How to Survive Japan as a Vegetarian

First of all, it’s important to understand that in Japan, meat and fish are used in all sorts of dishes. Japanese cuisine is often about balance and flavour, and meat is commonly added to bring in that “umami” (earthy) flavour the dish might otherwise lack. This means that you can order a salad and find out fish was used in the dressing, or a vegetable side and find bits of bacon in it. Not exactly a welcome surprise.

And while in western countries plant-based diets have seen a recent boom, the trend is much smaller in Japan, and it is quite rare to see “vegetarian” or “v” indicators on menus.

Of course, bigger cities like Tokyo and Osaka are quicker to change, so it is easier to find vegetarian options there. But not always! So it’s good to be prepared before you eat out.

Words to Remember

Here are the most important words for vegetarian and vegan travellers to remember when in Japan:

• Vegetarian: ベジタリアン (bejitarian)
• Vegan: ビーガン (beegan)
• Meat: 肉 (niku)
• Fish: 魚 (sakana)
• Egg: 卵 (tamago)

Note that not all staff will understand the words “vegetarian” or “vegan” even in Japanese, as they are relatively new terms. To make sure you are understood, you’ll need to print some phrase cards or learn some of the phrases below.

Phrases to Remember

If you’re up for learning a little bit more Japanese, it’s good to know a few phrases to say at restaurants, too. This will give staff a better chance to understand exactly what you need.

私はベジタリアンです。肉と魚は食べません。
Watashi wa bejitarian desu. Niku to sakana wa tabemasen.
I am a vegetarian. I do not eat meat or fish.

私はベジタリアンです。肉と魚が入っていないメニューありますか？
Watashi wa bejitarian desu. Niku to sakana ga hai-teinai menu arimasu ka?
I am a vegetarian. Do you have any dishes with no meat or fish?

卵は大丈夫です。
Tamago wa daijobu desu.
Eggs are OK.

これに肉か魚か入っていますか？
Kore ni niku ka sakana ka hai-teimasu ka?
Does this have meat or fish in it?

If you’re worried about forgetting these phrases, or need more phrases for allergies or veganism, there is a useful website for that here.

Vegetarian Restaurants to Visit

Now that you have your keywords and phrases, you probably want to head off to a restaurant, right?

Here are some restaurants and chains that only serve vegetarian food in Tokyo:

• Ain Soph (multiple locations; burgers and western food)
• Falafel Brothers (multiple locations; falafel)
• Brown Rice by Neals’ Yard Remedies (Omotesando; healthy organic meals)
• Saido (Jiyugaoka; noodle and rice dishes)
• T’s Tantan (Multiple locations; noodles)
• Izakaya Masaka (Shibuya; vegan Japanese pub food)

Further out than Tokyo, there are a few nationwide chain restaurants that have vegetarian options, like Mos Burger and Royal Host. But with any restaurant that doesn’t specialise in plant-based meals, you will have to be careful, as their “soy meat” or artificial meat options may come with meat-based sauces or sides. Use your newly learned words and phrases to make sure your order has no meat in it!

Useful Tools

To make sure you are always ordering something vegetarian, it’s good to have an app or two handy.

Google Translate has made a lot of progress over the years, and you can now use it to scan images in real time. That means you can point your phone’s camera at the menu to translate it, which is very useful! This is also helpful for reading the ingredients on the back of items purchased at convenience stores or supermarkets.

For finding restaurants, however, Happy Cow is a great option for searching for vegetarian spots in Japan’s larger cities.

Get Guilt-Free Drinks, Too!

Now that you know some of the basics to get your green fix in Japan, perhaps you might like to round off the evening with a drink at a Tokyo bar run by monks!