I adore helping visitors who are vegan.
They are just so organized and well researched! ( as well as being kind, sustainable and thoughtful travelers.)
I have a nice little list of vegan restaurants ( or those whom accommodate our vegan friends at least) but, I must admit that vegan travellers seem to always have a strong overlapping list themselves and, often, some extras that I’ve never even heard of.
These wanderers are ready for Japan in terms of having their restaurants mapped out and, especially in the major Japanese cities, there are so many delicious, beautifully modern and traditional vegan options available. Oh and yes the Happy Cow app also works well in Japan.
I am not vegan but I don’t eat meat and I know the complexities of explaining special dietary requirements in Japan ( if you know me you’ve heard the story of me explaining that I eat eggs, but not meat, but I drink milk and eat fish but … only to have my host family listen so patiently and intently to then thoughtfully respond, “What about sausages?”)
And although there is a growing list of vegan-friendly spots in Japan, what about snacks and meals outside of those listed restaurants? And those delicious “street food” type snacks, did you know what you can eat? …. or …how sad would you be to find out later that you could have had that Icecream bar in Japanese 7-Eleven as it was completely vegan after all? ( although I do highly recommend checking out a very detailed website called Is It Vegan Japan before you travel. They even list vegan friendly accommodation , including ryokans) …. or what about mysterious treats sold next to the fresh produce at a countryside farmer’s market? I mean.. it looks good but you’re just not sure it’s vegan…..but then what if you missed out on something that actually is entirely plant-based? And did you know little tips like the unfortunate fact that Japanese McDonald’s fries are not vegan at all ? ( I know this as some close vegan friends can rely on McDonalds as an “emergency back up” while travelling.)
I also strongly recommend following Vegan Nutristionist Leonore @itadakihealthy for additional restaurants and tips.
What it is hard to explain to friends who are about to travel to Japan and are seeking out the yummy vegan options is…. it’s not just a language issue.
Yes – a printed out card with all that you can and can’t eat is certainly an excellent base to work with… but outside of well-known and quite touristy areas…
It is just very much a brand new concept to many. Many whom ( and Japan has the best customer service and many of the kindest humans I’ve ever encountered) just don’t understand the concept and what and why some ingredients are not included in the vegan diet.
It’s not that some smaller restaurants will dismiss your choices. It’s more likely that they won’t understand just what ingredients you can work with or simply forget that the butter added to the fry-pan, for example, now makes that dish a non-vegan meal.
So is it possible to have a fabulous time as a vegan in Japan?
1000000 % yes.
Is it easy to be vegan and spontaneous while in Japan ( and without carrying around your own snack options all the time?) ?
Now that’s not as easy – unless you have a friend travelling with you to show you all of the little tricks and yummy treats.
Take a Vegan Food Tour as soon as you arrive
For this reason, the Foodie Adventure Japan Vegan Tour is possibly the best and most useful tour that I recommend for travellers ( they also run Gluten Free tours that are equally as useful.)
I took part in the Vegan Shibuya Lunch Tour in January 2020 and it was just so lovely to, not only get all of the hints and little “secret” lunch spots sorted.. but also to hear the full story of a local living in Japan and ask questions about just what their life looks like.
I was so impressed with the quality of the tour because it wasn’t just the typical “let’s walk through our itinerary” and “thanks very much” at the end. This was true quality time spent with hand-holding (in English) in terms of setting those with different dietary requirements up for the ENTIRE length of their stay in Japan.
Our beautiful tour guide, Jackie, not only took us to her favourite restaurants and cafes ( which is lovely but this is where almost all food tours seem to stop) but also took the time to walk us through the convenience stores – turning around packages, showing us ingredients lists, mentioning which flavours of sweets or popsicles did or did not contain animal-derived products ( something that I had no idea about beforehand.)
And then she even walked us through those gorgeous Japanese food halls in the basements of department stores ( depa-chika) pointing out these most freshly baked options, the most beautiful fruit and vegetables – so perfect that they are gifted to friends in a box with a bow and showed us all the options for vegan sweets.
Most of the information shared was brand new to me – even after more than 12 years living in Japan. The attention to detail and customization of our tour itinerary blew my mind – which is precisely why I find this tour so easy to recommend ( and the perfect example of why small businesses are incredible.)
I recommend taking part in one of these tours on day 1 or 2 of your Japan trip as, whether you move on to Kyoto, Hiroshima or even up to Nagano for the snow season, this crash course in how to make the most of the culinary part of your holiday is then all set out for you – no research or hit-n-miss convenience store “taste testing” or google translate disasters ahead.
To book I recommend checking out the Food Adventure Japan website here ( they also have a very informative blog) or find them on their Food Adventure Japan instagram account here.
Please note that these tours are also very much family-friendly.
Some family-restaurants (like American style diners) have options on their (un-changing) menu
For example, Royal Host has one vegan option – the vegetable curry.
I have a list here of my favourite vegan restaurants in Kyoto.
