Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You -- Main Characters Guide

A complete character guide covering Sasaki (Tayama), Yamada, and the supporting cast. Personalities, relationships, the age gap, and frequently asked questions -- all in one place.

Character Overview

Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is built around two people whose lives intersect at a convenience store smoking area. There are no battles, no villains -- just conversations that grow deeper over time.

Here are the characters that make the series what it is.

Sasaki (Tayama) -- The Woman Behind the Supermarket

Basic Profile

Name: Sasaki (also referred to as Tayama in some translations)
Age: Mid-30s
Occupation: Supermarket clerk
First appearance: Chapter 1

Who Is She?

Sasaki is a supermarket employee whose daily routine involves standing behind the store during her break, smoking a cigarette, and watching the world go by. She is not unhappy -- she is just tired.

Her life is not dramatic. She clocks in, stocks shelves, handles customers, clocks out. The smoking break is the one part of her day that belongs entirely to her.

Personality and Key Traits

Guarded but not cold. Sasaki does not open up easily, but she is not unfriendly. She is the kind of person who has been through enough to know that not everyone deserves your story right away.
Dry sense of humor. Her comments are often deadpan, sometimes self-deprecating, and occasionally catch Yamada completely off guard.
Observant. She notices small things -- the way Yamada fidgets when he is nervous, the subtle shifts in his mood from day to day. She just does not always say what she has noticed.
Independent. Sasaki has learned to rely on herself. She does not expect anyone to make her life better. That is both her strength and her limitation.

Why Does She Smoke Behind the Supermarket?

It is the only place she can be alone.

The supermarket is full of coworkers, customers, fluorescent lights, and the constant hum of refrigerators. Out back, there is just her, a concrete wall, and a few minutes of quiet. The cigarette is almost secondary -- the solitude is what matters.

When Yamada starts showing up, that solitude is disrupted. At first, it feels like an intrusion. Over time, it becomes something she did not know she needed.

Yamada -- The Salaryman Who Keeps Coming Back

Basic Profile

Name: Yamada
Age: Late 20s
Occupation: Office worker (salaryman)
First appearance: Chapter 1

Who Is He?

Yamada works at a company nearby. Every evening after work, he stops by the supermarket -- not because he needs anything in particular, but because it has become part of his routine. One day, he notices Sasaki smoking behind the store and strikes up a conversation.

He keeps coming back.

Personality and Key Traits

Persistent in a quiet way. Yamada is not loud or pushy. He does not declare his intentions or make grand gestures. He just shows up. Every day. And that consistency is its own kind of statement.
Genuinely curious. He asks Sasaki questions not out of politeness but because he actually wants to know the answers. He listens when she talks.
A little awkward. He is not a smooth talker. His attempts at humor sometimes fall flat, and he occasionally says the wrong thing. But his sincerity more than makes up for it.
Patient. He understands -- perhaps instinctively -- that Sasaki is not someone you can rush. He lets conversations unfold at their own pace.

Why Does He Keep Coming Back?

At first, it might have been curiosity. A woman smoking alone behind a supermarket -- a small mystery in an otherwise predictable day.

But it becomes more than that. Their conversations become the part of his day he looks forward to most. The supermarket is no longer just a stop on his way home. It is the destination.

Sasaki and Yamada -- Relationship Dynamics

How It Starts

Sasaki and Yamada's relationship is built on the smallest of interactions: a shared cigarette break, a few minutes of conversation, a gradual accumulation of trust.

There is no instant chemistry. No dramatic confessions. Just two tired adults talking behind a supermarket, day after day, while something unspoken grows between them.

The Age Gap

Sasaki is in her mid-30s. Yamada is in his late 20s. The gap -- roughly 5 to 8 years -- is not enormous, but it matters. Especially in a Japanese social context, where age hierarchies subtly shape how people relate to each other.

Sasaki sometimes treats Yamada with the weary patience of someone who has been around longer. Yamada does not seem to care about the age difference at all. He just sees her.

Why Their Dynamic Works

Most romance stories rely on obstacles: misunderstandings, love triangles, external forces keeping characters apart. Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You does something different.

The only obstacle is the characters themselves -- their guardedness, their fear of vulnerability, their habit of keeping people at arm's length. That makes every small step forward feel earned.

Supporting Characters

The series keeps its cast intentionally small, which lets the two leads breathe. A few recurring characters appear:

Supermarket Manager: Sasaki's boss. Appears occasionally, usually to remind Sasaki her break is over. Their interactions suggest a workplace dynamic that is professional but not cold.
Yamada's Coworkers: Mentioned in passing. They serve to remind readers that Yamada has a life outside the supermarket -- and that he chooses to spend his free moments behind it.
Regular Customers: Brief appearances that ground the setting. The supermarket is a real place with real people passing through.

The supporting cast is deliberately thin. This is a two-person story, and the manga knows it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Tayama and Yamada the Same Person?

No. This is a common source of confusion among English-speaking fans.

Tayama and Yamada are two different characters. The names sound similar in Japanese, which has led some readers to wonder if they are connected or if one is an alias for the other. They are not. Tayama is the female lead (Sasaki), and Yamada is the male lead.

How Old Are They?

Sasaki is in her mid-30s. Yamada is in his late 20s. The exact ages are not explicitly stated early in the series, which fits the manga's subtle approach to character details.

What Is the Relationship Between Sasaki and Yamada?

They meet as strangers -- a supermarket clerk and a customer. Over many conversations in the smoking area behind the store, they gradually become something closer. The nature of that "something closer" is the heart of the story.

For a deeper dive into their relationship timeline (with spoilers), see the full relationship analysis guide.

Do They End Up Together?

The manga is ongoing. Their relationship develops slowly, in keeping with the series' tone. For a detailed breakdown, see the relationship analysis.

Is the Series Worth Reading for the Characters Alone?

Yes. Many fans say the characters are the reason they keep coming back. The plot is quiet; the character work is what makes every chapter worth reading.

Related Guides

Where to Watch the Anime
Do They Get Together? -- Full Relationship Analysis (coming soon)
Chapter Release Schedule and Calendar (coming soon)
Where to Read the Manga Legally (coming soon)
Manga vs Anime: What is Different? (coming soon)

Last updated: July 2026. Character details based on the manga by Jinushi, published by Square Enix. All official character art belongs to Square Enix.