So if you guys don’t already know, I’m a vegetarian and I don’t really like dairy products and I don’t eat eggs so I’m kind of a vegan.
Because of my strict diet, I thought it might be a challenge to find food for me in Japan being that it’s the fish eating capital of the world! I imagined that I would be eating mostly only tofu and rice every day… Lo and behold, eating vegetarian in Japan was super easy!!! All the food was delicious and there was a great variety of tasty dishes to choose from. Here are a few notes from my trip to Japan which hopefully will enlighten people about how easy it is to be vegetarian in Japan.
1. There is an abundance of vegetables and vegetable dishes to choose from which are all very fresh. Japanese people choose their meal based on the seasons so for instance, you might see a ”Spring Salad” on the menu if you are visiting in April. Out of season foods are not usually eaten.
2. You won’t go hungry cause there’s food everywhere! In Akihabara, Temples, Train Stations… there are little vendors or booths that sell awesome food (usually snacks that are cheap). Also, you can trust places like 7-11 of AMPM to get a good meal cause the food is great there too! My friend and I were hungry in Harajuku so we went to 7-11 and I got some onigiri (rice balls), a tofu salad and a box of green tea for around $5…. SUGOOOOOIIIIIII!!!!
3. Traditional Japanese snacks are vegan more times than not. Think about it, most traditional Japanese snacks are made from rice or flour, sugar and salt, and a few other ingredients. So this means when you go to those temples or out in the boonies, you can eat the food! Way easier than finding vegan food on the strip in Las Vegas…
4. Waitresses/waiters and SUPER nice and helpful in Japan so don’t be afraid to ask what’s in the food! I was in Tokyo eating lunch with my friend and her dad. We were not sure if there was fish broth in a dish so he asked the waitress. She seemed more than happy to investigate this issue and quickly left . After about 5 minutes she appologized because she still could not find the answer so she said she would make some phone calls to some distributors. After all that she confirmed that the dish in fact had fish broth. She was so polite and so sweet about it!
Now here is one thing that would be difficult if you are a vegetarian and go to Japan… if you don’t like rice you might want to learn to love it like your mom’s home cookin’! Thankfully I love rice so I had no problem eating it 3 times a day and for snacks. Seriously though, you will probably be eating rice at least once if not 3 times a day.
So if you are still feeling a little iffy about being able to eat vegetarian in Japan, FEAR NOT! I have provided a PDF document in this post with words to watch out for when reading the ingredients on menus and packages. This document can be printed and used as a reference sheet, study sheet or you can cut and paste the words on small study cards (Japanese style!) to make it portable! When in Japan, you can also show these to your waiter or waitress and express that you do not eat these items. I’ve also included useful phrases and websites. Cool huh? Hopefully it’s of some use to you guys! Enjoy! ♥
Vegetarian Japanese Vocabulary List PDF
Small Example ~ Click to download PDF
Traditional Japanese Breakfast
Only Onigiri for Sale!
Purple Potatoe Specialty Shop
Pre-packaged Roasted Chestnuts ~ Yummy!
Giga Pudding!!! (wtf?!)
Get Good Food at AMPM!
