After nearly 40 years of traveling in Japan as vegetarians, we have some valuable insights to share. Here’s what you need to know about vegetarian food in Japan.
Japanese cuisine is very varied and healthy, and there are a lot of vegetable and tofu dishes. However, it is important to note that many of the seemingly vegetarian dishes in Japan include fish flakes or pieces of meat. So, if you are a strict vegetarian or vegan, knowing exactly what to avoid or how to specify your dietary need is crucial.
Although Japan is a (partly) Buddhist country, the concept of Buddhist vegetarian cuisine is not very widespread. Outside of temples and some specialized restaurants, Buddhist vegetarian dishes do not play a role in Japanese food culture. Nor does Western-style modern vegetarianism and veganism. This means that most menus don’t list vegetarian options separately or with a special logo. Moreover, many restaurant staff may not be able to quickly and accurately identify vegetarian dishes.
The more you know about Japanese food, the easier will it be to identify suitable options.
Washoku – the unique tradition of Japanese food
Japanese traditional food, known as Washoku, is both unique and quite healthy. The Japanese diet is based on vegetables and fish with minimal use of meat. It relies heavily on the natural flavours of the ingredients, enhanced subtly with sugar, salt, sweet sake, and – surprisingly – less soy sauce than you would expect. The dishes are more often simmered than fried, preserving their nutritional value. This food tradition has earned a title of UNESCO intangible heritage of the world.
In general, Japanese food is not spicy at all. However, the influence of neighbouring Chinese and Korean cuisines has introduced a range of reasonably spicy dishes into the Japanese culinary landscape.
Shojin Ryori – the vegetarian food in Japanese temples
Traditional Japanese cuisine has its own concept of vegetarian food, known as Shojin Ryori (精進料理), which differs from the western term “bejitarian” (ベジタリアン = vegetarian). Shojin Ryori is the Buddhist cuisine of Japanese temples and eschews not only animal ingredients, but also onions and garlic due to their intense smells. You can experience this cuisine during temples stays, for instance if you are staying on the Holy Mountain of Koya-san for a night. There are also specialised Shojin Ryori Restaurants in larger cities. These tend to be quite expensive, however.
Common Japanese vegetarian dishes
Normal Japanese restaurant menus list several dishes and side dishes that are vegetarian or can easily be modified for vegetarians. Below is a glossary of useful phrases such as “Can you make it without the meat?” – “Niku nashi de dekimasu ka?”
Note that some dishes are freshly made, while others are not. That means that staff may offer to “take the meat out” (“niku nuki”) instead of preparing the dish “without meat” (“niku nashi”). Strict vegetarians may want to avoid this.
Okonomiyaki: The Japanese pancakes usually contain lots of cabbage and spring onions plus various chunks of meat or seafood. Since they are always freshly made you can ask for one without the meat and seafood. Ensure that they do not add fish flakes (katsuobushi) on top.
Tempura: lightly battered and deep-fried vegetables or seafood. Prawn or oysters are very typical, but you can request a set containing only vegetables. These will be fried in the same oil as the seafood, however.
Donburi: A simple bowl of rice topped with one item, such as cutlet or tempura. Again, you can ask for tempura made with only vegetables (“yasai dake”).
Omurice: The name is a combination of omelette and rice, and that’s all it is. An omelette wrapped around rice. There may or may not be small pieces of meat in it and it comes with ketchup.
Typical vegetarian side dishes and menu items in Japan
Salad: Most restaurants offer a few salads on the menu, but they often contain chicken or ham, sometimes raw fish. Again, when ordering, make sure to specify that you don’t want fish flakes on top (katsuobushi).
Edamame: For vegetarian food in Japan, edamame are an absolute staple. They are green soybeans, steamed with salt and served in the pod. To eat them, hold the pod with your fingers, bite the pea out (it will pop out easily) and discard the pod.
Natto: Fermented soybeans are ubiquitous and healthy. However with their slimy texture and an intense smell they are an acquired taste. Strict vegetarians should be aware that natto in restaurants usually comes already mixed with a sauce containing fish fond. If you buy natto at a supermarket, the sauce is in a separate sachet, making it easier to avoid. Use soy sauce instead.
Tofu dishes
Tofu is an essential ingredient of vegetarian food in Japan. Consisting entirely of soybeans, tofu is full of proteins and features prominently in many traditional Japanese dishes. Tofu dishes also feature in the Okinawa kitchen: great for vegetarians.
Dengaku-dofu: Grilled tofu slices topped with a salty, creamy miso paste – also from soybeans. Dengaku-dofu is generally vegetarian, but the miso paste may contain additional condiments such as sesame or lemon.
Hiyayakko: This cold silken tofu is a common side dish in Izakaya restaurants. It typically comes with some grated ginger and/or sliced cucumbers, and soy sauce. Some places will put fish flakes (katsuobushi) on top, so make sure to check.
