Thank you for this helpful video, I'm so pleased you were able to post this before my trip too! I really appreciate the effort you go to to make our lives easier haha :)
If you are vegetarians or Vegans, you can try 精進料理(Shojin ryori) in Japan. Basically, Shojin Ryori and Vegetarian food are same. Shojin Cuisine doesn't use any meat or fish. We are not familiar with the word "Vegeterian" cuz that's English. But if you say shojin ryori, even older people will understand you.
Hi, I am a Japanese who teaches English at college in Tokyo. The textbook that we are using in the class contains the topic of being a vegetarian so I would like to use this video for helping students understand how vegetarians live in Tokyo. Which is going to be a great help, thank you!
@@cakeswithfaces I just finished the class, my students really had fun with this video. Thank you so much! I hope that someday you can eat vegetarian katsu curry in Japan!
@@user-ti2gl2vi7p Ah I wish I could see the class! That's great to hear, thank you! Since recording this, they now have vegetarian katsu curry at Coco Curry - so delicious, I loved it! :-)
I want to go to Japan when I‘m older and thats one thing I always worried about because Japanese people tend to eat much fish. Thanks for this detailed video, it helped me a lot :3
Yes, I was worried about it too, but with a little planning it's not impossible! I'm hoping it will get easier too, with the increase in foreign visitors and the rugby and Olympics coming up.
I was in Japan as part of a study tour way back in the year 2000 and I was the only Vegetarian amongst 80 students from all over the world and fortunately the study tour was sponsored by the Government, there were separate meals that were prepared for me and my host family too understood my predicament and were so sweet to prepare Vegetarian only food. I am planning to visit Japan later this year or early next year and this video will be of immense help. It would be good to see a more updated video. There is apparently a ‘vegetarian society’ in Japan. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos. …a grateful Indian Vegetarian
That's great to hear they were happy to prepare meals for you! There are more options now, and more vegetarian/vegan cafes. However if you're a vegetarian travelling with a meat eater (like me!) it's still tricky. Most places don't have vegetarian options, but if you do some research and take a list of places you know you can eat, it's do-able. I'm going back to Japan in a few weeks and looking forward to checking out some new places. And of course, I'll be sharing them on my channel and updating my restaurant list: www.cakeswithfaces.co.uk/japan/vegetarian-restaurants-in-japan/
actually, being a vegan or vegetarian in Tokyo is easy! Just get the "Happy Cow" app an you'll find many specialised vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Tokyo actually has more than other big cities because the Buddhist religion suggests followers to be vegan. only if you search for vegetarian options in regular restaurants you will have the challenges mentioned in this video.
Happy Cow is great! It's definitely easier if you research or find a specific place to go to - it can be difficult to find somewhere if you're just walking the streets looking, especially when you're hungry and tired!
Glad to hear it! Since I made this video a few years ago there are more and more veggie restaurants - although it's still not common to find veggie options at regular restaurants, so I'd still recommend doing a bit of research and taking a list of places to go. :-)
I'm a strict vegetarian. Just because something doesn't taste like fish doesn't cut it for me. I will not taste something before knowing for sure if it is vegetarian.
J B The only way to be 100% sure would be to stick to vegetarian/vegan restaurants (make a list of them before you go). Because the term vegetarian isn’t completely well-known/ understood in the same way, that’s the way to be sure. Avoid any other meals with soup and sauces etc.
This is a great guide, really appreciate it!! I was really worried about finding veggie restaurants because of the travel guides painting a hopeless picture, but I am really relieved.
Yes there are some horror stories! So I try and tell it like it is :-) It's not easy if you want to eat Japanese food, but it's possible with a bit of research!
Your advice is good for anyone with food restrictions or allergies. I highly recommend printing out the Japanese phrases for food issues on cards for those who are not confident in learning the spoken phrases. Next time, we should coordinate our trips! I would love to see your version of Tokyo. We should go before my son gets too old to get you into Legoland! :-)
I'm heading to Japan in less than a month and I am also vegetarian and have been concerned about how to get by while I'm there. Thanks so much for this video, it helped a lot!!!
Thanks, glad you found it useful! On my recent trip I did more research than before and planned out more places to go, and it was so much less stressful, so I'd definitely recommend taking a list with you!
This is extremely helpful! I have been to Japan once actually, when I was 11, but that was 2 months before I went vegetarian! I am 13 now and been vegetarian for about 2 years. Next year, I might go to Japan for a summer school exchange program if I host family will accommodate my diet, for my graduation trip I am choosing Japan, and when I am an adult I’m going to live in Japan. I’ve been really curious on how I can be vegetarian in Japan, because no matter how much I try to get myself to eat meat I just can’t. I can’t get myself to eat it and will start crying. I’m not sure why as I used to eat it just fine, but I literally cannot now. This video is really great! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
I think it's getting easier to be vegetarian in Japan - there are more veggie and vegan restaurants now, but most places still don't have a veggie option. Looking forward to trying all the delicious things at new places that have opened since I've been!
Amazing thank you! I've been Vegetarian most of my life and have always found something to eat :) it's harder going when I was older with bigger groups of friends but usually I get by :)
It's not easy but it's not impossible either, especially if you have a back-up list of options for when you're hungry and can't find anywhere! In the UK, everywhere has veggie options but in Europe it can be harder.
I was very glad to find this video, thank you! I am a vegan California resident who is planning my 28th trip to Japan. Natto and natto rolls are very rarely vegetarian. Natto are usually processed with gelatin. I was mortified to learn this as I had had natto many times in Japan and loved it. Your video had great information but sometimes things you recommended as vegetarian might not have been vegan. I know I can come with ways to ask, but as you said, I may not understand the answer.
It can be tricky! To be realistic, with the language barrier you have to make a decision whether to avoid something completely if you're not sure, or whether you're ok with not really knowing, unless you're at a purely vegan/vegetarian restaurant. I'll be back in Japan soon so I'm looking forward to trying some new places. I'll be updating my restaurant list with anywhere good that I find!
@@cakeswithfaces Thank you for replying! The first vegan fruit sandwich shop looks wonderful from the links. I plan to check it in Shibuya when I am next in Japan in July of this year. Oh I love almost all music including ska-punk! I suspect someone in Japan does that genre, too; I wish you best luck in finding a show of them! Music shows are much of why I started going to Japan, initially from wanting to see Wink, Aoi Mizuno and Junna Morishita. I’ve gone to Ichigaya Live Inn magic (which became Honey Burst) the most. Including on days when I didn’t even know what musical acts would be playing, just to see a show, and TVTokyo filmed me there. I like to seek out a purely or mostly vegan restaurant and plan a day around that sometimes. I hope Kohrinbo in Nakano Broadway is still there; I’ve been there about fifty times; it is all vegan except occasional egg in the specials can be substituted with something else. It just sits nine people at the counters and the lady chef is very nice, doesn’t speak English, but I use some simple Japanese, point at menu things and sometimes a customer translates for me. I point at my bunny and chick Line Friends wallet to indicate I am ready for the check. I was amazed and disappointed to learn that natto is actually usually not vegan due to having fish sauce with it and gelatin related processing. (Except for one or two brands I’m not sure how to find.) I used to always look for convenience stores’ natto seaweed rolls when I was on the go and didn’t have time for a restaurant. Now I guess I’ll be having inari zushi, banana and plain looking chips at those times more often instead. I’ll be checking for your restaurant list updates!
Some of Cocos have vegan curry. Macrobiotic places are usually vegan. I went in 2017 and 2020 before the pandemic and I am vegan and never had issue or was hungry.
I thiiiink all Coco Currys have vegetarian curry sauce now (it's listed in their standard menu book) - although you might need to check to be sure it doesn't contain honey. And yes, macribiotic places are a good bet! Glad you found lots of delicious things to eat!
Good luck, that'd be an amazing - you'd be able to experience so much! I think it's a different situation being vegetarian if you're cooking for yourself at home.
Thank you for the video. Its really helpful. I was questioning myself whether to go to Japan for vacation or not since being a vegetarian is hard there. This just opened a new perspective. It would nice if you could also recommend some restaurants for vegetarians in tokyo and kyoto. Thanks
Kartik Ganesh Glad you found it helpful! I was worried too before I first went, but you can survive! I’ve actually started writing a blog post sharing my list of restaurants - it’ll be on cakeswithface.co.uk when it’s done. And you can see a few in my other videos :-) I’m going to Kyushu next and doing lots of research as I think it might be a little harder than Tokyo.
I'd love to go there one day and try it! I'm sure it's nothing like Indian restaurants at home 😊 Although I know I can always count on them for lots of choice!
