What is the situation in Japanese restaurants for soy milk drinkers?

8 comments

1. I don’t know, but the soymilk in japan always seemed unapologetically beany. I always sort of respected it for that.

2. I can’t recall seeing straight-up milk (cow or soy) on the menu at any restaurant. Outside of kids drinking milk with their school lunches I don’t really see people drinking just milk with meals. Maybe people do at home? I dunno.

   There are individually-sized soy milk cartons (like juice boxes) sold everywhere like convenience stores and supermarkets. They come in lots of flavors.

   At most cafes they seem to have the option for soy milk for latte etc.

3. If it’s not on the menu, then the wait staff’s head will simply explode.

   For your own safety and mental well-being here, *never* go off script.

   If they do not have the beverage of your choice, then simply choose an alternative that won’t result in explosive diarrhoea; green tea, oolong tea, or mugicha, for example.

4. Any milk is not straight up on a menu, except the kids.

   You see it only used with coffee/tea and a cafe often has soy as a choice, but a general restaurant usually only milk or non-dairy creamers.

5. Wait, milk? Like a glass of cow juice… In a restaurant? That’s a thing?

6. Milk is rarely on menus in Japan. The most common drink offered children is mugicha.

7. The only place I see it as an option is at Starbucks.

   Milk on a menu is more of a children’s menu item, but I’ve only seen soy milk on the children’s menu at a few indie vegan/farm cafes. So almost never.

   Don’t ever ask for something not on the menu. Japan doesn’t do that. Don’t ask for anything that is on the menu to be changed in any way, Japan doesn’t do that either. It’s either what it is, or order something different.

8. i’ve never seen anyone drink a glass of any kind of milk in japan.