Food album — What I Ate in Japan: okonomiyaki, sobagaki, tempura, kawadoko cafe…

2 comments

1. Hello everyone! I went to Japan for some **3 months**. I **stayed in a sharehouse** in a city called Ashikaga (Tochigi prefecture) so I went to the supermarket a lot and cooked at home, but I did do lots of day trips around **Gunma and Tochigi** and went to **Nagano** for a week or so, then **Fukui/Ishikawa** on my return home after some time in a different country.

   # Being vegan in Japan

   I found being **vegan in Japan not too difficult**; I was expecting the worst after everything I’d read online but things were not nearly as complicated as they were made out to be. Almost everyone (like 95% of people I talked to) had some vague sort of idea of what ‘vegan’ meant, even if they weren’t clear on the details or what foods were excluded, and many non-vegan **restaurants were willing to accommodate or explain the ingredients used**. Of course, the situation may be different in other areas, this was just my experience in Gunma/Tochigi/Nagano. The stereotype that Japanese restaurants and servers are rigid didn’t apply in the areas I visited, many restaurants told me they have plenty customers with allergies so they’re used to changing things up a little. And there were often convenience stores, supermarkets and snacks in the vicinity for more desperate situations. For big cities like Kyoto or Tokyo and famous tourist destinations (Kamakura, Hakone, Nara, etc.) there are many vegan options so there shouldn’t be any big challenges.

   Check **[Happy Cow](https://www.happycow.net/asia/japan/)** for vegan restaurants. The website is far from exhaustive, I’d say most places outside of the big cities aren’t listed, so take some time to just search on google + google maps. Vegan in Japanese is ヴィーガン, not ビーガン. For example, searching “ヴィーガン Sendai” on Google Maps will show you some options around Sendai which might not be listed on HappyCow. I also use **[Vegewel](https://vegewel.com/ja/prefstate/)** a lot, it’s in Japanese but google translate can convert it to English for you.

   The major disadvantage would be the **language barrier**. I speak some Japanese and was able to explain myself in restaurants and read labels but, if you don’t speak Japanese, wifi can hopefully help you translate written ingredients (google translate accepts photos) and you can bring cards with your request written down to show. Another issue is if you’re not familiar with Japanese cuisine and don’t know which ingredients different products tend to use. There’s no way around that except reading and preparing as much as you can before going to Japan.

   **Note on the photos**: just because I’m eating it, doesn’t mean that food is always vegan in other places. For example, you’ll see me eating okonomiyaki, but most okonomiyaki isn’t vegan. Many dishes can be veganised but their original versions should be avoided. If you have doubts in Japan, always read the labels or ask!

2. Your photos and descriptions are terrific! Thanks for sharing 🙂