Vegan Japan

november 2007

wednesday november 28

"VEGETARIA~~~~N!!! YEA~~H!!"

"hello, i live in Chiba and i am Vegetarian! My Mummy makes delicious Carrot Juice for me. >_< I want go grow up to be Vegan just like my mummy and daddy !"

Recently there are new volunteers/assistant. Akiko from Tokyo and Miki from Fukushima help with translating the Vegan Japan website. And Kaju and Madoka are helping with the Vegan restaurant Pocketguide.

sunday november 25

Hello,

Did you hear about the recent "Food Scandals" ?
Newspapers have big headlines "Another Food Scandal in Japan!"
Wow, whats going on? >_<

The biggest "Scandal" seems to be the famous Akafuku, which sells its product, sweets that are very populair as a gift, after the expiration date, and recycles unsold sweets into new sweets.

Is that a scandal? Nobody did get sick. Just because its after expiration date doesnt mean that it is bad food.

Another "scandal" is a Meat Company that secretly mixed cheap chicken meat, pork meat and minced meat, and sold it as expensive beef.
That is not nice for the customer but it is perfectly safe to eat, nobody will get sick.

if you Google or Yahoo with "food scandal japan" you can find many articles about those "FOOD SCANDALS"

But there is a real Food Scandal that newspaper dont write about. It ruins the life of millions, each day.

It is the way how we treat our "food" ; the chickens, pigs, rabbits, cows, and all the other innocent animals that we treat so badly and without any respect.

Do you know where meat or eggs or milk is coming from? It is not from a happy animal.
Here is a documentary, how we treat animals. It is told by a famous actor, Joaquin Phoenix, he is vegan and actor in the movie "I Walk the Line" about life story of Johnny Cash.

It is shocking movie.
You will will be shocked but tomorwo you will be happy again. But what about the animals? Yesterday, today, tomorow, they are suffering until we treat them with more respect.

"EARTHLINGS"

( it is shocking movie so be careful )

Another real Food Scandal ignored by the japanese press, is the killing and eating of thousands of dolphins. Not only are the dolphins killed in a very cruel way, the meat is also dangerous for your health, because it contains high levels of mercury, and just as with Minamata where people died because of Mercury poison, the press and governement keep very silent.
Recently though, two japanese people from Taiji are very worried because the poisonous meat is eaten by schoolchildren, that they gave interview in newspaper. Please read the article where those two japanese people from the fishing village Taiji tell about their worries :

Taiji Officials : Dolphin Meat is Toxic Waiste

So what is the real Food Scandal?
Cookies that are sold after expiration date or dolphin meat that is full with toxic mercury and being eaten by schoolchildren?

tuesday november 20

Hello everybody! :-P

Welcome to the Carrot office !

This is my space where everyday i am working hard for the next edition of the Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide.

Most important are :

-computer and chair
-music
-cup of Green Tea

I wake up at 5 in the morning. First i make nice pot of Hot Green Tea and start to check my email.
After that, i work on computer. The coming weeks i am making the new maps for the Pocketguide on computer. It is about 100 maps so its lots of work. >_<

payment for pocketguide by postal mail

I had nice email conversation with miss Clara from Hong Kong, who ordered the Pocketguide. She told me there are many vegetarian restaurants in China. She is going to visit Osaka and Tokyo with her family. She did order the pocketguide and yesterday i did receive the money !! (Hong Kong Dollar)

I will keep the Hong Kong money and use it next time i visit Hong Kong !

sunday november 18

Today its my birthday. :-)

saterday november 17

Interesting article about Raw Food in Japan, with several Raw Food people like miss Yuki Itoh from the Tokyo Living Food restaurant Veggie Paradise interviewed.

Raw Food article

I got email this week from the Bonjinsha Bookstore in Chibuya Tokyo.
"we want to sell the Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide in our bookshop!"
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

So besides Junkudo, Kinokuniya, Aoyama Book Center and Maruzen, now the Pocketguide also will be sold in Bonjinsha (Shibuya branch).

wednesday november 14

Last time i did eat delicious ice cream was at the Natural House in Aoyama, Tokyo, in september. :-)

Even though its cold 2day in amsterdam, i really wanted to enjoy an icecream.

Well, in a usual supermarket called Albert Heyn, 5 minutes from my home, between the many icecream made from milk, i found Soy Ice Cream.
Two flavors, Vanilla and Chocolate, half liter for just about 300 yen. >_<
That is cheap compared to japan icecream, eh.

It is made without GMO ingredients and also no white sugar was used. Instead, beetsugar is used, which is absolutely vegan.

Is it delicious? i dont know yet, i am going to eat it now...

トッツィ～～～～ンス！

10 minutes later : it was delisciou~~~~s!!

tuesday november 13

"goedendag !!" 　グデンダグ　 ( that is dutch and means "goodday!" )

Today it rains and it is 5 C degrees at daytime and 1 C degree at night time. ( almost freezing !! >_< )

The last two months i have visited many good vegan restaurants in Japan and have many happy memories :-) like eating delicious Vegan Icecream, visiting Cafe Peace in Kyoto and Hanada Rosso in Tokyo...
and I did write about some vegan places while i was in Japan, on the "Vegan Japan" website.