Agedashi-dofu: Deep-fried tofu is a good option to get some nourishing as well as vegtarian food in Japan! Agedashi-dofu is served in a broth with grated radish, grated ginger, and sometimes fish flakes (katsuobushi). Ask about any fish flakes on top or in the broth (dashi).
Vegetarian Noodle dishes
Most noodle dishes in Japan are soups. The broth is usually made from animals (mostly chicken or pork). If you don’t mind eating the noodles and topping anyway and leaving the soup, try the following dishes:
Kake soba / udon: simple noodles with spring onions and extra batter
Tempura soba / udon: noodles with deep-fried battered vegetables, see above. Ask for “yasai dake”
Kitsune soba / udon: noodles with deep-fried tofu strips
Sansai soba / udon: noodles with wild ferns
Tsukimi soba / udon: noodles with a raw egg in the hot soup
Strict vegetarians or vegans can opt for Zaru Soba (cold buckwheat noodles without soup). You get a dip based on soy sauce and dashi broth to dip the noodles in. Again, the dashi contains fish unless you bring your own dip (thin soy sauce or a tsuyu sauce that you have confirmed is vegetarian).
Ramen are Chinese egg noodles. Chefs make them with pork broth and always serve them with a slice of pork and kamaboko. You can ask for some without the pork slice, but in our experience, ramen always have a strong meat flavour.
Vegetarian food at the Sushi Restaurant
| かっぱ(巻き) | Kappa-maki (cucumber), |
| お新香 | Oshinko-maki (pickled radish), |
| 梅紫蘇 | Ume-jiso-maki (sour plum and perilla leaf, a fresh herb) |
| 納豆 | Natto-maki (fermented soybeans – see above) |
| 玉子 | Tamago (sweet omelette) |
| 干瓢 | Kanpyo-maki (dried pumpkin) |
| 稲荷, いなり | Inari (sweetish filled tofu pouches) |
These sushi, apart from tamago, are also vegan.
Vegetarian food at the Konbini (Convenience Store)
Your best bet to find vegetarian food in Japanese convenience stores are o-nigiri. These are ready-made rice balls wrapped in seaweed with some filling. While new fillings are emerging all the time, every konbini stocks a few traditional vegetarian options. The vegetarian staples are:
梅 Ume (pickled plum)
昆布 Konbu (seaweed)
高菜 Takana (mustard leaves)
赤飯 Sekihan (red azuki bean, slightly sweet and salty)
胡麻塩 Gomashio (salt and sesame)
Many packages of o-nigiri (but not all) state the filling in English.
If you are travelling in central Japan, you may also find o-yaki. Similar to Manju, these snacks are from dough with a spicy filling. The most popular fillings are aubergine, pumpkin, and mustard seed, often with wasabi. Therefore, many of them are vegetarian – but you need to ask about the filling.
Non-vegetarian items and ingredients to avoid
While it may be clear to Western vegetarians that, say, ham is not vegetarian, most Japanese lack a concept of vegetarianism. Restaurant proprietors and staff often ask specifically about various items: How about seafood? Can you eat mushrooms? Do you eat eggs? However, to get vegetarian food in Japan, it is crucial to anticipate what they do not ask. Here’s a list of items that people may assume are ok for you to eat when you say that you are vegetarian. Or that they might not even realise they are putting into the dishes:
| 鰹節 | Katsuobushi (shaved bonito fish flakes) | Many dishes com sprinkled with fish flakes – for instance, cold tofu, salads, okonomiyaki, ochazuke. Often it is easy to leave them out, but you must mention this beforehand to the staff, since you can’t remove them afterwards. |
| 蒲鉾, かまぼこ | Kamaboko (pounded fish paste) | The white slice, often with a pink swirl, that sits in Ramen soups and some other dishes. It is made from pounded white fish, but does not look like fish at all |
| 海老 | Ebi (giant prawn) | |
| 貝 | Kai (shellfish) | |
| タコ, 蛸 | Tako (octopus) | |
| イカ | Ika (squid) | |
| ハム | Hamu (ham) | |
| 豚エキス | Buta-ekisu (pork extract) | Processed food such as sauces, and sometimes even cookies or mustard, often contain pork extract |
| 出汁 | Dashi (broth) | Most dashi is made from fish. The vegetarian exception is konbu-dashi (昆布だし) |
Useful phrases for ordering vegetarian food in Japan
| Vegetarian | bejitarian |
| Vegetarian temple food | shojin ryori |
| Meat | niku |
| Fish | sakana |
| Ham | hamu |
| Chicken | chikin |
| Bonito fish flakes | katsuobushi |
| Egg | tamago |
| Milk (products) | gyûnyû (hin) |
| Cheese | chîzu |
| Seaweed broth | konbu-dashi |
| Can you make it without meat? | Niku nashi de dekimasuka? |
| Egg is fine. | Tamago wa daijôbu desu. |
| Without any fish flakes, please! | Katsuobushi nashi de, onegai shimasu. |
In shops, look for these kanji characters on the packaging (also as a part of more complicated characters): 肉 (meat) or 月, for instance as a part of the character 豚 (pork), and 魚 (fish); including as part of a character: 鮪 (tuna).
