(John Daub): Welcome to Kitami, here in the very north of Hokkaido.
This is one of the coldest days of the year
and you can see behind me, all the smoke
because there's a massive yakiniku event going on here in Kitami.
This place is famous for yakiniku.
It's grilled beef.
2000.. over 2000 people come here for the last 21 years
to eat meat together.
Wanted to do it on this frozen day in the middle of February, outside.
I'm not really sure,
but I've always wanted to come here to experience this event.
Now you are too.
So let's go have some yakiniku and learn why the heck these people are out here.
Let's go eat some meat! C'mon!
♫ Intro music ♫
Irrashaimase! (Welcome!)
Peter von Gomm: ONLY in Japan!
John: I rented a car from Sapporo's Chitose Airport and drove the snowy roads
to the northern extremes of Hokkaido through very peaceful scenery.
Which was much needed after another extreme experience in Hokkaido just 24 hours before.
I participated in a Hadaka Matsuri, or Naked Man Festival,
in Noboribetsu dressed only in a fudoshi thong.
A group of local warriors set to do battle in sub-zero temperatures,
snow, and lots of hot spring water.
(Screaming): I see in the mist! I see in the mist!
It had a lot of spiritual meaning, as you can see,
and it got me pretty amped up.
(Screaming)
The drive up to another sub-zero Hokkaido festival was really calming.
[Calm music]
So where exactly are we heading in Japan's extreme north?
From Chitose Airport it's a 300 km, 4 hour drive, via Obihiro to Kitami station.
120,000 people living in sub-zero temperatures for 4 months of the year call this home.
And it's a peaceful home covered in snow just like the North Pole.
My destination tonight was a parking lot behind Kitami station right here.
Kitami Station.
The station sign with snow and icicles.
It wasn't hard to find this event.
Just head towards the smoke.
Despite the temperatures heading towards -20°C,
over 2,000 people showed up for the coldest barbecue festival in the world, that I know of.
Fire and smoke from grilling meat.
It was quite a surreal sight in the middle of winter and it smelled wonderful.
People huddled around the fire like this just seemed so awesome to me.
Normally people would be inside doing anything they could to stay warm.
Tonight was special.
John: Why do you hold this event every year?
Why Kitami - at night - in the middle of winter?
Yamamoto: Kitami is famous for yakiniku
and also for being extremely cold
so you put those two together
people here have a great time!
People are either happy - or in pain from the cold
We're not sure which.
This city is an extremely cold place in Hokkaido
so in this situation, we grill meat and have fun.
Every year the festival gets more popular
this year 2,100 people.
Yesterday it was about -20°C / -4°F
From yesterday and for the next 2 days
are the coldest nights.
Tonight, it's going to drop to around -20°C again.
John: I drove through Japan's coldest town to get here, Rikubetsu.
The town's sign says it all:
"Japan's coldest town" proclaimed at the town's central roadhouse.
A warm -12°C when I arrived.
The town is in a valley in north central Hokkaido so the cold air just sort of builds up here.
Continentality, all the Hokkaido chill sweeps in and settles.
And the record here is -38.4°C which is just crazy.
I went out here at 11 pm to check and it hit -27°C.
You think maybe my light warmed it up a degree?
North of Kitami is Abashiri city right on the Sea of Okhotsk.
Yeah the sea up here freezes over
so one attraction is to jump on an icebreaker cruise.
It's very therapeutic to see the massive chunks of ice get destroyed.
Crushed under the ship's hull.
[Rock music]
Man over speaker: Do you want to eat Yakiniku!?!
Is yakiniku delicious?!?
John: Back in neighboring Kitami the event was warming up
but the temperatures were still dropping.
They really love their grilling meat here.
The first Kitami Extreme Cold Yakiniku Festival was in 2000 with just 100 people.
It's grown a lot over the years with talk of increasing entry numbers.
A ticket is 2,000 yen.
Demand is high to attend.
Purchase in advance.
Let's see what's inside the meat bag I got at the entrance.
Sliced pork parts.
Local cuts of pork karubi, or boneless short rib.
Some cabbage and shio kosho, salty dipping sauce.
It got colder as the event got later.
The fire really helps.
Volunteers help keep the grills going.
It's time to get mine going too.
Yakiniku in Japanese means "grilled meat."
Bite-sized pieces cooked over a charcoal grill or gas fire.
It's super popular in Japan.
Yakiniku restaurants can be found everywhere,
hundreds of them around Kitami city.
Many families also cook it at home.
John: Isn't it cold out here?
Man: It's cold!
(John laughs)
There aren't too many mid-winter events in the cold, especially at night.
But days are shorter and people still need to have some fun.
This helps get over the coldest parts of the almost five months of winter here.
John: Aren't you cold?
Man: ... cold!
(John laughs again)
Even around the fire it's still pretty cold
One form of yakiniku grilled meat famous here is "horumon."
It's organ meat, or innards.
Originating in Osaka in 1940, it's grown in popularity especially here in Kitami.
Many told me it helps with stamina
getting through the long cold winter nights by eating it.
Would you try horumonyaki?
Kitami has some history with it.
Nishino: Right near Kitami Station was
a meat processing plant run by the city.
Because the meat processing plant was right here,
we have excellent pork parts here
really cheap, really fresh
That's the reason.
Also, right around Kitami Station
many Japanese National Railway (JNR) workers
went out to eat yakiniku at restaurants right here,
behind the station.
Many office workers here also eat "horumon" yakiniku
at their offices after work
that's part of the culture here,
history that make this a "horumon" yakiniku town.
I believe this is the 7th time to come for me.
John: And is this time the coldest?
Nishino: Yes, the coldest.
It really is!
Tonight is the coldest.
It was a lot warmer until now.
John: It's very easy to make friends at events like this.
Barbecues have a way of bringing people together even in mid-winter.
The pork karubi cuts were really good.
[Music]
(laughs and nods in bliss)
It's so great to be sitting out in front of the fire.
Because it's so cold, the fire is the best place to be so
sitting in front of, uh the fire, with friends eating meat.
That's what it's all about.
Kanpai! (Cheers!)
Wait, there's ice in here?
There's some ice in here. (Laughs)
Man: It's frozen, it's frozen.
John: Typically you're just huddled up inside in a warm place in front of the fireplace.
This is your fireplace.
(John laughs)
John: Kitami! Yakiniku!
A public service announcement at the end.
So what do locals do when it hits -20°C at night?
John: Huh? You're eating an ice cream?
Buy ice cream.
Kitami residents here are pretty hardcore.
(clapping) Man on stage: Do it again!
One more time!
Thank you! See you next year!
John: This 2020 event ends in success.
Thanks for subscribing to ONLY in Japan for adventures around Japan.
And before I burn my meat here, click and watch another episode from the far corners of Japan.
Mata ne! (See you again!)
(Evil laugh)