Thank you very much your video so informative, coz I'm planning to work in Japan, but What I worry is food that I will eat there, hoping hoping there will be a good opportunity.
Ooh exciting! This video's from a few years ago so it's slightly easier now - but still most restaurants don't have any veggie options, so you need to know where to go! And if you're living there you'll be able to cook for yourself at home and make the most of all the yummy ingredients from the supermarket.
Yes! At 7-Eleven they have English on the labels now - so much easier. I'm thinking the other convenience stores might follow suit in preparation for the Olympics and with the increase in foreign tourists.
I might be moving to Japan in just over a year and I’m Jewish, all the food bloggers seem to show is stuff I can’t have. I honestly thought every single thing had pork or shellfish but seeing this makes me feel a bit better about actually being able to eat there
Ooh exciting!! I heard so many horror stories before I went about everything containing fish (and also a lot of people say it's easy). In my experience, it can be difficult but it's not impossible. If you're just browsing restaurants on the street looking for options, it can be frustrating, but with some research and preparation there are lots of places to eat. Dashi (fish stock) is the biggest problem. While konbu dashi (made with seaweed) does exist, when you're eating out the default version is made with dried tuna. There's a chance it may contain shellfish to make the broth, and communication could be difficult. The broth of meat-based ramen will often be pork-based so probably best avoid that unless you know it's safe. I'm not sure of all the details of a Jewish diet so sorry if I get anything wrong! But beyond vegetarian meals, there are options with chicken and other meats eg yakiniku or similar will be at most izakayas (bars with food), there's sushi and sashimi without shellfish at most sushi places, eel (unagi) and if you look them up there are non-pork ramen options eg Kagari Ramen in Ginza has chicken-based ramen. And there are non-Japanese restaurants eg Indian curry, burgers, Italian, which will have lots of options as a back-up. Of course if you're living there, you'll be able to cook at home and get ingredients to make your own non-pork, non-shellfish dishes, but you'll certainly be able to enjoy eating out as well! Hope that helps!
Thank god this video is really useful for me ....as I'm planning to visit Tokyo next year and I'm vegetarian....I'm bit nervous what I'm going to do for the food . It's a very useful video for an vegetarian people's .
Hope it helps! Did you see my list of restaurants with veggie options? Hoping to update it when I can get back to Japan. My top rec is T's TanTan, so good!! 😋
Yes, I found even cheap food is excellent quality, and it's great that there are vegetarian and vegan restaurants. With a little research you can eat well if you know where to go!
Lots of good tips, but there are a few things that may be an issue. French fries at McDonalds have beef seasoning. Bonito flakes (tuna) are in more than you can see in Japanese food. All miso soup has bonito. All udon too, and tempura dipping sauce. Sometimes dashi is made from kombu instead of dashi (worth asking about). Be careful of Indian curries too....I've ate at places and later found out they used chicken stock, but that was outside of Tokyo.
It's so hard to avoid isn't it! I think the most realistic way to go is to avoid what you can, avoid soups etc unless you're somewhere that states they use kombu dashi and try not to think too hard about the rest. Obviously it depends on your reason for being vegetarian but realistically you'll never know all the ingredients when you're eating out.
Cakes with Faces Yes, soups and dipping sauces are best to be avoided. You are right! I'm very picky about making sure meat isn't in my diet, so I ask lots of questions at restaurants. Thank goodness for Italian and Indian restaurants especially!
Yes! Usually I avoid everything, but in Japan I try and I try not to think about it too much because it's just impossible otherwise. I always want to eat as much Japanese food as possible to try authentic local food, but that's the hardest one! (╥ω╥) There's always a time when I resort to having pizza out of desperation.
Many thanks for the video!! I'm a vegetarian living in Taiwan (many many vegetarian places here!) and go to Japan every year and always struggling to find food....specially cheap one! Thanks again!!!
So glad you found it helpful - it's not easy is it! I've just come back from Japan and this time I did a lot more research into places to eat, and it was so much easier and less stressful. I filmed lots of new places, so look out for them in my videos! :-)
Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea have many places where you can eat delicious vegetarian food. I've noticed Japan is one of the SE Asian countries where vegetarian food can be a challenge to find if you're not prepared.
Been enjoying your videos. Very helpful. Subscribed! Although, for you vegetarians out there, just wanted to mention tamagoyaki(egg omelette) is made with dashi (at least most of them contain dashi), and McDonald’s fries are not vegetarian as they contain beef extract.
Thanks for the tip! It's so hard to avoid dashi, it's in so many foods isn't it! I try and take the attitude of eating what I can get as there are so few options (especially as I travel with meat-eaters, so I'm usually not eating at vegetarian places).
Actually, McDonald’s fries only contain beef extract in the USA! You can’t have them here, but you can have them anywhere else in the world, including Japan :)
So much wonderful advice- thank you! Be careful of the soyburgers at MosBurger as they contain chicken for some reason. If you are strict on fish stock (dashi) as well, their vegetable rice burger is also NG but if you accept it is sauteed in fish stock, that Kinpira Rice Burger is a good option. Shake Shack is now around Tokyo and has a Mushroom burger, but it is deep-fried with cheese and the staff said cooked in the same oil as the meat.
Someone told me that last week about the Mos Burgers - it seems strange that they'd put chicken in a soy burger...? On their website, the allergen information is inconsistent - in some places it says chicken is just used on the same production line, and for other soy patty burgers it says pork, beef and chicken are ingredients. So if you're strict, it might be best to avoid it altogether. Personally, I avoid meat because I don't like it, and it doesn't appear or taste like it has meat in it, so my take is that it might just be fried in the same oil or made in the same factory. Realistically, I think a lot of veggie food is probably cooked in the same oil as meat when you eat out. So especially somewhere like Japan where veggie options are so hard to find, I try to be easy-going about it - but otherwise it's definitely safer to stick to 100% veggie places.
Wonderful video, I only wish I saw this before I went to Japan! I ate the vegetarian curry at CoCo Ichi tons of times because it was near my hotel and the curry was delicious, I really recommend it.
You can try cafeterias at universities, too. They have some special menus for international students. I work at the university in south part of Japan, that's pretty far from Tokyo, very country side, but they even serve halal meat. and usually price is pretty good.
Great idea, I'd never thought of that! It makes sense that they'd cater for international students with different diets. Thanks for the suggestion! :-)
such a great video, thank you! I found researching on happycow.net before I went definitely helped as well as we plotted all the veggie places on a google map & then just hunted them down when we were there! Subscribed & can't wait to watch the rest of your vids :)
Thanks so much, there's lots more Japan vids on the way! :-) Happy Cow is so useful, wherever you're travelling to! And Family Mart - YES! The best thing I had from them recently was an apple and cinnamon sandwich, YUM!!
Even here in the west none vegetarian restaurants, staff do not know what it means..they will say there is no meat but will have chicken or fish (or their sauces) or fish egg....or fry your vegetarian option on the same cook top as the meat or pull out the chicken leg out of the soup.... now its vegetarian....
I'm lucky in the UK that almost all restaurants have a vegetarian option (even if it's not very good!) - and more so now that veganism's become so popular. It can be difficult when travelling though - especially when I went to France and they put ham in EVERYTHING!
Hi, Thanks in advance. Your video is really useful for the first timer visit. Actually, we are planning a trip to Hokkaido for more than week. How easy to get vegan food in Hokkaido
That'll be amazing! Did you see my Hokkaido videos - here's the playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PL-YXkErUfa4nqKVafL9bhvEyCb36NiPzP.html There are more options now than when I made this video several years ago, but most places still don't have any vegan options, so it's definitely still worth doing your research and going armed with a list of places where you can eat. Also Happy Cow is very useful (for me it's trickier as I travel together with meat eaters!). The smaller the place you're going to, the harder it's likely to be. In larger cities there's more likely to be a vegan restaurant. Dairy isn't used that widely in Japanese cooking (apart from desserts, bakery items, etc) so if something's vegetarian it'll probably be vegan too (unless there are eggs, which you'll be able to spot easily on a picture menu). Sushi places usually have at least a cucumber roll and maybe one or two options (but don't expect a big choice). And there are indian and italian restaurants that can be a back-up if you can't find vegan Japanese food. More branches of Coco Curry have vegan curry rice now too (and it's delicious!). Check what you can eat from convenience stores because they're everywhere - in Hokkaido they have Seico Mart. If you're going to Hakodate I'd recommend Masala Curris - they have a veggie curry option that's SO GOOD and a really cool place - it's at the end of this video: ua-cam.com/video/Och57fy4A2c/v-deo.html Hope that helps!
you forget that you can order rice or noodle with fried eggs, fried tofu, and so many flavorful and nutrious food, instead of trying to get a food that is basically full of meat/fish, and have them change the menu to suit you. they even can melt cheese on your fried eggs and rice. vegetable tempura is a natural as well, and the meso soup with tofu and noodle
Yes, if you know some Japanese you can politely ask for menu items to be modified - I've tried that with varying levels of success, but it's great when it works!
