Being a vegetarian traveler has been easier than ever in the last five to six years. However, Japan is one of the few countries that I still feel vegetarian. There are quite a few options in cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. And on this trip I discovered the best vegetarian dishes I’ve had in Japan. Below we share some of our favourites that we will revisit whenever we return to Japan.
Yoshiya Restaurant Kyoto
I will start with my favorite vegetarian restaurant during my trip to Japan: Yoshiya Restaurant In the Ryuzan area Kyoto. Located idyllic near a bamboo grove, this neighborhood has become one of Kyoto’s must-see locations. If you can visit for lunch or dinner, I highly recommend visiting this restaurant with some of the best vegetarian Japanese foods you’ve devoured in Japan. The bent style lunch was full of classics like tofu and tasty o, but it was the quality of these traditional dishes that stood out for me and made them far more memorable than the other lunches I had in Japan.
31-4 Sagatenryuji Tsukurimichicho, Ukyō-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 616-8384, Japan
Ain Soph Journey (Tokyo and Kyoto)
I was walking around Kyoto late one night in search of a vegetarian meal. After multiple failed attempts, I went back to the hotel and used Wi-Fi and looked into what was nearby. I discovered it soon Ain Soph JourneyIt is just a 10-minute walk from the hotel. Tonight I discovered the best vegetarian dishes I’ve had in Japan.
The food here is incredible. A great plant-based diet of burgers, salads, tacos, all kinds. I got to a plate of tacos (I was craving some greens) and grabbed a box of biscuits midway through dessert. I later discovered they are also in Tokyo, and if you are in either city, I highly recommend this as one of my favorite vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Japan!
Kyoto: Tsuchijo Kamiru Nakanomachi, Shinkyogoku, 538-6 Nakanocho (Shinkyogokudori), Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 604-8042, Japan
Tokyo: 1F Shinjuku Q Building, 3 Chome-8-9, Tokyo, Shinjuku, 160-0022
Veganic to go to Tokyo
My friend Hiro San, who joined me on my recent trip to Japan, quickly showed me some of Japan’s best vegetable restaurants, so I made my mission to do some research in advance.
My last pit stop in Japan is Tokyo, and we enjoy a vegetable feast across town on the last day. Veganic to goa small hole in a restaurant on the wall.
The food here had an incredible flavour. There was a type of sauce that I had to ask, “What is in it?”
1F, Nogizaka Studio, 106-0032 Tokyo, Minato, Roppongi, 7 Chome-4-14
Chabuton Yodobashi-Usaka osaka
Another of my favourites was the ramen restaurant that served vegan ramen and fried dumplings (hmm, yes!)
Chubton is one of the healthiest lamens you can be in Osaka, but dumplings are what really make it memorable. I’m back on the 8 hour flight pass for these bad boys!
Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Kita, Ofukacho, 1-1 Yodobashi Umeda 8F, 530-0011
Dining with Buddhist monks in Wayama
Finally, one of my favorite experiences in Japan was visiting the Buddhist monk Ks in the Wayama district and spreading vegetarian cuisine on a large scale. This is the easiest place in all of Japan to enjoy a vegetarian meal (part of their religious meals), and for a few days on Mount Koya, there was no need to utter the word “vegetarian” once!