皆さん、こんにちは！
I will be traveling to Japan later this month and know enough Japanese to get around. I also speak Chinese, so that helps with Kanji😅.
One thing I want to make sure of before I go is how to ask for vegetarian options at a restaurant. In addition, I’d like to know the correct way to ask if something is vegetarian.
This is what I’ve come up with, let me know if there is a better/more natural way to say it:
“Is this vegetarian?”
「これはベジタリアンですか？」
“Do you have vegetarian options?”
「菜食がありますか？」
「ベジタリアン食がありますか？」
助けてくれてありがとう〜
3 comments
First one is good. Just know that vegetarianism isn’t big in Japan, so you’ll have to do some due diligence yourself.
More importantly though, make sure you can draw the line based on what Japanese cuisine uses – 出汁 from 鰹節 for example.
Side note. If you dont have it yet, get happycow app
You should know that in Japan, a lot of people will not understand that “vegetarian” means “no fish, no shellfish, no meat-based broths, no bonito dashi, no bonito flakes on top.” If you have any doubts, you should say something like 「肉、魚介類全般を食べません」to be clearer.
The last time I was in Japan, I used Happycow a LOT to get restaurant recommendations beforehand, and I think that’s probably the best way to go – it’s pretty difficult to eat vegetarian in Japan if you’re not specifically seeking out either vegetarian restaurants, or restaurants from places with a strong tradition of vegetarian cuisine. (Indian restaurants are great. In a pinch, you can usually get a pasta with tomato sauce at an Italian restaurant, if nothing else.)