Vegetarian/Vegan in Japan
 

Hi,

My spouse and I are thinking about doing a Contiki or Gap Adventures tour of Japan. We would be going to Kyoto, Tokyo, Hiroshima & Osaka.

We are both vegetarians (no meat, no fish, ify on eggs). Are there going to be places to eat? Did anyone have challenges eating in Japan as a vegetarian/vegan?

We are okay with eating American food if needed.

Thanks!

Surely the tour company can provide you information about this concern. Larger cities usually have vegetarian restaurants. It is also a familiar option to many Japanese because of the lifestyle of their Buddhist monks. Also, most Japanese meals have each component served separately, so even with a meal "set", you could choose or leave components. Many restaurants have plastic replicas of their food on display in the front window, so you can just grab the server and point.
One thing to look out for would be the presence of fish flakes used in miso soup broth and other noodle soup broth (appetizer or quick street food). I would suggest having someone write down in Japanese characters (kanji and hiragana)the phrases you might need to ask about such things.
"American food" is likely to be of the McDonalds variety, or steak, except at breakfast where that means ham, eggs and toast rather than seaweed, pickles, and rice.

Traveling on a group tour like Contiki or Gap will make it more difficult to find the food you want, as group tours usually choose a huge (and mediocre) restaurants, and sometimes will pre-order a set meal for everyone. Traveling independently it will be easy to find vegetarian options. Do have someone write out for you in Kanji what your dietary restrictions are.

My husband is a vegan and had no issues in Japan. Download the app happycow.net which will direct you to vegan and vegetarian restaurants, not just in Japan, but all over the world.

You're also pretty safe in most places using a translator app: "no fish, vegetarian, no dashi (fish flakes)." In most places he just asked for vegetarian because it's unlikely to find dairy in anything. You'll have plenty of options: veggie sushi, soba/ramen with miso or no broth, every kind of tofu imaginable, tempura, grilled veggies, etc. Enjoy!

crosscheck, thanks for your post and the link this will be most helpful to this vegetarian for my upcoming May 2016 trip to Japan.

jdc

Correction: dashi is fish broth; Katsuobushi are fish flakes. Forgot to mention the excellent veggie curries, and the rice, of course. Also the amazing eggplant.

Here is another site:
http://vegan.japanteam.net/en/

Not going to help the OP, but some of the monasteries offer excellent vegetarian meals. One of the most memorable meals I've ever had anywhere was at the Shigetsu inside Tenru-ji in Arashiyama, Kyoto.

You can see my pictures in the middle of this album:

http://rkkwan.zenfolio.com/kyototwo0809

I was just told how hard being a raw vegan would be in Japan, mainly because of how expensive the produce is there.

rkkwan, wonderful pictures. Thank you!

jdc