Vegan Japan

december 2007

sunday december 30

　　　　　　 "2008"

Next month i finally can return to japan. I already have busy scedule. (^_^)
Like always there are veggie restaurants that i didn't visit yet. And i will meet with my veggie friends at a Vegan Lunch Party. And i will take Living Food classes ! Oh my g*d, classes are in Japanese language, but i will manage. >_<

Everybody, Happy New Year !

friday december 28

" 2008 !"

Next year two new vegan books will hit japan. One is the third edition of the populair Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide.

Besides a doubling of veggie restaurants for Tokyo, and more new places in Kyoto and Osaka, the new Pocketguide will also include Nagoya area (7 restaurants), Nara (3 restaurants), Sapporo (4 restaurants), Hiroshima, Naha (Okinawa), etc.

It is sceduled beginning of autumn 2008, so for the moment buy the current Pocketguide !!

Slowly but steadily the other new book, "Vegan people, Happy people", is getting shape. Various people joined and will write an article.
Mr Kakimoto, president of the Japan Vegetarian Society, will write article about health and veggie diet. And miss Iwasa will tell about the Kyoto Vegetarian Festival, which she organises every year.
And of course miss Yuki Itoh from the great restaurant Veggie Paradise will explain in an article about Living Food.

With topics like Veggie Festivals, Vegan food and Restaurants, Animal-Friendly shopping , this book will become a great fun and interesting Vegan book. ^_^

Book is sceduled for summer 2008.

sunday december 23

Today i got this Happy Christmas Card !! >_<

Thank you!

saterday december 22

Hello~~ everybody ! ^_^
Its almost X-Mas so dont forget to leave your "Happy X-mas" wishes in the guestbook !

friday december 21

"Cafe Peace"
The owner of he most famous Vegan Restaurant of Japan the Cafe Peace, decided to spend more time with her lovely little child and family and handed over Cafe Peace to a new owner !
However, she keeps organising the yearly Kyoto Vegetarian Festival, and be active for other vegan activities.
(Cafe Peace will be closed after december 29th and re-open with new owner mid februari.)

"Vegan Healing Cafe"
April 2006 the VHC opened its vegan doors in Shibuya, and the place became populair with japanese and foreign veggies.
Next year VHC will open a new branch in Ogikubo and surely will also become populair.

thursday december 20

My Vegan friend Kai sends Happy X-Mas Greetings !!

Kai in Canada

tuesday december 18

This year has been a good year for vegan restaurants. From all the Veggie restaurants in the Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide just two have been closed ; the Taiwanese Haotsuya in Meguro-ku because the friendly owner sadly enough died. And the Chu Chu in Tokyo because of serious health problems of the owner.

Many other places have been opened this year, a Vegan Petit Maman in Kyoto, a Vegan Prana in Osaka, and around 10 (!!) new (most are Vegan, some vegetarian) restaurants have opened in Tokyo !
For next year several tokyo veggie restaurants have plans to open new branches, i will tell later... ;-)

Also, places with a normal menu sometimes offer a special Vegan Menu, showing that more and more customers are demanding a healthy Vegan food menu.

One of such Vegan Friendly places i did run into is the Kick Back Cafe in Tokyo (Sengawa) . This non-alcohol and non-smoking Life House offers life gigs and events AND a Vegan menu (besides a "normal menu") . >_<
I will defenitely check it out and put photos on the website next month.

friday december 14

"Soy Ice Cream Part 2"

As reported on wednesday november 14th, the local Dutch supermarket here sells two kind of Soy Icecream.
YAP, thats right, t-w-o kinds, "chocolate" and "vanilla", delicious but not very much choiche.

Today i will teach you how you can make your own original Soy Ice cream with simple ingredients !

photo 1 photo 2

photo 1 : remove the top of the ice cream bucket.

photo 2 : in the middle of the Ice Cream you dig a hole. You fill it with crushed Walnuts.

It really is delicious !! (^_^)

Be creative and use your imagination!
You can use other nuts, cookies, cake, chunks of (vegan) chocolate, peanutbutter, banana, pieces of cold pizza and whatever!
enjoy ! -_o

tuesday december 11

"Vegan Japan Runners Club"

Not only Vegan restaurants are on the increase, also vegan activities are blooming.
This month a new Vegan Meeting group was formed in Tokyo, the Vegan Japan Runners Club.

Its just great to do activity with other vegans and afterwards have a nice vegan meal together. So wether you are hard core marathon runner or sissy jogger like me who puffs like old locomotive after 5 minutes, join and support this new Vegan Japan Runners Club! its FUN ! >_<

The first meeting is saterday 22th. (see Vegan Events)

monday december 10

"Christmas Party at Veggie Paradise"

Saterday was the first X-mas party of the year at the Veggie Paradise, Yoyogi, Tokyo. There were many people and it was a great succes.
Here are some photo's!

Raw Food cooking demonstration by x-mas girl miss Yuki Itoh. (^_^)

A Magic Show !...

and much All-You-Can-Eat delicious Raw Food and Macrobiotic food.

(photo's : Chopstikss)

Veggie Paradise

friday december 7

"Christmas !"

Soon it will be christmas. A great oportunity to go with your friend or partner for a Vegan Christmas Dinner.
I have collected some Christmas events and put them on this site.
If you know some other vegan events, let me know.

"volunteers"

Since some weeks various people offered to be volunteer.

Akiko is translating very well. And she has good ideas, she
suggested that in japanese language the "Vegan People, Happy People " title of the new pocketguide would sound better as "Vegan Life , Happy Life".
Yeah, sounds great, thank you Akiko. (^_^)

the other volunteers are , well, ...hmm, what can i say? ^_^
One volunteer gets angry when i ask her to translate text, and also leaves unpleasant message in guestbook. I deleted it.

other volunteer seems very nice person, but, until now she didnt do anything at all exept tell me many times "please wait (^_^)" for the last two weeks.

tuesday december 4

"Peace between Men and Animal"

Tokyo : A guy reading a book in the park and crows are at his side.

Wouldn't it be great if birds and other animals weren't afraid of us anymore? We truly could live in harmony with the world around us and with the other living creatures of this wonderful planet.

I did find this amazing photo at Flickr and Edward Faulkner, the photographer, was so kind to give me permission to use this photo.
here you can see the original photo and if you type "japan" in the search bar you can look at his other "japan" photo's

monday december 3

**Vegan Christmas Party this weekend**

Upcoming Saterday is the first vegan Christmas Party of this year!!
Parties at Veggie Paradise are really recommended, very delicious plenty food, and good atmosphere.

****Vegan Christmas Party at Veggie Paradise****

december 8, saterday 18.00 - 21.00
All-You-Can-Eat-Christmas-Party with Living Food and Macrobiotic dishes
5000 yen (400 yen discount if you wear something red)
Magic Show, Fortune Teller, Game, and Cooking Demonstration will be featured.
Reservation needed.

1-22-14 Uehara, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
03-6421-2925 www.veggieparadise.jp