@@cakeswithfaces you know, itz not easy for them to change anything. they prepared everything in that same day, ready to go. for the chef back in the kitchen, the task is just to heat the food and mix with prepared souses. so when i ask for a change, the chef is not papared to do the change, since he needs to cook the whole thing from scratch. they usually dont have the time during the rush hour, and then too tired after that. I just order rice and fried eggs, some mushrooms and vegetable tempura
I don't know if the CoCo Curry sauce is Veg....I mean if You're pretty strict vegetarian even eating the vegetable sushi it is being cut in the same area/knife as fish....same with the Okonomiyakibeing cooked in the same space so You will absorb some meat residue...Just a heads up if You're by the book ie 100% honest with Yourself
The regular Coco Curry sauce isn't vegetarian, but now at select branches they have a separate vegetarian menu. They use a different sauce that doesn't contain meat or meat stock like the regular one (it's really good, and there's a choice of toppings).
Yes, good point! In Japan with the language barrier it can be difficult/impossible to find out what sort of oil's used, etc. So it depends on your personal preference whether you prefer to temporarily turn a blind eye for practicality's sake, or whether you prefer to avoid anything potentially problematic.
I'm not a vegetarian but I noticed that the Japanese and English menus are different, it is not a direct translation of the menu.The English menus usually offers less variety of food compared to the Japanese menu. Even if I don't understand Japanese, I usually check both Japanese and English menus whenever I can, I want to eat what the locals are having.
I went there last month with my son who is not vegetarian and it was extremely difficult. Every single place only offered meat options. I lived off of cakes and desserts and McDonald's and pizza. Oh and Toppo. Super healthy 😕
Yes, it certainly can be difficult! The first time I went, I didn't do much research and didn't have much luck finding restaurants with vegetarian options just walking around the streets. It's so much less stressful (and more healthy!) if you do some research - there are places with vegetarian options, but it's difficult to come across them just by walking around unfortunately!
come to india, learn cooking, and u r good to go, u will never gonna need to eat outside, india shows the whole world that how tasty can a vegetarian food be , it's filled with millions of tasty vegetarian recipes
Mos Burger and Saizeriya saved my ass. Then again, with all the walking, healthier food and proper portion sizes, I lost 10 pounds in a week. And I highly recommend Cafe Aaliya in Shinjuku for the best French Toast on the planet.
Thanks for the rec! I always walk loads on a trip too, about 10 miles a day - so yes you can max out on whatever food you want and make the most of it! :-)
Obviously, all Kombu which is used as ingredients for Onigiri isn't raw but it has been simmered, with the soup, which contains Dashi. Also, Inari sushi is wrapped in "simmered" thin deep-fried tofu. I believe that if now you can guess the soup (which is used to simmer the thin deep-fried tofu) contains Dashi or doesn't :P
Dashi is very difficult for vegetarians in Japan! While dashi can be made with konbu only, for most tourists we don't know enough Japanese to be able to tell if it's vegetarian or not, or if bonito dashi is used in a dish. The only way to be sure is to go to a purely vegetarian restaurant (and I travel with non-vegetarians so that's not always a favourable option). For myself, I try to maintain a level of tolerance, and try to avoid dashi, but accept that I might eat some items that contain dashi without realising it.
My other recommendations: Brown Rice Cafe in Harajuku and there is another place with an almost fully veggie/vegan menu not far away from that street, but unfortunately I forgot the name of it. The name was something about farmers if that helps, sorry! Any of the 'Ain Soph' resturaunts. I went to the Ikebukuro one but they have other locations too.
Yep, Mr. Farmer!! When I ate there they had the vegan menu too and it was AMAZING!! A little pricey but well worth it. I only ate there once sadly, but I had the veg burger.
At an Asia shop I bought ponzu and it contained bonito extract even though it just tasted like soy sauce with yuzu. Now I have bought the vegan version and it tastes pretty much the same. Kind of mind boggling^^
Sometimes bonito's only used in small quantities so doesn't always taste fishy. It's made by drying a fish so it looks like a block of wood and grating it into shavings. The shavings are added to boiling water, then sieved. So it's like the "tea" version of fish, if you like. Ponzu's great though, it's nice as a dipping sauce or splash some on cooked noodles for more flavour.
We need a shared map where all the vegetarian/vegan Restaurants are pointed in Tokyo. Is something like that already excisting? :3 Oh and thanks for the Video btw *thumbsup*
There's a map view on Happy Cow. And here's my list of restaurants with vegetarian options in Tokyo - I'll be updating it when I'm back from Japan! www.cakeswithfaces.co.uk/blog-2/vegetarian-restaurants-in-japan/
I can't say about groceries (I live in the UK) but for restaurants, food's included in this video about how much I spent on a few days in Tokyo: ua-cam.com/video/0kkHrTQsi44/v-deo.html It's from a few years ago; I'll be making an updated version when I can start travelling to Japan again! Hope it helps!
I loved milan nataraj in shibuya. best indian food I ever had in my life. they also have a location ometesando/harajuku area. I went to t's tantan and I didnt enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
I had a sesame seed ramen but I can't remember which one I had. I also had the soy meat sandwich. My preferences are different than other people, but if you don't like super salty stuff, it might not be the best option. I wish I had tried their curry, but I didn't see it on the menu! It might be because I'm not a ramen person in general. But from what I see, there were more options at the Ueno location. Also super important but It's actually Inside the train stations, So ask a train attendent and DON'T EXIT THE TRAIN STATION ONCE YOU GET TO TOKYO STATION. I have no idea bout ueno but I'm sure it's the same.
@@andracrombiexo12 Everyone has different tastes & preferences! :-) Yes, the Ueno one's the same - the restaurant's inside the ticket gates. I think the Ueno branch has more non-ramen options, and more varieties of the sesame ramen (I'm a big fan of sesames - I love eating them on toast, so that's why I liked it so much!).
I found all food to be pretty reasonable prices. Tokyo has a reputation for being expensive, but I didn't think it was particularly expensive at all. (Although I suppose it depends where you go!) Even cheap food was good quality so you can't go wrong! Have a great time! :-)
I'm not really a vegan but i do love japan and i know people go their for food and anime stuff. But sadly i'm half muslim so i can't eat regular meat but when i'm with my friends i just tell them i'm vegan to them but with my family we do eat meat but we eat meat different. I can't really explain to much but yha so that's why when ever i go eat with my friends i will tell them i'm just a vegetarian.
I'd say it's probably easier/safer to avoid meat when you're in Japan too then. Islam isn't very common in Japan so people probably won't be familiar with what types of meat you can eat. To be honest not everyone completely understands "vegetarian"! I've definitely heard of some Halal ramen restaurants in Tokyo though - if you search for "Halal ramen Tokyo" or "Halal restaurant Tokyo" you'll find them :-)
Here's my list of restaurants in Tokyo with vegetarian options - most of them serve meat too so they're good if you're travelling with non-vegetarian/Muslim friends: www.cakeswithfaces.co.uk/blog-2/vegetarian-restaurants-in-japan/
most of japan's veggie burgers that i've seen in videos, have been portobello mushroom burgers, so i was wondering if one could easily find veggie burgers without mushrooms, and what might be the best places to find those? or do they all have options besides mushrooms?
I don't like mushrooms either! :-) There are veggie burgers at Mos Burger, a Japanese fast food chain with branches everywhere. The best thing is they have a choice of burgers with a soy patty - I love the teriyaki burger! Their allergen info's a bit confusing so some people say they contain chicken, but I think it's just because they're cooked in the same kitchen, and on certain burgers the toppings aren't vegetarian. They don't taste like they contain chicken so for me they're all good. They also have veggie burgers at Freshness Burger, another chain, and Ain Soph Ripple, a completely vegan restaurant in Shinjuku (a little pricier). You might find my list of restaurants with vegetarian options helpful :-) www.cakeswithfaces.co.uk/blog-2/vegetarian-restaurants-in-japan/
Thanks for this really helpful video. I am visiting Japan within a few days. I am a vegetarian who does not eat an egg. Any idea or suggestion for a person to survive in Tokyo who does not even eat an egg or egg product?
