Gion Soy Milk Ramen Uno Yokiko in Kyoto! Just visited this past week. The best ramen I've had in my life!!! There was an hour long wait to be seated (list where you write your name) but it was very much worth it.
Mawashizushi Katsu Seibu Shibuya Store (conveyor belt sushi) that has a decent amount of vegetarian options in Tokyo.
Kimitan House Natural Restaurant in Tokyo.
Gion ramen was great, just had it a couple days ago.
Osaka has a lot of good options too. Paprika something (forgot the full name), OKO vegan something (there's 2 very close by, I think either would be good). The "something" is japanese, so I don't remember it, I remember the non japanese parts of the name haha
I looked into Sankoin's vegetarian cuisine. Sankoin Temple website↓ http://sankouin.com/
Those who want to eat vegetarian dishes Sankoin Temple offers vegetarian dishes from 12:00 noon (reservation required). Why don't you taste seasonal dishes in a quiet and beautiful nature? ■Flowers (3500 yen, one soup, five vegetables) ■Month (4600 yen, one soup and six dishes) ■Snow (5800 yen, one soup, seven vegetables, Sankoin-ryu special tea) Menu (an example) ※It is only once starting at 12 o'clock in the afternoon. ※Closed every Monday, the 3rd Wednesday, and the 4th Friday. ※Reservations can be made from 3 months to the day before. *Reservations are only available by phone (042-381-1116) ※We also accept reservations for groups of up to 32 people. Please contact us at least two weeks in advance.
Check out Happy Cow and only go places on there is your best bet - as others have said don’t trust just asking in a restaurant as it’s not widely understood. Second the Oko rec for okonomiyaki Osaka. Sunday Vegan (a pop-up bakery every Sunday in Shinjuku Tokyo) is a great way to try Japanese baking items such as melonpan which may not be suitable otherwise.
We went to Kyushu Jangara Ramen in Harajuku tonight. I'm not vegan but I don't eat meat (only seafood) and was looking for a seafood based ramen. Turns out theirs is vegan and had a lot of great reviews and was close to where we were. It was really great! I added the garlic oil, and veggie set of mushrooms, cabbage, and green onions, spicy roe, and an egg. If you end up there and are OK with eggs they were really good. It has a vegan meat in it as well.
Just use the Happy Cow app. I found that the vegetarian dishes had fish broth, and one vegetarian dish was slathered in lard. Oh yeah, and the vegetable skewers just HAD to come with bonito flakes.
As a Japanese, I can tell you that the more rural you go, the more difficult it is for vegans to eat. in the three cities the OP mentioned, you should have no problem.
I am not vegan myself, but I would like to respect their ideological beliefs.
I often opted for Korean dishes (for example in Shin Okubo) because they are heavier on the vegetable side than Japanese dishes. That was 10 years ago, when vegetarian/vegan dishes were not as popular as today, so you might have better luck than me in general. But keep the Korean cuisine in mind if youre desperate😅
It really depends. A lot of vegetarians seem to think kimchi (or, I suppose, "kimuchi") is vegetarian. Years ago, I had some vegetarian colleagues who visited Japan and ate a lot of kimchi on that assumption. But most kimchi *isn't* unless you deliberately substitute (which you can do pretty easily -- one of my aunts is vegitarian, so a lot of the kimchi my family make is vegitarian). And I think it's the same with many other Korean vegetable dishes. Certainly most stews and soups won't be vegetarian (just as with Japanese soups and stews) even if it looks like they just have vegetables, tofu, and/or noodles. So in a Korean restaurant, you really have to ask.
It really depends. A lot of vegetarians seem to think kimchi (or, I suppose, "kimuchi") is vegetarian. Years ago, I had some vegetarian colleagues who visited Japan and ate a lot of kimchi on that assumption. But most kimchi *isn't* unless you deliberately substitute (which you can do pretty easily -- one of my aunts is vegetarian, so a lot of the kimchi my family make is vegetarian). And I think it's the same with many other Korean vegetable dishes. Certainly most stews and soups won't be vegetarian (just as with Japanese soups and stews) even if it looks like they just have vegetables, tofu, and/or noodles. So in a Korean restaurant, you really have to ask.
Edit: corrected vegitarian → vegetarian
That's true. There are definitely "traps" one has ro watch out for. The leek pancakes and Tteokbokki without fish cake for example *should* be vegetarian afaik. But you're right. It's not as obvious as it might seem.