Have you travelled as a vegetarian in Japan? What were your experiences? And which are your favourite travel countries in terms of vegetarian food? We have had particularly good vegetarian experiences in Armenia, Georgia, and Ethiopia. Other countries are a bit more difficult, but we always find vegetarian options in Egypt, and nowadays also in Uzbekistan. And there was a surprising array of vegetarian dishes in Serbia, for instance.
NB: We were not sponsored in any way to write this post and ate all the food ourselves.
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I was not at all surprised to read that the vegetarian options are great in Japan. We loved all the fresh veggies we found in so many of the dishes. We sure loved the high use of fish in most meals. The Okonomiyaki look like something I might try to make at home. But Is sure would not try my hand at good tempura batter! Thanks for the Japanese translations to make ordering easier!
As a vegetarian myself, this is perfect! I’ve always wondered what Japan was like for offering adequate vegetarian options, especially because it’s an island with plenty of seafood. I’m so excited to travel here and experience their incredible cuisine first-hand.
Dear Emily, the tofu dishes in Japan are a delight. Sometimes it might be a bit bumpy to order vegetarian dishes without speaking Japanese. But with a little bit of preparation, you should not have too much trouble.
This was so helpful! Thank you so much. We are a family traveling to Okinawa next month and this and the blogpost on vegetarian options in Okinawa will come in quite handy!
Dear Samiksha, thankd for stopping by at our blog! And glad that the post is useful! Have a wonderful time in Okinawa.
As a vegetarian myself, I found the section on useful phrases and common vegetarian dishes in Japan incredibly helpful. It’s going to make dining in Japan so much easier. The tips on convenience store options and identifying non-vegetarian ingredients are super practical, too. Japan is next on our travel itinerary, and this guide will definitely come in handy!
Dear Ramil Hinolan, have a good time in Japan. It is a wonderful country with good food and a fascinating culture!
I have had vegetarian Japanese food in Delhi, India. Your article gives a clear idea what to expect in Japan. I’d surely wish to try the temple food. It sounds healthy to me. I also love Tofu and soya beans, so makes my tastes bud happy. But it does need a lot of attention to remain vegetarian in Japan, especially if you are a tourist.
Dear Ambica, I travelled in India and found it the easiest country for vegetarian travelers like me. So, you are spoiled for sure….
I love Japanese food and vegetarian food! Sushis and edamames in Japanese and ‘everything’ in vegetarian food (niku nashi – of course!). Thank you for introducing so many vegetarian options in Japan. I will try some of them in my next trip to Japan. I did not know that the meat bits and fish flakes are added in Japanese vegetarian food. I want to try Dengaku-dofu and Don buri. Tell me, do the Japanese use ‘b’ for ‘v’ and ‘d’ for ‘t’? (as in bejitarian and dofu). 🙂
Dear Jan, as a rule of thumb you could say that in Japanese t tends to become a d and v a b in foreign words.
This is a great vegetarian guide for travellers going to Japan. I love trying new foods and even if I am not vegetarian, I don’t mind eating dishes that contain no meat. Even at home I don’t eat that much meat. I have tried the okonomiaki and it’s such a fantastic dish. The flavours are so good! Also, I’ve made omurice once at home and I was pleasantly surprised on how good it was – even if there was no meat in it.
This is really helpful. I agree with you that finding vegetarian food in Japan is a bit challenging since they usually add fish flakes. Edamame is a favorite.
Anyway, thank you for sharing these, especially the Japanese words and phrases that I can use. Bookmarking this post for future reference.
Dear Clarice, great that you liked the post and all the best for your trip to Japan!
As a vegetarian, this is SUCH important information, so I really appreciate you sharing. I’ve never even heard of pork broth, and broths are such a difficult thing to detect as far as origins. Also, I had no idea there could be flakes of meat or fish in otherwise vegetarian dishes. Thank you again for alerting me to this. I haven’t traveled in Japan, but it’s on my list, so I’ll need to be careful for sure.
Dear Jennifer, to be honest, you won`t realize that there is meat in the dish in some cases. So, you could also just decide that you do not care. That would make life easier on a Japan trip.
This is so helpful. I’m not vegetarian but I try to eat the majority of my diet plant based. I really like Okonomiyaki and one of my old roommates used to make this and vary with meat and without. I actually preferred her vegetarian ones every time. I need to save more of these for when me and my husband visit Japan for more ideas.
Dear Nicole, Okonomyaki is so yummy. Everybody loves it! You will enjoy Japan, I think.