And now today i want to show you, the visitor of this website, a vegetarian restaurant here in amsterdam. Will you join me ?

Lets go to the "Bolhoed". It is one of the first vegetarian restaurants in amsterdam. ( but they even dont have own website ! :-P ) It is most famous veggie restaurant in amsterdam and close by the Anne Frank House. It is in front of canal and with good weather you can sit outside.

inside the vegetarian restaurant Bolhoed. The women talk very loud and are also talking VE-RY-LOUD-LY-ON-THE-TE-LE-PHONE-BLA-BLA-BLA-BLA.

When i come into the restaurant i see my friend Sven, he is working in the restaurant. He was arrested last year at AR demo and spend two months in jail. :-P

The vegetarian menu all vegan dishes have a *sign so its easy to choose vegan meal.
I order "Croissant filled with Tofu and Salad".

"smakelijk eten!"  スマクルック・エーテン！　 this means "enjoy your meal ! "
It tastes good and it is soo very much. >_<

            Vegan Croissant and Salad and Alcohol-Free
            Beer. Hey where are the chopsticks? >_<

I wanted to eat also delicious Cake but....i am sooo full ! I cannot eat anymore. >_< sorry cake !! next time!!

some of these cakes are vegan and look deliciousand big.

For the lunch and the beer i have to pay 2200. It is more expensive then a vegan lunch in japan, eh. ;-)

Other dishes from the (dinner) menu are
Daily Dinner Plate 2300円
Noirth African Plate 2300円
Bolhoed Special (Soup, Main Dish, Cake) 3400円

These are usual prices you have to pay in any casual restaurant in Holland. Yeah, Japan is more cheap prices !

I hope you enjoyed going with me to Veggie Restaurant here in Amsterdam. >_<

”Tot Ziens!!” 　トッツィンス！！　 See you !

sunday november 11

It's a cold and rainy day here in Amsterdam. >_<

Recently i had a very nice and interesting chat with miss Junko from the Japan Vegetarian Society. At that occasion she also interviewed me. It can be read at the JVS website.
                             interview

Nobody seemed to be interested in Marzipan, so i did eat them all by myself.


       empty package of Marzipan after i eat them

Yesterday i got letter from USA from Charlotte. She sends me Money for the Pocketguide and some Nice Words. >_< I am so happy!

Thank you too and enjoy the Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide when you are in Japan!!

Searching on the internet is interesting. Yesterday i did find photo's from the Thailand Phuket Vegetarian Festival. It is veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery diferent than the Vegetarian Festivals in Japan! :-P
I was shocked and so amazed....
Please take a look BUT...be careful. It is really shocking. People are sticking knives into theirselves.

Thai Phuket Vegetarian Festival

i prefer selling cookies on Veggie Festa !!!

wednesday november 7

G E T A F R E E " M A R Z I P A N " ! ! !

At the Vegetarian Foodshop in my neighborhoud they made me an offer i couldnt refuse:

"buy a whole box of MARZIPAN and get 10% discount" >_<

Now i got a whole box of Marzipan at my home! :-P

And i am going to give it away to the visitors of Vegan Japan Website !!!

I am very curious "who is visitor of the Vegan Japan webSIte".
Tell me something about yourself and i will send you a delicious Marzipan.
Are you vegetarian? is it dificult ? how long? Where do you live ? first time you visit the vegan Japan Website ?

I will send not one, not two, but THREE delicious Marzipan to you!!

Marzipan is VEGAN and uses NO WHITE SUGAR but Cane Sugar.

tuesday　november 6

I did find another restaurant and did send them email. Today i did get the answer :
卵、牛乳、肉、魚、はちみつなど動物性のものは一切使用していません。
("we don't use cow milk, meat, fish, honey or any animal ingredient")

The list of 100% Vegan/Vegetarian restaurants (in japan) that are presently in business, has reached an astonishing 110 shops!
Vegan restaurants from Okinawa to Hokkaido !

saterday november 3

How is the weather in Japan? Here in Amsterdam it rains lightly and it is chilly.

Last month on the Tokyo Vegetarian Festival i did meet with a nice person. She is vegetarian and every wednessday she turns the Takaenji Cafe into a veggie restaurant, serving only veggie meals that day.

If you are looking for a new nice veggie place, why not visit this place on a wednessday?
It is near the Kouenji station at the Chuo line.

If you visit the place, say HELLO from the Vegan Japan website! :-)

Kouenji Cafe

wednesday october 31

A new Guestbook has been added to the VeganJapan site!
You can leave your comments about the site, or use it as a message board. Looking for a new veggie friend? just leave a message on the Guestbook !

By email i did get some Yummy & Delicious Cookies and Pizza from my Raw Vegan friend

"Raw Food" (or better : "Living Food" ) is not only healthy but also delicious.
I tried to prepare it myself a few times, it was kind-of-dificult though, not at all tasty like in the restaurant! :-)
So next year i am planning to take "Living Food Cooking Classes" at the Japan Living Food Association in Yoyogi Uehara, Tokyo.

Raw Food Raisin Ice Cookies

Raw Food Pizza >_< yummy~