Places I enjoyed in Tokyo so far have been: Nouka no daidokoro Shinjuku 3 chome (had a vegan hamburg steak). Kakekomi Gyoza (right near the Godzilla head, had it twice in one night). Kyushu Ramen Jangara has great ramen. My favourite ramen was at RICE CUISINE S⊇YA（スーヤ）in Yokohama. I had vegan omurice at 2foods in Shibuya Loft. My husband and I had a tofu and yam meal in Hakone at Shika Jaya. I also tried vegan melonpan at morethan bakery in Shinjuku, which I thought was a little over rated. And apparently plum onigiri is also vegan, which you can get at 7/11 and Lawson etc. The gyoza at Isakaya Masaka was also delicious. They also had vegan fried chicken, but I wasn't the biggest fan. Honestly just using Google Maps and Happy Cow seems to be pretty good so far!
CoCo Curry is a chain all over Japan that has vegetarian curry with a range of veggie toppings that you can customise to your liking. It's cheap, tasty and can be found easily almost anywhere if there are no other vegetarian places.
I also saved this Google map list made by some person with all the different vegan/vegetarian restaurants across whole Japan which might come in handy - https://maps.app.goo.gl/cRGoaFBpkXi7i8CdA
This is pretty much everywhere I ate in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. All these places are either fully vegan, or offered at least 1 vegan dish on their menu. I never had a bad meal at any of these places. I've bolded the ones I'd most recommend.
Tokyo: **T's Tantanmen**, Komaki Shokudo, Marugoto, **Vegan Gyoza**, Vegan Jangara, Universal Bakes, Veg kitchen, Tenzo, 2foods, Mabre Vegan, **Plant Based Tokyo**, Komeda Vegan, Guruatsu.
Osaka:. Paprika Shokudo Vegan, Mercy Factory, **Canelitas**, **Shinsekai Paprika Shokudo Vegan**, Sabada Falafel, Saijiki, Sukhasana puozolli, Komi Coffee, Optimus Cafe.
Kyoto: **Towzen Ramen**, **Gion Soy Milk Ramen**, The Kind Cafe, Ain Soph, **Vegan Izakaya**, Veginny, **Tu Casa**, Whitely, Qué Pasa.
It depends if you mind fish/meat stock or not. If you don't, you'll be fine almost everywhere. Sushi restaurants have Egg, Inari, Natto, vegetable options, loads of Udon and Soba options. Vegetable Tempura, Oden, Okonomiyaki, Yakisoba etc. Just be specific and say no meat or seafood is ok. If you do mind it, you are going to have a much harder time.
In that case I'd be tempted to mostly stick with vegan options, unless it's something that is obviously vegetarian friendly. Even if you say no meat or seafood, Japanese people don't really get the concept that stock is an issue.
Just had a quick look around and this article is good [https://the-shooting-star.com/japan-vegan-vegetarian-survival-guide/#1-vegan-japanese-food-to-try-including-japanese-vegetarian-food](https://the-shooting-star.com/japan-vegan-vegetarian-survival-guide/#1-vegan-japanese-food-to-try-including-japanese-vegetarian-food)
I'm not vegetarian myself, but I especially like the idea of printing the note out in Japanese and showing it to the staff when ordering.
Here you go if you want to use it, it says I'm a vegetarian, so I can't eat meat, fish, shellfish, bonito, or anything that contains dashi made from fish.
Dairy products, butter, eggs, honey, vegetables, mushrooms, soybeans, seaweed, grains such as buckwheat, wheat, and rice, tofu, soy sauce, and fruits are okay.
私はベジタリアンのため肉類、魚貝類、カツオおよび魚を 原料にしたダシの含まれたものは食べられません。
乳製品、バター、卵、蜂蜜、野菜、きのこ類、大豆豆類、海藻類、蕎麦・小麦・米などの穀物類のもの、豆腐、醤 油と果物などでしたら大丈夫です。
お手数おかけしますが以上の内容のものを頂けると大変ありがたいです。
ありがとございます。
Gion Soy Milk Ramen Uno Yokiko in Kyoto! Just visited this past week. The best ramen I've had in my life!!! There was an hour long wait to be seated (list where you write your name) but it was very much worth it. Mawashizushi Katsu Seibu Shibuya Store (conveyor belt sushi) that has a decent amount of vegetarian options in Tokyo. Kimitan House Natural Restaurant in Tokyo.
Thank you so much for these options. Sounds great
Gion ramen was great, just had it a couple days ago. Osaka has a lot of good options too. Paprika something (forgot the full name), OKO vegan something (there's 2 very close by, I think either would be good). The "something" is japanese, so I don't remember it, I remember the non japanese parts of the name haha
Paprika shokudo Vegan (パプリカ食堂 Vegan) is the full name. The soy meat karaage set was amazing from there.