There are vegan cafes if you look them up (my fav is T's TanTan - branches in Tokyo Station and Ueno Station). Apart from okonomiyaki (where the egg is in the batter), there aren't many "hidden" eggs in Japanese food so it should be straightforward which dishes to avoid eg tamago sushi, ramen with a boiled egg. When noodle dishes contain a boiled egg, it should be possible to ask for it without the egg. Hope you find lots of good things to eat!
It can be a pain sometimes! But it's getting easier compared to how it used to be. With some preparation it's do-able and you can still find lots of delicious things to eat!
I was worried about that before I first went, but it really isn't as difficult as you'd think. Lots of signs are in English, a lot more than I expected, especially on the metro, and in touristy areas most places have english menus. It's surprising how much you can communicate with gestures, especially if you learn how to say "yes", "no", "please", "thank you" and "this please!". If you're vegetarian and worried about being understood, you could use these printable cards: www.justhungry.com/japan-dining-out-cards :-)
I have friends who are vegan who've been to Japan several times. Most recently they stayed in a self-catering place and cooked for themselves. If you want to eat out, there are vegan restaurants like T's Tan Tan and Ain Soph (I'd highly recommend printing out maps and finding them before you go). A lot of vegetarian Japanese food is vegan too, because dairy products aren't a major ingredient in Japanese cooking - apart from egg, which is easy to spot. Have a great trip, I hope you find lots of yummy food!
Nuts aren't that common in Japanese food so it shouldn't be a huge problem. Just watch out in bakery items and cakes - they're most likely to contain nuts. Also if you're allergic to sesames, sesame seeds and sesame oil are used fairly often.
My brother has a peanut and tree nut allergy, and when we went to Japan he wore allergy bracelets and carried cards that stated his food allergies. We really didn’t have much problems!
Jordann Pastel I suspect a lot of places use the same fryer for meat and non-meat/veggie items. I guess it depends how strict you are, whether you want to try and avoid that or not. Realistically, in Japan it's hard enough for vegetarians already so personally I haven't researched it.
There are soy burgers (especially at Mos Burger), and tofu's full of protein! 100% vegetarian or vegan places are probably better for keeping a balanced diet. The way I see it, if your diet's not ideal, it's ok if it's just for a short trip.
Thanks for the information! I've always wanted to visit Tokyo, but my wife is vegetarian and it would have been a bit of a dick move to go without her!
You'll definitely be able to pick out words and understand a few signs/food labels if you can read hiragana and katakana. I'm learning kanji at the moment, it's definitely confusing for a beginner!
Yes! Buddhist monks eat shojin ryori, which is suitable for vegetarians - there restaurants where you can try it at some temples, especially in places like Kyoto.
Google in Japanese and you will find more vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Tokyo than you will ever need to, and this can be said about anything else in Japan, seriously.
+masaegu Ah good tip! I use Google Translate a lot to read Japanese websites (with varying levels of understanding!!) but I hadn't thought of searching in Japanese, thank you! :-)
+Yesuhey I've never gone self-catering so I haven't looked for it, but it looks like there's a shop called Natural House that stocks soy meat: tofusenshi.com/2014/09/21/guide-to-finding-vegan-meats-in-tokyo/ Hope that helps!
What I do is use the phrases at: ua-cam.com/video/x7PXiMf0OwM/v-deo.htmlm56s Not everywhere will do this for you, and it certainly helps if you can learn a little Japanese to help you get by. What I'd recommend have vegetarian options; it takes so much of the stress out of finding somewhere for dinner and ordering! I have a list of restaurants with meat and veggie options; if you'd like a copy, message me on Facebook! facebook.com/cakeswithfaces or send me an email!
Thank you for this helpful video, I'm so pleased you were able to post this before my trip too! I really appreciate the effort you go to to make our lives easier haha :)
It's all for you guys!
🍡
Indian restaurants are saviors of vegetarians all around the world!! 🇮🇳 😋.
Yes!! Always lots of great choices, yum! :-)
Agreed. Indian, Thai, or Vietnamese restaurants usually have vegetarian options no matter where you go!
i agree!
EVEN MEXICAN
@@varshakaul9587those aren't that common around the world actually. Especially not chain fake Mexican.
If you are vegetarians or Vegans, you can try 精進料理(Shojin ryori) in Japan. Basically, Shojin Ryori and Vegetarian food are same. Shojin Cuisine doesn't use any meat or fish. We are not familiar with the word "Vegeterian" cuz that's English. But if you say shojin ryori, even older people will understand you.
Thanks for the tip! :-)
Thank you so much!
Thanks man !
Is vegetarian and vegan considered the same thing in Japan? Like, no eggs and stuff..?
@@chariot5154 nah , for Western world vegetarian diet include eggs but in India , vegetarian means no meat , fish , egg etc.
Hi, I am a Japanese who teaches English at college in Tokyo. The textbook that we are using in the class contains the topic of being a vegetarian so I would like to use this video for helping students understand how vegetarians live in Tokyo. Which is going to be a great help, thank you!
Hope it helps! Lots of people are vegetarian here in the UK & veganism is becoming more popular too. Good luck with the class!
@@cakeswithfaces I just finished the class, my students really had fun with this video. Thank you so much! I hope that someday you can eat vegetarian katsu curry in Japan!
@@user-ti2gl2vi7p Ah I wish I could see the class! That's great to hear, thank you! Since recording this, they now have vegetarian katsu curry at Coco Curry - so delicious, I loved it! :-)
Wan a friend with me gagandeep7@gmail.com
@@cakeswithfaces hello
I want to go to Japan when I‘m older and thats one thing I always worried about because Japanese people tend to eat much fish.
Thanks for this detailed video, it helped me a lot :3
Yes, I was worried about it too, but with a little planning it's not impossible! I'm hoping it will get easier too, with the increase in foreign visitors and the rugby and Olympics coming up.
I was in Japan as part of a study tour way back in the year 2000 and I was the only Vegetarian amongst 80 students from all over the world and fortunately the study tour was sponsored by the Government, there were separate meals that were prepared for me and my host family too understood my predicament and were so sweet to prepare Vegetarian only food. I am planning to visit Japan later this year or early next year and this video will be of immense help. It would be good to see a more updated video. There is apparently a ‘vegetarian society’ in Japan. Looking forward to seeing more of your videos. …a grateful Indian Vegetarian
That's great to hear they were happy to prepare meals for you! There are more options now, and more vegetarian/vegan cafes. However if you're a vegetarian travelling with a meat eater (like me!) it's still tricky. Most places don't have vegetarian options, but if you do some research and take a list of places you know you can eat, it's do-able. I'm going back to Japan in a few weeks and looking forward to checking out some new places. And of course, I'll be sharing them on my channel and updating my restaurant list: www.cakeswithfaces.co.uk/japan/vegetarian-restaurants-in-japan/
thanks for making this! you make the lives of vegetarian's so much more easy!
Thanks! I heard so many horror stories before I first went that I just wanted to share how it really is, from my experience :-)
actually, being a vegan or vegetarian in Tokyo is easy! Just get the "Happy Cow" app an you'll find many specialised vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Tokyo actually has more than other big cities because the Buddhist religion suggests followers to be vegan.
only if you search for vegetarian options in regular restaurants you will have the challenges mentioned in this video.
Happy Cow is great! It's definitely easier if you research or find a specific place to go to - it can be difficult to find somewhere if you're just walking the streets looking, especially when you're hungry and tired!
+Cakes with Faces agreed! happycow is great but on a low budget it can be hard to get to certain restaurants :,(
Thank you! I was terrified of starving in Japan due to a lack of veggie options. Your video has given me much comfort. 😁
Glad to hear it! Since I made this video a few years ago there are more and more veggie restaurants - although it's still not common to find veggie options at regular restaurants, so I'd still recommend doing a bit of research and taking a list of places to go. :-)
I'm a strict vegetarian. Just because something doesn't taste like fish doesn't cut it for me. I will not taste something before knowing for sure if it is vegetarian.
J B The only way to be 100% sure would be to stick to vegetarian/vegan restaurants (make a list of them before you go). Because the term vegetarian isn’t completely well-known/ understood in the same way, that’s the way to be sure. Avoid any other meals with soup and sauces etc.
This is a great guide, really appreciate it!! I was really worried about finding veggie restaurants because of the travel guides painting a hopeless picture, but I am really relieved.
Yes there are some horror stories! So I try and tell it like it is :-) It's not easy if you want to eat Japanese food, but it's possible with a bit of research!
