies deliver refilled tanks at given intervals and connect them outside to houses and businesses. That service didn’t really make sense for my BBQ because they charge a monthly subscription fee of like 2000 yen on top of any charge for the propane you use.
They did offer to let me buy my own tank and come refill it when I call. The initial cost was pretty high. I think for the new tank and hardware, they charged like 16,000. Also I think laws are pretty strict about gas here and they had to hook it up to my grill. Seemed excessive to me, but was a free service. I have an 8kg tank (normal BBQ size is 5kg I think). Just had it refilled. Was around 5000 yen.
I got a 5kg LP gas tank for around 9000yen. I get it refilled for around 7000yen when it empties. This lil tank even has my name on it haha had to get it registered at my local lp gas joint.