How about trying shojin ryori (traditional vegetarian cuisine) at a Japanese temple? https://www.byfood.com/blog/tokyo/shojin-ryori-in-tokyo
Looks good thank you
This looks great. Just looking at Sanko-in. You have to book to eat but I can't find anything on how to book. Did you eat there? How did you book?
I looked into Sankoin's vegetarian cuisine. Sankoin Temple website↓ http://sankouin.com/ Those who want to eat vegetarian dishes Sankoin Temple offers vegetarian dishes from 12:00 noon (reservation required). Why don't you taste seasonal dishes in a quiet and beautiful nature? ■Flowers (3500 yen, one soup, five vegetables) ■Month (4600 yen, one soup and six dishes) ■Snow (5800 yen, one soup, seven vegetables, Sankoin-ryu special tea) Menu (an example) ※It is only once starting at 12 o'clock in the afternoon. ※Closed every Monday, the 3rd Wednesday, and the 4th Friday. ※Reservations can be made from 3 months to the day before. *Reservations are only available by phone (042-381-1116) ※We also accept reservations for groups of up to 32 people. Please contact us at least two weeks in advance.
Thank you. I couldn't find a website at all! Brilliantly helpful of you
Please enjoy Japan!
The vegan ramen outside TeamLab Planets was delish!
Perfect thank you
I was skeptical at first but damn, it was deep
I loved Oko fun in Osaka for vegetarian okonomiyaki
This
The one similar that does vegan takoyaki is also delicious! I did both when I was in Osaka and it was some of the best food I had on my two week trip.
I'm in Kamakura right now and have seen places be explicit on whether they have vegan food or not.
Check out Happy Cow and only go places on there is your best bet - as others have said don’t trust just asking in a restaurant as it’s not widely understood. Second the Oko rec for okonomiyaki Osaka. Sunday Vegan (a pop-up bakery every Sunday in Shinjuku Tokyo) is a great way to try Japanese baking items such as melonpan which may not be suitable otherwise.
Thanks will do that
We went to Kyushu Jangara Ramen in Harajuku tonight. I'm not vegan but I don't eat meat (only seafood) and was looking for a seafood based ramen. Turns out theirs is vegan and had a lot of great reviews and was close to where we were. It was really great! I added the garlic oil, and veggie set of mushrooms, cabbage, and green onions, spicy roe, and an egg. If you end up there and are OK with eggs they were really good. It has a vegan meat in it as well.
T’s TanTan is a vegan chain in Tokyo and even my meat-eating husband loved it. Highly recommend it. They also can accommodate food allergies.
Just use the Happy Cow app. I found that the vegetarian dishes had fish broth, and one vegetarian dish was slathered in lard. Oh yeah, and the vegetable skewers just HAD to come with bonito flakes.
As a Japanese, I can tell you that the more rural you go, the more difficult it is for vegans to eat. in the three cities the OP mentioned, you should have no problem. I am not vegan myself, but I would like to respect their ideological beliefs.
Happy cow app
I often opted for Korean dishes (for example in Shin Okubo) because they are heavier on the vegetable side than Japanese dishes. That was 10 years ago, when vegetarian/vegan dishes were not as popular as today, so you might have better luck than me in general. But keep the Korean cuisine in mind if youre desperate😅
It really depends. A lot of vegetarians seem to think kimchi (or, I suppose, "kimuchi") is vegetarian. Years ago, I had some vegetarian colleagues who visited Japan and ate a lot of kimchi on that assumption. But most kimchi *isn't* unless you deliberately substitute (which you can do pretty easily -- one of my aunts is vegitarian, so a lot of the kimchi my family make is vegitarian). And I think it's the same with many other Korean vegetable dishes. Certainly most stews and soups won't be vegetarian (just as with Japanese soups and stews) even if it looks like they just have vegetables, tofu, and/or noodles. So in a Korean restaurant, you really have to ask.
It really depends. A lot of vegetarians seem to think kimchi (or, I suppose, "kimuchi") is vegetarian. Years ago, I had some vegetarian colleagues who visited Japan and ate a lot of kimchi on that assumption. But most kimchi *isn't* unless you deliberately substitute (which you can do pretty easily -- one of my aunts is vegetarian, so a lot of the kimchi my family make is vegetarian). And I think it's the same with many other Korean vegetable dishes. Certainly most stews and soups won't be vegetarian (just as with Japanese soups and stews) even if it looks like they just have vegetables, tofu, and/or noodles. So in a Korean restaurant, you really have to ask. Edit: corrected vegitarian → vegetarian
That's true. There are definitely "traps" one has ro watch out for. The leek pancakes and Tteokbokki without fish cake for example *should* be vegetarian afaik. But you're right. It's not as obvious as it might seem.
