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Emma Louise · Joined: 06 Dec 2006 Posts: 9

Hello! Are there any veggies out there who have lived in Japan? If so, can you let me know how easy it is to get by on an interesting vegetarian diet??

Thanks!

callmesim · Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 279 Location: London, UK

I'm not one but I can tell you now, Japan will either kill you or make you stronger. I know of 2 vegans and 1 veggie. Of the others I've spoken to (well over 10), they have had to cave while being in Japan because it's just too difficult. This even includes a vegan!

You have to realise, even if you say "I'm vegetarian" a lot of places include fish. And if your Japanese isn't very good, it's so hard to find out the ingredients of products.

Temujin · Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 90 Location: Osaka

If you don't eat fish you'll struggle for a while until you figure out a survivable diet. But there are vegans here who manage, so you can do it if you're determined.

Henry_Cowell · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 3352 Location: Berkeley

Even if foods don't visibly include dead animals, many are cooked or flavored with the broth of fish or shellfish (or worse). It's quite difficult unless you actually watch the cooking process itself!

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Two things:

1) What type of vegetarian are you? That is, what will/won't you eat?

2) Please use the search function here. This topic has been brought up many times.

Bottom line, you can be any kind of vegetarian in Japan, but you if you are very strict, you will have to plan ahead to know what foods are available in supermarkets and what the restaurants will tell you about their "vegetarian" foods.

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

I am a vegetarian and survive quite well in Japan. Self catering is no problem- lots of things like beans and tofu are available, and veges in season aren't expensive.

The trouble comes when going out to eat- you are really limited there. A couple of years ago I made the decision to eat things with bonito stock in them as I am married to a Japanese and going out to eat or visiting his parents would have been a problem otherwise. Noodle dishes like soba and udon and many other things have bonito stock (dashi) in them.

At cafes, even Starbucks, the only option is usually the cakes as all the sandwiches will include bacon bits, ham or shrimp, even if it's not stated. At family restaurants this is often the case with salads and pasta as well.

Indian restaurants, which are all over the large cities, always have vegetarian options and there are other kinds of vegetarian restaurants around.

There are plenty of vegetarians in Japan, I even know a society of Japanese vegans, who are quite militant. As I'm now a yoga teacher many of my friends and associates are vegetarian.

Emma Louise · Joined: 06 Dec 2006 Posts: 9

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Glenski, in answer to your question, I consider myself to be a 'proper' vegetarian! By that I mean that I don't eat any meat, and that includes not eating fish. I'm not vegan though, so will eat dairy products.

Oh, and you will be pleased to know that I have now discovered the search function so will use that in future before starting new threads!

6810 · Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 309

Hey Emma,

Another vege here. Like Glenski said, search around, this question comes up every three months or so and there are a variety of replies by a range of vegos including myself.

Being veg in Japan requires only a little adjustment and some degree of reading school. Figure out all the stuff you don't eat, write a list and memorise it. That way you can double check any processed foods you want before buying them.

You will inevitably ending up consuming katsuo dashi at some point. It is inevitable. But don't get upset by it. You will know you're eating it because there is a certain funk present, even subtle, that you will never find in plant based foods.

Finally, there are a surprising number of veg restaurants in Japan, but not usually in the small places. Depends on where you are. If you're in central Japan gimme a PM and I can reccomend a bunch of places. That said there are quite a few vegetarian (totally incidental) mainstays at most Italian restaurants and Tofu shops etc.

Recently, a lot of "women's" cafes and restaurants have popped up offering a wide variety of vegetable based foods for "health" reasons etc. So if you're really hard up, hit up a fashionable (and I don't mean the grotty, faux postmodern grime of Shinjuku or America-mura or whatever). I mean places where models and actresses hang out, the ones with real style and you will find some pretty cool veg food.

Ciao!

Sherri · Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 4:59 am Post subject:

6810 · Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 309

Sherri's right about the cheese. You have a tough one there. Most cheeses here are made with animal rennet. That said, Japanese labeling laws do not require the specification of animal or non-animal rennet. Your best bet is with international/import cheese.

Or, you can experiment as I have over the last year with making your own fresh, white, dried and cured cheeses. It's easier than you might think, really cheap and allows you a high degree of control of the cheese you are eating. Again, PM for info.

Emma Louise · Joined: 06 Dec 2006 Posts: 9

Thanks guys x

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

I'm vegan and I lived in Japan for two years. In the settling-in process, people invariably asked if there was anything I needed, anything they could do to help, and in those conversations of course the topic of food came up. Everyone quickly found out that I was vegan, and I got TONS of help shopping, deciphering food labels, ordering in restaurants, etc. At our end-of-semester parties, they even called the chefs in advance to request special food for me! I certainly wouldn't recommend throwing your weight around and demanding help, but hopefully help will come your way anyway.

There were undoubtedly, though, "accidents" in restaurants--with dashi, etc. Just do the best you can and don't beat yourself up if later on you learn that you ate something that technically you shouldn't have.

And you can order lots of good stuff online through Tengu (Alisan Organic Center?) and have it delivered right to your door.

d

6810 · Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 309

ndorfn · Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Posts: 126

I've been a vegetarian here for six years, and recently a vegan (the vast majority of cows and chickens in Japan are kept in sadistic battery farming conditions).

As the other posters have said, it's very possible, and the only problems arise when you go out. You get used to letting anyone who invites you at the earliest possible time of your restrictions, but once they are over the initial disbelief (it's very rare to find a Japanese vegetarian) they often go to great efforts to accommodate. It is inconvenient though, that's for sure, and you will often have to make do in bars with potato chips or cucumber pickles.

Good luck, and get along to a vegetarian festival in Japan, it's really cool to meet up with others when you're starting to think you're the only one.

If I had a dollar for every time I've eaten a convenience store konbu (seaweed) rice ball ....

japanman · Joined: 24 Nov 2005 Posts: 281 Location: England

I've been as vegetarian since I was a kid and have been in Japan for seven years now. At the start it was tough but i'm ok now, just get your phrases worked out when you go to a restaurant.
If you're looking for veg-restaurants, a good site is www.happycow.com ,this lists places all over the world and has some listings in Japan.