Your advice is good for anyone with food restrictions or allergies. I highly recommend printing out the Japanese phrases for food issues on cards for those who are not confident in learning the spoken phrases.
Next time, we should coordinate our trips! I would love to see your version of Tokyo. We should go before my son gets too old to get you into Legoland! :-)
Yay! So happy you ended up posting this before my trip (:
+Lindsay Ah so glad it was in time! Have a fantastic trip!! ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ
Thank you so much (:
I'm heading to Japan in less than a month and I am also vegetarian and have been concerned about how to get by while I'm there. Thanks so much for this video, it helped a lot!!!
Thanks, glad you found it useful! On my recent trip I did more research than before and planned out more places to go, and it was so much less stressful, so I'd definitely recommend taking a list with you!
AmbyMT and tell me about your experience there how is it in japan it’s exiting to me to hear about it
This is extremely helpful! I have been to Japan once actually, when I was 11, but that was 2 months before I went vegetarian! I am 13 now and been vegetarian for about 2 years. Next year, I might go to Japan for a summer school exchange program if I host family will accommodate my diet, for my graduation trip I am choosing Japan, and when I am an adult I’m going to live in Japan. I’ve been really curious on how I can be vegetarian in Japan, because no matter how much I try to get myself to eat meat I just can’t. I can’t get myself to eat it and will start crying. I’m not sure why as I used to eat it just fine, but I literally cannot now. This video is really great! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
I think it's getting easier to be vegetarian in Japan - there are more veggie and vegan restaurants now, but most places still don't have a veggie option. Looking forward to trying all the delicious things at new places that have opened since I've been!
@@cakeswithfaces that is super reassuring! I can’t wait to visit Japan again!!
I made a giant list of vegetarian restaurants but this video has been a real help. Thanks!
Thanks! That list will definitely be worthwhile. Have a great trip!
Stephen Pho if it's not a problem, can you share them? Thanks
Stephen can you share your list on jayesh1309@gmail.com
Amazing thank you! I've been Vegetarian most of my life and have always found something to eat :) it's harder going when I was older with bigger groups of friends but usually I get by :)
Glad you found some good options! I think when you're travelling with meat-eaters is the hardest (which I always am!!).
it is great that you could find options :) i come from a small city and it was pretty much the same problem
It's not easy but it's not impossible either, especially if you have a back-up list of options for when you're hungry and can't find anywhere! In the UK, everywhere has veggie options but in Europe it can be harder.
I really like your videos, fascinating informative introduction to Japan
Thanks so much! Lots of new Japan videos on the way from my recent trip - hope you enjoy them! :-)
Thanks for the informative video, Japan here I come !!!!! 👍👍👍👍👍
Hope you find lots of delicious things to eat! :-)
Thank you! This is so helpful because I'm a very picky eater and vegetarian so this really helped :)
Happy to be of service! 😄
I was very glad to find this video, thank you! I am a vegan California resident who is planning my 28th trip to Japan. Natto and natto rolls are very rarely vegetarian. Natto are usually processed with gelatin. I was mortified to learn this as I had had natto many times in Japan and loved it. Your video had great information but sometimes things you recommended as vegetarian might not have been vegan. I know I can come with ways to ask, but as you said, I may not understand the answer.
It can be tricky! To be realistic, with the language barrier you have to make a decision whether to avoid something completely if you're not sure, or whether you're ok with not really knowing, unless you're at a purely vegan/vegetarian restaurant. I'll be back in Japan soon so I'm looking forward to trying some new places. I'll be updating my restaurant list with anywhere good that I find!
@@cakeswithfaces Thank you for replying! The first vegan fruit sandwich shop looks wonderful from the links. I plan to check it in Shibuya when I am next in Japan in July of this year. Oh I love almost all music including ska-punk! I suspect someone in Japan does that genre, too; I wish you best luck in finding a show of them! Music shows are much of why I started going to Japan, initially from wanting to see Wink, Aoi Mizuno and Junna Morishita. I’ve gone to Ichigaya Live Inn magic (which became Honey Burst) the most. Including on days when I didn’t even know what musical acts would be playing, just to see a show, and TVTokyo filmed me there. I like to seek out a purely or mostly vegan restaurant and plan a day around that sometimes. I hope Kohrinbo in Nakano Broadway is still there; I’ve been there about fifty times; it is all vegan except occasional egg in the specials can be substituted with something else. It just sits nine people at the counters and the lady chef is very nice, doesn’t speak English, but I use some simple Japanese, point at menu things and sometimes a customer translates for me. I point at my bunny and chick Line Friends wallet to indicate I am ready for the check. I was amazed and disappointed to learn that natto is actually usually not vegan due to having fish sauce with it and gelatin related processing. (Except for one or two brands I’m not sure how to find.) I used to always look for convenience stores’ natto seaweed rolls when I was on the go and didn’t have time for a restaurant. Now I guess I’ll be having inari zushi, banana and plain looking chips at those times more often instead. I’ll be checking for your restaurant list updates!
Some of Cocos have vegan curry. Macrobiotic places are usually vegan. I went in 2017 and 2020 before the pandemic and I am vegan and never had issue or was hungry.
I thiiiink all Coco Currys have vegetarian curry sauce now (it's listed in their standard menu book) - although you might need to check to be sure it doesn't contain honey. And yes, macribiotic places are a good bet! Glad you found lots of delicious things to eat!
All i can say is...WOW thank you so much, you should have well over a million subs by now 😁
Haha thank you, that's very kind of you! Hope you find lots of delicious things to eat!
Very comprehensive and well made video. Thanks a lot. I am going this week and this helps A LOT.
That's great to hear! Have an amazing trip! :-D
I'm vegetarian and one day want to move to Japan. 🌸🍡
Good luck, that'd be an amazing - you'd be able to experience so much! I think it's a different situation being vegetarian if you're cooking for yourself at home.
Thank you for the video. Its really helpful. I was questioning myself whether to go to Japan for vacation or not since being a vegetarian is hard there. This just opened a new perspective. It would nice if you could also recommend some restaurants for vegetarians in tokyo and kyoto. Thanks
Kartik Ganesh Glad you found it helpful! I was worried too before I first went, but you can survive! I’ve actually started writing a blog post sharing my list of restaurants - it’ll be on cakeswithface.co.uk when it’s done. And you can see a few in my other videos :-) I’m going to Kyushu next and doing lots of research as I think it might be a little harder than Tokyo.
its not hard at all
When it comes to food i guess India is the best..You will get everything to savour your tongue..❤️♥️..There is a great diversity 😋.
I'd love to go there one day and try it! I'm sure it's nothing like Indian restaurants at home 😊 Although I know I can always count on them for lots of choice!
Thank you very much your video so informative, coz I'm planning to work in Japan, but What I worry is food that I will eat there, hoping hoping there will be a good opportunity.
Ooh exciting! This video's from a few years ago so it's slightly easier now - but still most restaurants don't have any veggie options, so you need to know where to go! And if you're living there you'll be able to cook for yourself at home and make the most of all the yummy ingredients from the supermarket.
@@cakeswithfaces thank you very much .
As an update - a lot of the onigiri at the convenience stores are now labeled in English so, choosing the one you want is easier :)
Yes! At 7-Eleven they have English on the labels now - so much easier. I'm thinking the other convenience stores might follow suit in preparation for the Olympics and with the increase in foreign tourists.
May you do an updated video about this please? Vegan and vegetarian options preferably.
Yes! I'm in Japan now filming (and eating!) lots! Was just saying yesterday I should do an updated version, so stay tuned. 😝
I might be moving to Japan in just over a year and I’m Jewish, all the food bloggers seem to show is stuff I can’t have. I honestly thought every single thing had pork or shellfish but seeing this makes me feel a bit better about actually being able to eat there
Ooh exciting!! I heard so many horror stories before I went about everything containing fish (and also a lot of people say it's easy). In my experience, it can be difficult but it's not impossible. If you're just browsing restaurants on the street looking for options, it can be frustrating, but with some research and preparation there are lots of places to eat.
Dashi (fish stock) is the biggest problem. While konbu dashi (made with seaweed) does exist, when you're eating out the default version is made with dried tuna. There's a chance it may contain shellfish to make the broth, and communication could be difficult. The broth of meat-based ramen will often be pork-based so probably best avoid that unless you know it's safe.
