Vegan Japan

october 2007

Herwin's Vegan Japan Tour 17 october - 29 october

wednesday october 3

I am back in Amsterdam. It is cold here! A mere 16C at daytime and 12C at night, and light rain.

* Here is an interesting article in the BBC News, about dark-colored fruits that slow down the growth and even kill cancer cells.
"cancer-fighting fruits" article

What a contrast with similar articles showing how animal products like meat causes cancer.
"meat linked to cancer" article

thursday october 4

Today is World Animal Day.
The Christian saint Fransis of Assisi died on october 4th and since long this has been a date to remember him.

Fransis of Assisi did care about poor people and animals. Legends say he could talk with animals.

In 1929 at an Animal Welfare congress in Vienna, because of Assisi's love for animals, it was decided to make this day "Animal World Day" , to promote animal welfare.

It is celebrated in various ways.
On schools, young children can take their pet and talk about the animal in front of the class.
Animal Shelters organise something on this day, etc.
Mostly this day is about pets and taking good care of them.
World Animal Dayhomepage
history of World Animal Day

friday october 5

Last week the japanese "IMPRESSION GOLD" magazine, a magazine for American Express Members, on their "Life Style" page, featured an article about Vegan restaurants.

The Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide is mentioned. :-)

Look, they use the word "VEGAN" (ヴィーガン) in the headline...

saterday october 6

Mico is vegan and living in Los Angeles and she is new CARROT volunteer. She helps with translating the website.
Flickr photo's from Mico

sunday october 7

I miss Japan! >_<

Here in Amsterdam it is cold weather, and it rains sometimes.

Unlike in Tokyo, there are no vegan places i can go to and enjoy a good vegan meal for a nice price.
An ordinary meal here in amsterdam, (including drinks) would cost around 3000-4000 yen, and it wouldnt be as delicious as in Cafe 8, or Deva Deva Cafe or any other veggie place in japan.
Besides, the vegetarian restaurants use much cheese and other animal products in their cooking. Not vegan friendly at all.

Vegan and vegetarian people in Japan are lucky with so much good restaurants. :-)

monday october 8

My friend Nicholas, Freelance writer and vegetarian, is writing a Vegan Article for the next issue of Japan Times (sceduled october 18)

He says "it is not hard to be a vegetarian in japan and it is getting easier all the time."

Such a good positive attitude makes me happy ! :-)

tuesday october 9

Who of you did go to the Tokyo Vegetarian Festival last week? :-)

It was such a great event! restaurants were selling veggie food everywhere, people were enjoying, there was music, and people did meet and talk with eachother.

A year ago it was still a small event, but this year the organisation did do a wonderful job and made it a big national vegetarian festival. Thank you! >_<

But not everybody does think so positive as i do.
I find this BLOG from a Vegetarian Foreigner in Tokyo. She did visit the Festival. This is what she writes :

Just a few meters beside the Vegetarian Culture Fair, that made a rather dull and grey impression and where the foodservings were quite small,

Maybe it was "dull and grey" because you came at the end, when everybody was already closing the shops.

Foodservings were "small" ? Yeah, if you come from the land of the SuperSize Hamburgers, and people are two meters tall and weigh average 100 kg, than you might find the japanese meal "small".
But for japanese people it is not "small".

there also was a much livelier and more colourful fiesta called Namaste India.
You have three guesses what was served there! Right! Curry, curry aaaaaand curry! I couldn't resist the intensive scents of spices and freshly baked naan breads.

Yukkie! one thing i really don't like is that very very spicey curry from india. It is TOO SPICEY , it kills all the other gentle flavors of the food.

Sorry vegetarians of Tokyo, the Indian chefs upstaged you! Their food was not only smelling nicer, the portions were not only bigger, they were also much more fun and really seemed to enjoy being there - and so did I!

Maybe you are in wrong country, maybe you should go to India...

While at the vegetarian fair it was kinda lame,

This girl keeps going on telling what a lousy Vegetarian Festival it was...

most of the offered food was also curry, that smelled and looked rather bland compared to the Indian originals,

It might be a surprise for that girl that other people DON"T like that too hot too spicey indian curry, and actually ENJOY the mild gentle taste of the japanese curry.

and one of the sellers made a not very charming remark about my friend and me after we had a look at his food and decided not to take it.

