Veganism in Japan
Veganism isn't "big" yet, but there are dedicated vegans from Sapporo in the North to the tropical island okinawa in the south who don't eat animal products, don't wear leather and use only cosmetics not tested on animals. And their numbers are growing.
Veganism is a lyfestyle for those people because they are concerned about animals, the environment and poverty in other countries.
As for restaurants suitable for vegans in japan, there are (100% vegetarian) Macrobiotic restaurants, Vegetarian restaurants, and Vegan restaurants.
About a decade ago Macrobiotic became populair. Some macrobiotic people/restaurants include fish in their diet. But many other macrobiotic people/restaurants explicitly exclude fish from their menu, and so are totally suitable for vegans.
Bookshops offer many macrobiotic cooking books, and also macrobiotic class is populair.
A few years later Vegetarianism did finally break through in Japan. Vegetarian restaurants are opened, and still each year new vegetarian restaurants are opened and become populair. The menu is usual almost vegan , and clearly indicates if the dish contains animal ingredients like milk.
In 2001 the Japan Vegetarian Society was made. The main focus is on the health and nutrition aspect of the vegetarian diet. "Pesco Vegetarian" is a well accepted term in the JVS, unlike in many western Vegetarian Societies who say that fish are just like any other animal and eating them and calling yourself a vegetarian isn't possible.
Recently Veganism is becoming populair. Last year a glossy populair magazine Hanako featured an article about Veganism, with a small Veggie restaurant guide, and Vegan Hollywood stars. Also a japanese credit card magazine had a one page article about Veganism.
There are not so many Vegan Cafes and Vegan Restaurants yet, but it just started and the ones that open, are populair and stay in business. The number one Vegan Cafe is the Vegan Healing Cafe in Shibuya, Tokyo. The owner is Peta supporter and has a car full with Peta and "NO FUR" adds.
Veganism goes hand in hand with animal rights, and also animal rights is on its way in Japan. Although there are hardly any confrontational demo's, there are leafletting and spreading information on the internet.
Peta has many volunteers in Japan.
Books from Singer ("animal rights") are translated in Japanese.
One type of traditional japanese kind of cooking is in it's essence also Vegan. That's the Shojin Ryori, the traditional Temple Cooking of the Buddists. Buddism forbids killing of animals out of compassion.
There are restaurants and temples in japan where you still can eat Shojin Ryori.
But the ordinary mr Tanaka in the streets might be"Buddist" like many japanese, but hardly couldnt care less about having compassion for animals, let alone following a vegan diet.
But other ordinary buddist people from other asian countries, like Taiwan and Hong Kong, who live in japan, are more strict. They have their own buddist communities where most people are strict vegetarian. Also their are various taiwanese vegetarian restaurantin japan, from Tokyo, Nagoya to Hiroshima.
Japan still has the outdated image of vegetarian unfriendly country, that it might have been ten or more years ago.
Respected guidebooks like Lonely Planet and Rough Guide, not only are still inaccurate and outdated, in the few lines they dedicate to vegetarianism in japan, they also simply give wrong information.
like :
"until recently the only options for vegetarians was Kaiseki" (from the Tokyo Cityguide from Lonely Planet, page 40 ).
Kaiseki....vegetarian ?? you gotta be kidding. Kaiseki is a traditional japanese cooking with skillfully prepared fish dishes.
As a vegan traveler, with the right information, you can have a very worthwhile vegan experience in japan.
After all, there are more than 120 100% vegetarian/vegan restaurants in japan, and that number is still growing.
Outside the veggie restaurants, especially fish stock as an unwanted ingredient can be an obstackle for a relax dinner. But lets not exagerate this inconvenience, and instead stay positive and enjoy the possibilities we have.