I'm not sure of all the details of a Jewish diet so sorry if I get anything wrong! But beyond vegetarian meals, there are options with chicken and other meats eg yakiniku or similar will be at most izakayas (bars with food), there's sushi and sashimi without shellfish at most sushi places, eel (unagi) and if you look them up there are non-pork ramen options eg Kagari Ramen in Ginza has chicken-based ramen. And there are non-Japanese restaurants eg Indian curry, burgers, Italian, which will have lots of options as a back-up.
Of course if you're living there, you'll be able to cook at home and get ingredients to make your own non-pork, non-shellfish dishes, but you'll certainly be able to enjoy eating out as well! Hope that helps!
Thank god this video is really useful for me ....as I'm planning to visit Tokyo next year and I'm vegetarian....I'm bit nervous what I'm going to do for the food . It's a very useful video for an vegetarian people's .
Hope it helps! Did you see my list of restaurants with veggie options? Hoping to update it when I can get back to Japan. My top rec is T's TanTan, so good!! 😋
Very informative, Excellent presentation.
Thanks so much, I hope it helps! :-)
Tokyo is a world class city and eating vegan in tokyo was surprisingly easy!
Yes, I found even cheap food is excellent quality, and it's great that there are vegetarian and vegan restaurants. With a little research you can eat well if you know where to go!
Lots of good tips, but there are a few things that may be an issue. French fries at McDonalds have beef seasoning. Bonito flakes (tuna) are in more than you can see in Japanese food. All miso soup has bonito. All udon too, and tempura dipping sauce. Sometimes dashi is made from kombu instead of dashi (worth asking about). Be careful of Indian curries too....I've ate at places and later found out they used chicken stock, but that was outside of Tokyo.
It's so hard to avoid isn't it! I think the most realistic way to go is to avoid what you can, avoid soups etc unless you're somewhere that states they use kombu dashi and try not to think too hard about the rest. Obviously it depends on your reason for being vegetarian but realistically you'll never know all the ingredients when you're eating out.
Cakes with Faces
Yes, soups and dipping sauces are best to be avoided. You are right! I'm very picky about making sure meat isn't in my diet, so I ask lots of questions at restaurants. Thank goodness for Italian and Indian restaurants especially!
Yes! Usually I avoid everything, but in Japan I try and I try not to think about it too much because it's just impossible otherwise. I always want to eat as much Japanese food as possible to try authentic local food, but that's the hardest one! (╥ω╥) There's always a time when I resort to having pizza out of desperation.
Many thanks for the video!! I'm a vegetarian living in Taiwan (many many vegetarian places here!) and go to Japan every year and always struggling to find food....specially cheap one!
Thanks again!!!
So glad you found it helpful - it's not easy is it! I've just come back from Japan and this time I did a lot more research into places to eat, and it was so much easier and less stressful. I filmed lots of new places, so look out for them in my videos! :-)
Yes I noticed Taipei had many vegetarian options but Japan had none. I was very disappointed.
Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea have many places where you can eat delicious vegetarian food. I've noticed Japan is one of the SE Asian countries where vegetarian food can be a challenge to find if you're not prepared.
I'd love to try more Korean food - so far I've only had bibimbap, and I love it! A different set of flavours, so I's like to try more.
I was in Taipei pre covid but didn’t find any veggie place. I had to survive on delicious fruits and boba ☺️
Can you share where are they located?
Been enjoying your videos. Very helpful. Subscribed!
Although, for you vegetarians out there, just wanted to mention tamagoyaki(egg omelette) is made with dashi (at least most of them contain dashi), and McDonald’s fries are not vegetarian as they contain beef extract.
Thanks for the tip! It's so hard to avoid dashi, it's in so many foods isn't it! I try and take the attitude of eating what I can get as there are so few options (especially as I travel with meat-eaters, so I'm usually not eating at vegetarian places).
Actually, McDonald’s fries only contain beef extract in the USA! You can’t have them here, but you can have them anywhere else in the world, including Japan :)
So much wonderful advice- thank you! Be careful of the soyburgers at MosBurger as they contain chicken for some reason. If you are strict on fish stock (dashi) as well, their vegetable rice burger is also NG but if you accept it is sauteed in fish stock, that Kinpira Rice Burger is a good option. Shake Shack is now around Tokyo and has a Mushroom burger, but it is deep-fried with cheese and the staff said cooked in the same oil as the meat.
Someone told me that last week about the Mos Burgers - it seems strange that they'd put chicken in a soy burger...? On their website, the allergen information is inconsistent - in some places it says chicken is just used on the same production line, and for other soy patty burgers it says pork, beef and chicken are ingredients. So if you're strict, it might be best to avoid it altogether. Personally, I avoid meat because I don't like it, and it doesn't appear or taste like it has meat in it, so my take is that it might just be fried in the same oil or made in the same factory.
Realistically, I think a lot of veggie food is probably cooked in the same oil as meat when you eat out. So especially somewhere like Japan where veggie options are so hard to find, I try to be easy-going about it - but otherwise it's definitely safer to stick to 100% veggie places.
I’ll be going next year! This really helps, thank you so much!
You're going to have an amazing time! Hope you find lots of delicious things to eat! :-)
Wonderful video, I only wish I saw this before I went to Japan! I ate the vegetarian curry at CoCo Ichi tons of times because it was near my hotel and the curry was delicious, I really recommend it.
Thank you!! Looking forward to trying Coco Ichi when we go back later this year! Finally a real Japanese curry, yay! :-D
You can try cafeterias at universities, too. They have some special menus for international students. I work at the university in south part of Japan, that's pretty far from Tokyo, very country side, but they even serve halal meat. and usually price is pretty good.
Great idea, I'd never thought of that! It makes sense that they'd cater for international students with different diets. Thanks for the suggestion! :-)
Really enjoyed your video. If you go to Kyoto try Biotei its a great little vegetarian restaurant
Thanks for the tip! My fav in Kyoto so far is Mimicou, they have delicious vegetarian curry udon!
Your hair looks amazing and thank you for the information. 😀🎉
Thanks!! Hope you find it helpful! :-)
such a great video, thank you! I found researching on happycow.net before I went definitely helped as well as we plotted all the veggie places on a google map & then just hunted them down when we were there! Subscribed & can't wait to watch the rest of your vids :)
also omg familymart is the best thing ever!!
Thanks so much, there's lots more Japan vids on the way! :-) Happy Cow is so useful, wherever you're travelling to! And Family Mart - YES! The best thing I had from them recently was an apple and cinnamon sandwich, YUM!!
Even here in the west none vegetarian restaurants, staff do not know what it means..they will say there is no meat but will have chicken or fish (or their sauces) or fish egg....or fry your vegetarian option on the same cook top as the meat or pull out the chicken leg out of the soup.... now its vegetarian....
I'm lucky in the UK that almost all restaurants have a vegetarian option (even if it's not very good!) - and more so now that veganism's become so popular. It can be difficult when travelling though - especially when I went to France and they put ham in EVERYTHING!
Thankoo for the info it really helps..and love your hair 🤗
Thank you! I tried to include all the things I wanted to know before I first went! :-)
Hi, Thanks in advance. Your video is really useful for the first timer visit. Actually, we are planning a trip to Hokkaido for more than week. How easy to get vegan food in Hokkaido
That'll be amazing! Did you see my Hokkaido videos - here's the playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PL-YXkErUfa4nqKVafL9bhvEyCb36NiPzP.html
There are more options now than when I made this video several years ago, but most places still don't have any vegan options, so it's definitely still worth doing your research and going armed with a list of places where you can eat. Also Happy Cow is very useful (for me it's trickier as I travel together with meat eaters!).
The smaller the place you're going to, the harder it's likely to be. In larger cities there's more likely to be a vegan restaurant. Dairy isn't used that widely in Japanese cooking (apart from desserts, bakery items, etc) so if something's vegetarian it'll probably be vegan too (unless there are eggs, which you'll be able to spot easily on a picture menu). Sushi places usually have at least a cucumber roll and maybe one or two options (but don't expect a big choice). And there are indian and italian restaurants that can be a back-up if you can't find vegan Japanese food. More branches of Coco Curry have vegan curry rice now too (and it's delicious!). Check what you can eat from convenience stores because they're everywhere - in Hokkaido they have Seico Mart.
If you're going to Hakodate I'd recommend Masala Curris - they have a veggie curry option that's SO GOOD and a really cool place - it's at the end of this video: ua-cam.com/video/Och57fy4A2c/v-deo.html
Hope that helps!
I’m vegetarian and thank you for this video
Hope it helps! :-) Hope you find lots of delicious things to eat!!
Thank you so much, it's very, very helpful ! I was really worried to go to Japan as a vegetarian, even if I'm only there for a month of vacations.
