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Jul 27 2007 15 Comments

Japan Unwrapped #8: Food for thought

Dear Tokyo Times

I’m lucky enough to have been offered a job in Japan, but along with the financial and family considerations of uprooting to Tokyo, being a vegetarian I also have a dietary dilemma. Will it be possible to eat out without any real trouble, or will a meat-free diet mean I’ll be mostly eating at home?

Thanks

Rod, Exeter

Well Rod, if you are reluctant to constantly have to pick out small pieces of meat from meals then you may indeed have some trouble, as descriptions of dishes that make no mention of containing meat, quite often do. And to make matters worse, the rigorous interrogation of restaurant staff may gain little insight into the true ingredients. Possibly resulting in an innocent order of this meat-free ‘green’ salad for example.

Japanese food

In fact, for a country that at one time ate next to no animals, the concept of vegetarianism is nowadays strangely unfathomable. So much so that a simple request of “Does this contain meat?” is often met with a puzzled expression and the comically inaccurate response of “No, only a little”

An especially vague answer that could mean just a few pieces of pork or alternatively a vast bowl of beef.

Japanese food

That said Rod, it is possible to regularly eat out, but for all the frustration you will inevitably face, adding at least chicken and fish to your diet would make your time in Tokyo far more fulfilling.

At least that’s what I opted to do.

Categorized: Food and Drink, Japan Unwrapped

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. jeuce says

    7/27/2007 at 8:14 pm

    hahahahaha
    so funny love your irony & humor style of writing
    coming to tokyo times has became my daily routine!!

    Reply
    • zosimar ( zoya) areglo says

      2/4/2014 at 3:42 pm

      no comment about that .becouse ilike the we she act…i love you

      Reply
  2. Adam says

    7/28/2007 at 1:44 am

    Another problem: soup stock is almost always made from animals, like porm, fish, etc. So even if there’s no meat listed on the menu, the soup will be chock full of it. I always wondered how my vegetarian friends managed to eat ramen; I guess they just didn’t think about it.

    Reply
  3. Emma says

    7/28/2007 at 4:22 am

    I’m finding this subject interesting (actually I find all your posts interesting) because I’m a veggie and I’m coming to Japan in October. My research shows it’s hard to find places to eat but the happy cow guide is a searchable site with listings of all the veggie places in the world. There seems quite alot in Tokyo and Kyoto 🙂

    Reply
  4. Emma says

    7/28/2007 at 4:23 am

    PL=sus you could eat at Buddhist restaurants but I hear they aren’t cheap.

    Reply
  5. John says

    7/28/2007 at 5:52 am

    I’ve done a number of trips to Japan now and had relatively little problem finding places to eat that are vegetarian and I don’t do the ‘picking out small pieces of meat’ thing. You will certainly have less choices unless you eat fish (I don’t), and you’ll be in for some strange looks in some establishments (but I got that in France too!). I would say Tokyo was still easier than Texas!

    I was taken to a number of completely vegetarian restaurants where the food was amazing. There are also Indian and Italian places everywhere that have vegetarian options (and I even found a Malaysian place with a number of choices too on my last trip there).

    Reply
  6. Dan says

    7/28/2007 at 8:48 am

    No, as a veggy you will be poorly served by Japan. They have less of an understanding of vegetarianism than the French. The French understand what a vegetarian is, but simply hold anyone who would voluntarily give up eating meat in contempt. In Japan, despite the recorded history of near vegetarianism, and in my expereience, having people who are practicing vegetarians, restaurants just don’t understand. My vegetarian friends in Japan would regularly ask “Does this contain meat?”, having used their students to coach them in the Japanese for the same question, just to make sure, be assured that it doesn’t, only for it to be smothered in grated, dried fish, or be chicken based. Hell, one naive fool asked the same question in a Yakitori-ya. All they served was chicken, and still they were told that a couple of items were okay. On balance what they served up was arguably not actually meat, as such, but it was from a chicken.

    Reply
  7. Get a Job, Son! says

    7/31/2007 at 8:52 pm

    “…not actually meat, as such, but it was from a chicken…”

    I think i’ve had that, and couldnt believe i was eating it… not recommended!

    Reply
  8. zen says

    8/1/2007 at 6:09 am

    Heahhahah, funny stuff.

    However on the for real side. I had no (as in zero) problem eating veggie foods in Japan. There are LOTS. I do eat Some sea food so that helps but even then, LOTS of pure veggie stuff. Ganbatte!!

    Reply
  9. Beau says

    8/11/2007 at 12:48 pm

    Hey I’ve lived in Japan 17 years, one as a vegan and the last two as vegetarian. It is sometimes maddening, but also very rewarding when you do happen to find a nice veggie dish. If you live in Japan and want to cook some fake meat dishes, I highly recommend Sofa Foods, who make really great soy meat! They have an English website and ship anywhere in Japan (http://www.sofafoods.jp/sofa_e/shopping_top.asp). You can also buy their foods at shops around Tokyo–try Natural House for one. Bon apetit!

    Reply
  10. gleek says

    8/21/2007 at 5:45 am

    we managed to eat a lot of veggie stuff while in japan but i personally tend to relax my vegetarianism while overseas to include seafood. but that’s something i know many vegetarians wouldn’t do. so if you must remain vegetarian while visiting japan i suggest you check out kristen’s recent entries at mediatinker.com. she’s been visiting vegan/vegetarian places in and around tokyo.

    http://www.mediatinker.com/blog/archives/cat_food.html

    Reply
  11. Casey says

    8/5/2010 at 4:25 am

    I lived in Nagoya for two years and given that most large cities are next to the sea/ocean, I would definitely take the author’s advice and force yourself to eat fish as everything from the soup stock to the tea contain parts of this tasty friend.

    Reply

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