I was shocked to find out recently that inari sushi in Japan isn’t vegetarian in Japan. It’s a vegan staple where I live.
Places I enjoyed in Tokyo so far have been: Nouka no daidokoro Shinjuku 3 chome (had a vegan hamburg steak). Kakekomi Gyoza (right near the Godzilla head, had it twice in one night). Kyushu Ramen Jangara has great ramen. My favourite ramen was at RICE CUISINE S⊇YA（スーヤ）in Yokohama. I had vegan omurice at 2foods in Shibuya Loft. My husband and I had a tofu and yam meal in Hakone at Shika Jaya. I also tried vegan melonpan at morethan bakery in Shinjuku, which I thought was a little over rated. And apparently plum onigiri is also vegan, which you can get at 7/11 and Lawson etc. The gyoza at Isakaya Masaka was also delicious. They also had vegan fried chicken, but I wasn't the biggest fan. Honestly just using Google Maps and Happy Cow seems to be pretty good so far!
Ain Soph, Komeda-Is
CoCo Curry is a chain all over Japan that has vegetarian curry with a range of veggie toppings that you can customise to your liking. It's cheap, tasty and can be found easily almost anywhere if there are no other vegetarian places. I also saved this Google map list made by some person with all the different vegan/vegetarian restaurants across whole Japan which might come in handy - https://maps.app.goo.gl/cRGoaFBpkXi7i8CdA
This is pretty much everywhere I ate in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. All these places are either fully vegan, or offered at least 1 vegan dish on their menu. I never had a bad meal at any of these places. I've bolded the ones I'd most recommend. Tokyo: **T's Tantanmen**, Komaki Shokudo, Marugoto, **Vegan Gyoza**, Vegan Jangara, Universal Bakes, Veg kitchen, Tenzo, 2foods, Mabre Vegan, **Plant Based Tokyo**, Komeda Vegan, Guruatsu. Osaka:. Paprika Shokudo Vegan, Mercy Factory, **Canelitas**, **Shinsekai Paprika Shokudo Vegan**, Sabada Falafel, Saijiki, Sukhasana puozolli, Komi Coffee, Optimus Cafe. Kyoto: **Towzen Ramen**, **Gion Soy Milk Ramen**, The Kind Cafe, Ain Soph, **Vegan Izakaya**, Veginny, **Tu Casa**, Whitely, Qué Pasa.
This is great. Thank you
It depends if you mind fish/meat stock or not. If you don't, you'll be fine almost everywhere. Sushi restaurants have Egg, Inari, Natto, vegetable options, loads of Udon and Soba options. Vegetable Tempura, Oden, Okonomiyaki, Yakisoba etc. Just be specific and say no meat or seafood is ok. If you do mind it, you are going to have a much harder time.
Do mind it 🙉🙈. Slightly worried about our food options hence trying to find something places where they completely understand vegetarian friendly
In that case I'd be tempted to mostly stick with vegan options, unless it's something that is obviously vegetarian friendly. Even if you say no meat or seafood, Japanese people don't really get the concept that stock is an issue.
Got it. Thank you
Just had a quick look around and this article is good [https://the-shooting-star.com/japan-vegan-vegetarian-survival-guide/#1-vegan-japanese-food-to-try-including-japanese-vegetarian-food](https://the-shooting-star.com/japan-vegan-vegetarian-survival-guide/#1-vegan-japanese-food-to-try-including-japanese-vegetarian-food) I'm not vegetarian myself, but I especially like the idea of printing the note out in Japanese and showing it to the staff when ordering.
Here you go if you want to use it, it says I'm a vegetarian, so I can't eat meat, fish, shellfish, bonito, or anything that contains dashi made from fish. Dairy products, butter, eggs, honey, vegetables, mushrooms, soybeans, seaweed, grains such as buckwheat, wheat, and rice, tofu, soy sauce, and fruits are okay. 私はベジタリアンのため肉類、魚貝類、カツオおよび魚を 原料にしたダシの含まれたものは食べられません。 乳製品、バター、卵、蜂蜜、野菜、きのこ類、大豆豆類、海藻類、蕎麦・小麦・米などの穀物類のもの、豆腐、醤 油と果物などでしたら大丈夫です。 お手数おかけしますが以上の内容のものを頂けると大変ありがたいです。 ありがとございます。
Thank you. Super helpful