Vegans in Japan are far and few between. That being said, if you are a vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based in general there are plenty of options. 

If you live in a big city, there are great restaurants and cafes that serve vegan-friendly food. For those who don’t mind spending a bit more money to eat on a vegan diet, this is a viable option. For those looking to save some money, don’t worry you still have options. Unfortunately, the all-mighty Japanese convenient store is not one of them.

Almost all of the products include meat or animal products, even the salads frequently have bacon mix or chicken mixed in. This leaves all hungry vegan customers to choose from onigiri or snacks.

Enter the supermarket!

Time to roll up your sleeves and start cooking! Most supermarkets offer heaps of vegetables, nuts, fruits, tofu, konjac (popular Japanese meat replacement), and grains.

This will allow you to eat ethically and healthily! You can show up to work with a homemade super bento that will blow your co-workers’ bentos out of the water.

If you live in a part of Japan with a local Costco, you are in luck. Vegan-friendly is sold in bulk. You can stuff your freezer full of meat alternatives such as soy lentils, carrot burgers, and soy meat. If you can’t wait to get home to cook up, the food courts have vegan burgers too!

Being a vegan in Japan is only for the dedicated. It will be a challenge but in my opinion the juice is worth the squeeze!

As always, we’d love for you to come say hi to us at our International Real Estate branch in Kusunoki. We help foreigners find apartments in Hiroshima and Okayama. Reach out to our staff who can speak English, Chinese, Vietnamese and Spanish if looking for a place at ryowainternational@ryowahouse.co.jp