Ah, glad to hear it was helpful for you! I was worried before going for the first time - it's not easy but with some planning you'll be ok! :-)
you forget that you can order rice or noodle with fried eggs, fried tofu, and so many flavorful and nutrious food, instead of trying to get a food that is basically full of meat/fish, and have them change the menu to suit you. they even can melt cheese on your fried eggs and rice. vegetable tempura is a natural as well, and the meso soup with tofu and noodle
Yes, if you know some Japanese you can politely ask for menu items to be modified - I've tried that with varying levels of success, but it's great when it works!
@@cakeswithfaces you know, itz not easy for them to change anything. they prepared everything in that same day, ready to go. for the chef back in the kitchen, the task is just to heat the food and mix with prepared souses. so when i ask for a change, the chef is not papared to do the change, since he needs to cook the whole thing from scratch. they usually dont have the time during the rush hour, and then too tired after that. I just order rice and fried eggs, some mushrooms and vegetable tempura
That's a great video! Nice tips🙂!
Thanks, hope they help! :-)
I’d like to be vegetarian for multiple reasons and wish to go to Japan!
I hope you can make it to Japan one day! :-)
@@cakeswithfaces awww, thanks! You’re so sweet! 🌸✨☘️🤍
I don't know if the CoCo Curry sauce is Veg....I mean if You're pretty strict vegetarian even eating the vegetable sushi it is being cut in the same area/knife as fish....same with the Okonomiyakibeing cooked in the same space so You will absorb some meat residue...Just a heads up if You're by the book ie 100% honest with Yourself
The regular Coco Curry sauce isn't vegetarian, but now at select branches they have a separate vegetarian menu. They use a different sauce that doesn't contain meat or meat stock like the regular one (it's really good, and there's a choice of toppings).
Not sure on the advice about fries etc for McDonald's - the ingredients are different in different countries. The USA, for example, adds beef
Yes, good point! In Japan with the language barrier it can be difficult/impossible to find out what sort of oil's used, etc. So it depends on your personal preference whether you prefer to temporarily turn a blind eye for practicality's sake, or whether you prefer to avoid anything potentially problematic.
I'm not a vegetarian but I noticed that the Japanese and English menus are different, it is not a direct translation of the menu.The English menus usually offers less variety of food compared to the Japanese menu. Even if I don't understand Japanese, I usually check both Japanese and English menus whenever I can, I want to eat what the locals are having.
You could always ask for the waiter's recommendation: Osusume!
Thank you for making this video. I also don't eat meat or fish just because I don't like the taste!
Going to Tokyo this week, can't wait :)
Ooh how exciting! Have an amazing time!! (I'm going at the end of this week too!!) :-)
Can’t lie I might just bring a entire suitcase of maggi noodles and chill
It's your holiday! 🍜🍜
I went there last month with my son who is not vegetarian and it was extremely difficult. Every single place only offered meat options. I lived off of cakes and desserts and McDonald's and pizza. Oh and Toppo. Super healthy 😕
Yes, it certainly can be difficult! The first time I went, I didn't do much research and didn't have much luck finding restaurants with vegetarian options just walking around the streets. It's so much less stressful (and more healthy!) if you do some research - there are places with vegetarian options, but it's difficult to come across them just by walking around unfortunately!
come to india, learn cooking, and u r good to go, u will never gonna need to eat outside, india shows the whole world that how tasty can a vegetarian food be , it's filled with millions of tasty vegetarian recipes
I love indian food! Although I'm sure what we have at restaurants in the UK is nothing like authentic indian cooking. I'd love to try it one day! :-)
BASED
Fantastic video! Thanks!😃🙏❤️
Thanks! Hope it's helpful! :-)
@@cakeswithfaces Very much so!😃
Beautiful video!!!
Thanks so much!
lovely and informative, thanks.. cute shirt 😊
I hope it helps! :-) Thanks, the shirt's my own design! www.cakeswithfaces.co.uk/product-category/tshirts/
Mos Burger and Saizeriya saved my ass. Then again, with all the walking, healthier food and proper portion sizes, I lost 10 pounds in a week.
And I highly recommend Cafe Aaliya in Shinjuku for the best French Toast on the planet.
Thanks for the rec! I always walk loads on a trip too, about 10 miles a day - so yes you can max out on whatever food you want and make the most of it! :-)
Obviously, all Kombu which is used as ingredients for Onigiri isn't raw but it has been simmered, with the soup, which contains Dashi.
Also, Inari sushi is wrapped in "simmered" thin deep-fried tofu. I believe that if now you can guess the soup (which is used to simmer the thin deep-fried tofu) contains Dashi or doesn't :P
Dashi is very difficult for vegetarians in Japan! While dashi can be made with konbu only, for most tourists we don't know enough Japanese to be able to tell if it's vegetarian or not, or if bonito dashi is used in a dish. The only way to be sure is to go to a purely vegetarian restaurant (and I travel with non-vegetarians so that's not always a favourable option). For myself, I try to maintain a level of tolerance, and try to avoid dashi, but accept that I might eat some items that contain dashi without realising it.
My other recommendations:
Brown Rice Cafe in Harajuku and there is another place with an almost fully veggie/vegan menu not far away from that street, but unfortunately I forgot the name of it. The name was something about farmers if that helps, sorry!
Any of the 'Ain Soph' resturaunts. I went to the Ikebukuro one but they have other locations too.
Yep, Mr. Farmer!! When I ate there they had the vegan menu too and it was AMAZING!! A little pricey but well worth it. I only ate there once sadly, but I had the veg burger.
Ooh thanks for the recommendations! :-)
At an Asia shop I bought ponzu and it contained bonito extract even though it just tasted like soy sauce with yuzu. Now I have bought the vegan version and it tastes pretty much the same. Kind of mind boggling^^
Sometimes bonito's only used in small quantities so doesn't always taste fishy. It's made by drying a fish so it looks like a block of wood and grating it into shavings. The shavings are added to boiling water, then sieved. So it's like the "tea" version of fish, if you like. Ponzu's great though, it's nice as a dipping sauce or splash some on cooked noodles for more flavour.
What a brave woman.
Thanks - but why?
To live in Japan as a vegetarian. :)
We need a shared map where all the vegetarian/vegan Restaurants are pointed in Tokyo. Is something like that already excisting? :3
Oh and thanks for the Video btw *thumbsup*
There's a map view on Happy Cow. And here's my list of restaurants with vegetarian options in Tokyo - I'll be updating it when I'm back from Japan! www.cakeswithfaces.co.uk/blog-2/vegetarian-restaurants-in-japan/
@@cakeswithfaces This list helpes me a lot for my Tokyo trip this year in fall. Thanks ♥
@@cLam1990 Hope you find lots of delicious things to eat!! :-)
thanks
this is really helpful 😃
Glad you found it useful! I'm going back to Japan next month & will be filming more places with vegetarian meals :-)
Love the hair :)
Thank you!!
Could You tell me what's the average monthly food expenses as a vegetarian now in Japan?
I can't say about groceries (I live in the UK) but for restaurants, food's included in this video about how much I spent on a few days in Tokyo: ua-cam.com/video/0kkHrTQsi44/v-deo.html It's from a few years ago; I'll be making an updated version when I can start travelling to Japan again! Hope it helps!
I loved milan nataraj in shibuya. best indian food I ever had in my life. they also have a location ometesando/harajuku area. I went to t's tantan and I didnt enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
I had a sesame seed ramen but I can't remember which one I had. I also had the soy meat sandwich. My preferences are different than other people, but if you don't like super salty stuff, it might not be the best option. I wish I had tried their curry, but I didn't see it on the menu! It might be because I'm not a ramen person in general. But from what I see, there were more options at the Ueno location. Also super important but It's actually Inside the train stations, So ask a train attendent and DON'T EXIT THE TRAIN STATION ONCE YOU GET TO TOKYO STATION. I have no idea bout ueno but I'm sure it's the same.
@@andracrombiexo12 Everyone has different tastes & preferences! :-) Yes, the Ueno one's the same - the restaurant's inside the ticket gates. I think the Ueno branch has more non-ramen options, and more varieties of the sesame ramen (I'm a big fan of sesames - I love eating them on toast, so that's why I liked it so much!).
Its proud ...as ur vegan...me too...and very happy to be vegan...
Everyone should be able to eat whatever they like and be happy 😁
phuu i think you safe my life. I go this october for 2 weeks to tokyo and i am a vegetarian ! How is the price for vegetarian food there?
