The World Vegan Travel Podcast
The World Vegan Travel Podcast
Vegan Travel in Japan | Culture, Cuisine & Tips
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Hi everyone, and welcome back to The World Vegan Travel Podcast!
We’re continuing our special mini-series featuring episodes from our dear friend and travel partner Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, host of the Food for Thought podcast. While we take a short pause from new episodes, we’re thrilled to share Colleen’s work with you—it’s thoughtful, practical, and a perfect fit for the spirit of World Vegan Travel.
In today’s episode, Colleen reflects on our first-ever group trips to Japan back in 2024, sharing her insights into vegan travel in a country where food, culture, and tradition are deeply intertwined. You’ll hear about the cultural nuances, culinary challenges, and what makes Japan such a fascinating destination for compassionate travelers.
Be sure to subscribe to Colleen’s Food for Thought podcast and her Substack at colleenpatrickgoudreau.substack.com for more reflections, recipes, and inspiration.
And if Japan is on your bucket list, don’t miss our upcoming group trip in 2026—now open for booking at worldvegantravel.com. We’d love to welcome you!
Now, let’s dive into Vegan in Japan: Part One with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.
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Today, I want to share helpful tips and insights on being vegan in Japan — how to navigate the food scene, what to look out for, and some cultural context that will help you better understand Japanese cuisine.
This is Part One of a two-part series. In Part Two, I’ll get into specifics: dishes like ramen, okonomiyaki, udon, soba, mochi, and more.
But in this episode, we’ll cover:
The history of plant-based eating in Japan
Cultural framing for Japanese food and how it’s perceived
Why “vegan” isn’t a widely understood concept in Japan
Practical tips for communicating your dietary preferences
Things to watch out for (e.g. dashi, bonito flakes, eggs in bread)
The challenge of making menu substitutions in Japan
And helpful resources, including people on the ground doing amazing work for veganism in Japan
High-Level Takeaways
Japanese cuisine is highly regional.
Just like in Italy, where cuisine varies from north to south, Japan has unique culinary traditions based on geography. I’ll dive deeper into this in Part Two.
Japan is a deeply food-focused culture.
Food is not just nourishment but an art form and a vehicle for social connection. This can make modifications difficult, as chefs consider the balance and harmony of a dish to be sacred.
Japan is excellent at adapting cultural elements and refining them.
From Buddhism and baseball to bidets and ramen, Japan often takes external ideas and perfects them. This applies to food as well — including plant-based options.
A Brief History of Food in Japan
Prehistoric to 700s CE: Indigenous diets centered around foraging, hunting, and aquatic animals.
Nara & Heian Periods (710–1185): Introduction of Buddhism led to bans on meat during certain times. Rice became a staple. Tofu and noodles were introduced from China.
Kamakura to Muromachi Periods (1185–1603): Tofu, soy products, and more vegetables became widespread. Buddhist vegetarianism remained strong.
Edo Period (1603–1868): More urban food culture. Tempura (brought by Portuguese) and sushi gained popularity. Meat still rare.
Meiji Restoration (Post-1868): Westernization brought an increase in meat and dairy consumption. However, Japan still has the shortest history of meat consumption in Asia.
The Vegan Challenge in Japan
The word “vegan” is not widely understood.
Modifications to menu items are not common and may be seen as disrespectful.
English is not widely spoken outside large cities.
Dashi (broth made from fish flakes) is in many dishes — including vegetable ones.
What Can You Do?
Use Google Translate — especially the camera feature to scan ingredients.
Write down a note in Japanese listing what you do and don’t eat.
Use the word “vegetarian” if “vegan” isn’t understood.
Assume that dashi, bonito, egg, milk, and oyster sauce may be hidden in seemingly vegan-friendly foods.
What to Look For
Shojin Ryori cuisine: Buddhist temple food that’s fully plant-based.
Around temples and shrines: You’ll often find vegetarian-friendly snacks like mochi, candied sweet potatoes, and cucumbers on a stick.
Convenience stores (7-Eleven, FamilyMart): Offer some labeled vegan noodles and snacks.
Macrobiotic restaurants: Often mostly plant-based.
Sushi bars: Look for inari (tofu pockets), cucumber rolls, and vegetable nigiri.
International cuisine: Italian, Indian, and Middle Eastern options are common in big cities.
Vegetarian and vegan restaurants: Use HappyCow, TripAdvisor, and local vegan blogs.
Special Thanks
Taka, Layla, and other Tokyo-based vegan activists who met us at a vegan izakaya called Izakaya Masaka. Incredible food and incredible people doing important work.
Alina and Roka from JapanByLocals.com, who are helping travelers navigate Japan with plant-based itineraries.
Brighde and Seb from World Vegan Travel, for the tireless work behind the scenes. Japan is a uniquely challenging destination for vegan travel, and they pulled it off beautifully.