Okay, now we know why she is so negative, it is because somebody hurt her feelings with a "remark"

Maybe I just came to late for the good vegetarian fair food, some stalls were already closing down when I arrived - so maybe I do them wrong.

So this girl comes at the end when the festival is closing, and says the festival is "dull, grey, lame" . Wake up girl, the festival was closing, the party was allready over, you came too late. DUUUH!

Such a typical veggie foreigner complaining about Veggie Food in japan. :-P

saterday october 13

Everyday i work hard at the next edition of the Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide. The current 2007-2008 edition has about 50 veggie places. The new edition will have more than 100 totally vegetarian / vegan restaurants!!

I get help from Kanae, Ayako, and Mico.

Also Masaki from Sapporo occasionaly volunteers. Today she did find one veggie deli in sapporo and one vegan restaurant near nagoya!
She is vegan and helps sick and abandonded stray cats.

"hello , i am Saba !, miiiiiaaaaaauuuuwww!!"

The new edition is sceduled for autumn 2008.

sunday october 14

This morning i woke up and checked my e-mail.

OOh ! What a Nice Surprise! >_< Somebody did send me a Vegan Muffin from Japan. :-) arigato~~~~~!

It looks Delicious !

monday october 15

this weekend i did get various emails from japanese people. They say i am agressive and shouldn't start a Cold war on the blog with Julia, the Foreign Vegetarian.

"dont start a Cold war on the blog"

"people like smiley person, not agressive person"

well, in short : i like smiling but i also like to express my thoughts. Maybe they are "good" or "bad" but they are not "mean". :-)
When you express your thoughts, you also give other person oportunity to say his/her thought.
We can listen to eachother and learn.

This weekend we had short email correspondence, and i listened to Julia. She is so interesting and nice person!
Julia wrote :

"Maybe we can meet some time in Germany and I show you some decent Schnitzel-free restaurants ;)"

O yes, that sound nice. >_<

As you can see, in short, dear Vegan Japan visitor, there is no Cold War at all. ;-)
dont worry. P E A C E ! !

wednesday october 17

Today i arrived in Tokyo!! >_<

Last month i also visited Tokyo, but there is still so much to do that i decided to return to Japan and enjoy and do work here in Japan.
This weekend i will visit the Vegetarian Festival in Kyoto, and make photos for the new Happy People Vegan People Pocketguide.
In Tokyo there are another 4 total-vegan restaurants that i didnt visit yet.
Also in Kyoto, Osaka and 5 vegan places in Nagoya, i hope to visit, eat, and make photo's for the next edition of the Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide.

At the moment i dont know much people here in japan. So if you have time and like to meet and talk and have a vegan cake , please email me.

thursday part one october 18

should i tell it on the Vegan Japan website? well, only short.

Yesterday i did meet with my ex vegan girlfriend and her boyfriend. He is a selfish, weak, older, almost bald guy from germany.
He was angry and shouted "go back to holland and take youre lousy Vegan Pocketguide with you." He is very jeaolous and insecure because she helped me with the Vegan Pocketguide.

only ten minutes later he becomes "friendly" with me, and starts talking bad things about her. also he starts talking many private things about him and her, to me!
He talks about "sex", he says "she wants to marry but i dont want to marry her", "she is such a liar", etc.

His girlfriend (my ex girlfriend) is next to us. Of course she gets very sad.
What a guy!

thursday october 18

I take a short rest in my hotelroom this afternoon. I am so tired! >_< i didnt sleep much last night.

This morning i did meet with a new volunteer. Actually, she is manager from a design company and the total Design Company has offered to help with making the next edition of the Vegan restaurant Pocketguide. They really believe the Pocketguide is so good that they want to help it for free.
This is very good news. >_< and really helps me.

After the meeting i did go eat in a new macrobiotic restaurant near Chibuya, it opened in July this year. Too tired to tell more details now, or put a photo. but it really is great, there are many new vegan restaurants opening this year in tokyo and other places....

well, after my rest i will go to another new vegan place near Setagaya station and futakotamagawa station.