I found all food to be pretty reasonable prices. Tokyo has a reputation for being expensive, but I didn't think it was particularly expensive at all. (Although I suppose it depends where you go!) Even cheap food was good quality so you can't go wrong! Have a great time! :-)
Cakes with Faces
thx you so much:-)
She saved your life?? Holy fuck. Are all veggiefags this retarded?
I'm not really a vegan but i do love japan and i know people go their for food and anime stuff. But sadly i'm half muslim so i can't eat regular meat but when i'm with my friends i just tell them i'm vegan to them but with my family we do eat meat but we eat meat different. I can't really explain to much but yha so that's why when ever i go eat with my friends i will tell them i'm just a vegetarian.
I'd say it's probably easier/safer to avoid meat when you're in Japan too then. Islam isn't very common in Japan so people probably won't be familiar with what types of meat you can eat. To be honest not everyone completely understands "vegetarian"! I've definitely heard of some Halal ramen restaurants in Tokyo though - if you search for "Halal ramen Tokyo" or "Halal restaurant Tokyo" you'll find them :-)
I feel ya :(
so what are your spots
Here's my list of restaurants in Tokyo with vegetarian options - most of them serve meat too so they're good if you're travelling with non-vegetarian/Muslim friends: www.cakeswithfaces.co.uk/blog-2/vegetarian-restaurants-in-japan/
Lol there is no such thing as half muslim.
Moss vegetarian options are good
Yes!! So good. Can't wait to try their new vegan burger when it's safe to travel again.
Cucumber rolls wow amazing food experience 😂
Not the most exciting meal I've ever had!!
Fish is meat
IvanPlayStation4LiFe In japan they're considered two different things
Thank u so much!! ♥
I like u r video
it's useful
Thanks! It's not easy being vegetarian in Japan but you can get by with some preparation and planning! :-)
most of japan's veggie burgers that i've seen in videos, have been portobello mushroom burgers, so i was wondering if one could easily find veggie burgers without mushrooms, and what might be the best places to find those? or do they all have options besides mushrooms?
I don't like mushrooms either! :-) There are veggie burgers at Mos Burger, a Japanese fast food chain with branches everywhere. The best thing is they have a choice of burgers with a soy patty - I love the teriyaki burger! Their allergen info's a bit confusing so some people say they contain chicken, but I think it's just because they're cooked in the same kitchen, and on certain burgers the toppings aren't vegetarian. They don't taste like they contain chicken so for me they're all good. They also have veggie burgers at Freshness Burger, another chain, and Ain Soph Ripple, a completely vegan restaurant in Shinjuku (a little pricier).
You might find my list of restaurants with vegetarian options helpful :-) www.cakeswithfaces.co.uk/blog-2/vegetarian-restaurants-in-japan/
thank you so much for the info :)
Thanks for this really helpful video. I am visiting Japan within a few days. I am a vegetarian who does not eat an egg. Any idea or suggestion for a person to survive in Tokyo who does not even eat an egg or egg product?
There are vegan cafes if you look them up (my fav is T's TanTan - branches in Tokyo Station and Ueno Station). Apart from okonomiyaki (where the egg is in the batter), there aren't many "hidden" eggs in Japanese food so it should be straightforward which dishes to avoid eg tamago sushi, ramen with a boiled egg. When noodle dishes contain a boiled egg, it should be possible to ask for it without the egg. Hope you find lots of good things to eat!
I love Japanese food but am vegetarian what a bummer🤦
It can be a pain sometimes! But it's getting easier compared to how it used to be. With some preparation it's do-able and you can still find lots of delicious things to eat!
I've honestly been very scared of going I another country where I don't speak the language I still don't know if I will do that or not
I was worried about that before I first went, but it really isn't as difficult as you'd think. Lots of signs are in English, a lot more than I expected, especially on the metro, and in touristy areas most places have english menus. It's surprising how much you can communicate with gestures, especially if you learn how to say "yes", "no", "please", "thank you" and "this please!". If you're vegetarian and worried about being understood, you could use these printable cards: www.justhungry.com/japan-dining-out-cards :-)
How about being vegan? :<
Im vegan and I'll be going to Japan next year.
I have friends who are vegan who've been to Japan several times. Most recently they stayed in a self-catering place and cooked for themselves. If you want to eat out, there are vegan restaurants like T's Tan Tan and Ain Soph (I'd highly recommend printing out maps and finding them before you go). A lot of vegetarian Japanese food is vegan too, because dairy products aren't a major ingredient in Japanese cooking - apart from egg, which is easy to spot. Have a great trip, I hope you find lots of yummy food!
Haha only just seen this, did you go on your trip? Any vegan travel advice welcome x
Hell yeah! You go girl!!
Tell u experience as it is a 3 year old comment
Hello, I would like to ask if there is any food that contain nuts or just nuts in general?
Nuts aren't that common in Japanese food so it shouldn't be a huge problem. Just watch out in bakery items and cakes - they're most likely to contain nuts. Also if you're allergic to sesames, sesame seeds and sesame oil are used fairly often.
My brother has a peanut and tree nut allergy, and when we went to Japan he wore allergy bracelets and carried cards that stated his food allergies. We really didn’t have much problems!
don't mcdonalds chips/fries contain chicken/fish fat? I think they're cooked in the meaty oils to give extra flavour.
Jordann Pastel I suspect a lot of places use the same fryer for meat and non-meat/veggie items. I guess it depends how strict you are, whether you want to try and avoid that or not. Realistically, in Japan it's hard enough for vegetarians already so personally I haven't researched it.
So it's like being a vegetarian in the UK 30 years ago...
I'm hoping it'll start to change, as Japan adapts to accommodate more foreign visitors (with the rise in tourism and the Olympics)
I am vegetarian but I have no idea where I gonna get my protein
There are soy burgers (especially at Mos Burger), and tofu's full of protein! 100% vegetarian or vegan places are probably better for keeping a balanced diet. The way I see it, if your diet's not ideal, it's ok if it's just for a short trip.
I wasn't satisfied with only liking the video, so this comments
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! :-)
Thank you so much for this! Got a new subscriber in me :-D
Ah thank you!! Just been back to Japan and filmed lots more veggie places so I hope you find them useful too! :-)
Thanks for the information! I've always wanted to visit Tokyo, but my wife is vegetarian and it would have been a bit of a dick move to go without her!
Yes she probably wouldn't be happy about that!!! It's difficult but not impossible, especially if you do a bit of planning! :-)
Cakes with Faces I've learnt almost all of the hiragana and working my way through katakana. I'm dreading Kanji..
You'll definitely be able to pick out words and understand a few signs/food labels if you can read hiragana and katakana. I'm learning kanji at the moment, it's definitely confusing for a beginner!
What do Japanese monk's eat I don't think they eat any meat eggs or fish
Yes! Buddhist monks eat shojin ryori, which is suitable for vegetarians - there restaurants where you can try it at some temples, especially in places like Kyoto.
If you are a vegetarian you cannot have French fries from McDonald's.
Thank you for this video though it's been very helpful!
Thanks, glad you found it helpful! :-)
You can in the UK :)
you can in canada. theyre completely vegan.
not sure about japan, but mcdonald's french fries differ from area to area
wait why not ? is this only in japan?
Google in Japanese and you will find more vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Tokyo than you will ever need to, and this can be said about anything else in Japan, seriously.
+masaegu Ah good tip! I use Google Translate a lot to read Japanese websites (with varying levels of understanding!!) but I hadn't thought of searching in Japanese, thank you! :-)
is it posiible to find a place where they sell soy meat(in packet, maybe)?
+Yesuhey I've never gone self-catering so I haven't looked for it, but it looks like there's a shop called Natural House that stocks soy meat: tofusenshi.com/2014/09/21/guide-to-finding-vegan-meats-in-tokyo/
Hope that helps!
Suggestion: download the Happy cow app.
Yes, it's so useful!!
COME TO INDIA
YOU WILL BE ABLE TO EAT BEST VEGETARIAN FOOD
I'd love to try real Indian food! I'm pretty sure the dishes at Indian restaurants here in England aren't authentic (although I do enjoy them!).
But I want to order something and I don't want to tell them to put meat/fish what should I do? My mom is vegetarian so..lol
What I do is use the phrases at: ua-cam.com/video/x7PXiMf0OwM/v-deo.htmlm56s Not everywhere will do this for you, and it certainly helps if you can learn a little Japanese to help you get by. What I'd recommend have vegetarian options; it takes so much of the stress out of finding somewhere for dinner and ordering! I have a list of restaurants with meat and veggie options; if you'd like a copy, message me on Facebook! facebook.com/cakeswithfaces or send me an email!