Tomorow i will be off to Kyoto to enjoy the Vegetarian Festival.

Does anybody like to join me? it would be so nice. :-P

friday october 19

It's night. i am so tired. >_<

in the morning i took shinkansen from tokyo to osaka. After checking in my hotel i did go to Prana Iori. Oh, it really is such a nice place!! Good vegan food and relaxed atmosphere.
and the staff are sooo nice and friendly. >_< :-)

after Prana Iori i did go to....Prana! :-P
this is the main branch of the Prana cafe's.
I did have another delicious macrobiotic vegan meal. I played with the cute dogs of the owner. and i had a nice chat.
When you are in Osaka, i really recommend Prana.. :-)

おやすみな菜 ...

saterday october 20.

i did visit Seizansodo, page 53 ofthe Pocketguide.

In two other restaurants i had nice talk and sold 3 and 1 pocketguides. :-)

In the Vegan restaurant i did meet Miffy. She doesnt say anything but i know she likes the pocketguide. so i am happy. >_<

i am so sleepy, here in my osaka hotel...zzz..zzzz

おやすみな菜

sunday october 21.

photo's from the Kyoto Vegetarian Festival

after the Festival i have dinner in Maman Terrace. It was a stylish and very delicious vegan dinner. Besides the Peace Cafe, the Maman Terrace is my other favorite place in Kyoto because the food is really....so good. >_<

zzzzz...zzzz..zz "sweet dreams"

tuesday october 23

I did go to Nara today. Two restaurants were closed today. >_<

I did get email from Veggie Paradise in Tokyo.

"i did get the Vegan Pocketguide at the Vegetarian Festival and now its one of my favorite books." >_< i am so happy to hear!!

Veggie Paradise is Raw Food Cooking school and last month opened Raw Food & Macrobiotic restaurant.
Since october 15th Veggie Paradise started to offer also Yoga Classes, almost daily.

more details on Veggie Yoga

Please go to Veggie Paradise and enjoy!

wednesday october 24

The staff in the business hotel in Osaka are "funny". I speak japanese to them but they keep speaking english.

herwin : すみません、かぎをおねがいします

receptionist : what is your room number, sir?

herwin : 九階八番で～す。

receptionist : okay sir, here is your key.

herwin : ありがとう！

receptionist : you are welcome!!

this is my hotelroom in Osaka.

Tomorow i will return to Tokyo...

friday october 26

Today it rains ! >_<
It reminds me of Holland....

Vegan Halloween Cookies at Kushi Garden Deli, Shibuya.

Yeah!! soon it's Halloween and the coolest Halloween Party with an unlimited suply of delicious Vegan Food will be in the Veggie Paradise! you should go and enjoy!! :-)

saterday october 27

Another day of rain and its getting really cold at night. >_<

I spend the day in Pure Cafe in Omote Sando, Tokyo. It is always a pleasant atmosphere and there is a great selection of delicious vegan cakes and tarts.

First i did eat this cake with a deliscious vegan cream sauce, with a non-caffein coffee.

The people of Pure cafe know how to make delicious cakes like this Fruit Cake.

I did meet with miss Junko from the Japan Vegetarian Society. She is such an incredible nice and interesting person. We talked about veganism and vegetarian things, besides pleasant small talk.
She interviewed me for the JVS website.


                  left : miss Junko, right : Herwin

Later at night in the Pure cafe, i did have a nice chat with two "almost vegetarian" friends. :-)

sunday october 28

what a nice sunny day!

every month the SaishokuKenbi in Shinjuku Tokyo, offers a Mini Veggie Festa.
It is a small event inside a building, with people selling veggie food, and tables where you can sit and in a pleasant atmosphere enjoy the food.

Today was the first time i did go, and when i have the chanche i go again. Its nice.

There is both vegetarian food as well as vegan food. Vegan food : curry with bread, sushi roll, and a delicous set of sushi. (photo)

monday october 29

Sayonara! Today i return to amsterdam. goodbye everybody, thank you for the nice time ! :-)