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  • Writer's pictureOlivia Newman

Can I Be A Pescatarian or a Vegetarian in Japan?

And the answer is yes! I have been a fish eater for all my life, but within the last two years decided to quit meat for good. I knew this was going to be a struggle when I travelled around South East Asia, which was reinforced by everyone's faces when I told them I was going to Japan as well, but wouldn't be trying the country's meaty delicacies - it's even a thought I couldn't fully process.


There were points I wanted to give in to chicken ramen and beefy noodles - but somehow I made it through the twenty days having avoided all meat in my diet. Japan was incredible for food -even for us vegetarians and pescatarians. Here's what food I enjoyed while being in Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Fukuoka, and which you may too (if you decide to try some meat-free options!)

P.S. I did see a vegan restaurant advertised in Tokyo - but the sign was written in a black market pen on a piece of cardboard pointing to an alleyway...so I didn't go in.


Some foods to try


Here's a list of pretty much every food we tried on our trip - I recorded and took photos so I wouldn't forget about the dishes.


Vegan Ramen in Kyoto


We did visit a restaurant that actually had vegan ramen, which my friend found for me! It was delicious and tasted like minestrone soup. I believe the place was called Kyoto Engine Ramen, and it has alternatives for those who enjoy meaty ramen too. Free tea was provided and you could add seaweed to your dish for some extra yen - yippee!

Takoyaki Balls in Osaka


You can grab takoyaki balls from pretty much anywhere down Osaka's strip, but obviously the places with the giant octopus structures may help you find them a little easier. They are fried, covered in a sauce and embellished with seaweed/fishy flakes. They do have a very distinct taste, and it's down to your tastebuds to make their own decision on them. They're a staple in Osaka, and you may regret not tasting them.


Tomato Ramen


Perhaps harder to find than the vegan option, tomato ramen was a bit of a fad in Japan, but we managed to find the dish in a restaurant in Osaka.

It was served with an incredible topping of grilled cheese, and resembled soup. We were assured that there was no meaty broth in it, which is the main reason that vegetarians can't eat the original, amazing dish. So, be sure to pick the tomato ramen if you see it advertised and want to get the chance to try the incredible Japanese tradition.


Tofu and Kimchi


...but not together. These two foods can be sampled throughout Japan. They are both equally tasty and can substitute as non-meaty alternatives.


We had the best tofu at a little cat-themed restaurant. The man had dedicated the restaurant to his late-cat, which made it all extra lovely and sweet. Even the toilet paper had paw prints on! It was in Osaka, and we loved it so much that we went back on our last day in the city again. It was located in the Chuo-ku ward and I will find the name of it for anyone that's interested. Plus, the tofu had an imprinted cat face on the top...

We also ate deep fried everything at the same place with our chopsticks that we placed in our cat holders. This included deep fried asparagus, cream cheese, salmon and sweet potato with honey. Seriously, why does everything taste so good when it's been deep fried? The cream cheese option was like a giant mozzarella stick and should be tried by cheese lovers everywhere.


Vegetarian Curry


Our favourite restaurant was Coco Ichibanya, which was home to some incredible curries. We must have visited it two or three times throughout our three weeks in Japan. On our first time there, I had a vegetarian curry with a soy mince cutlet, spinach and eggplant. You can choose the level of spice of your sauce and even how much rice you want.

It is a chain, so you can even visit this restaurant in Covent Garden in London if you're missing the taste of their delicious food. Someone will have to let me know if it's as good as the ones in Japan!


Sashimi


I was strangely fearful of raw fish; I blame that Simpsons's episode when Homer thinks he'll die from eating the poisonous seafood. However, sashimi changed my taste buds and we had it the first night we were there, in a quaint restaurant just near where my friends lived.

Please dig in to sashimi, you will not regret it - the sooner, the better! This was raw tuna, and it actually tasted better than the usual canned fish I eat at home.


McDonald's


Of course, no trip abroad for a Brit is complete without trying a different country's fast food. McDonald's in Japan had some pretty wild choices, but only two for a pescatarian. I had a shrimp burger, which was interesting. I'm not sure if I had tried shrimp before that, but I was unsure whether I wanted to have it again. However, Ben and I shared a strawberry pie for dessert, which is their take on the generic apple pie. Oh my, it was beautiful - it was like an explosion in my mouth that combined the feelings of summer and the happiness of the festive season. Seriously, please invest in at least ten strawberry pies a day.


Okonomiyaki


Okonomiyaki is a kind of Japanese savoury pancake with your filling of choice! You can find lots of restaurants around offering these dishes. As I couldn't have the meat, I went for a mochi cheese pancake, which had literal slices of burger cheese on it - amazing! My friends opted for a spiced, curry version, which they loved too.

They cook it all right in front of you and it is very likely to leave you looking as happy as we look above. They then top it with your choice of sauce and mayo if you wish. Then you can add fish flakes as you please! I recommend going the whole hog and just saying yes to everything.


Other Cuisines


While being in Japan, we also ate at a Korean and a Hawaiian restaurant. At the latter, I had a Mahi-Mahi burger, which featured a very fishy fish. It was served with fries and a decorative flower (which I did debate eating), and we washed it down with a tasty IPA, before going to climb the mountain - a bad choice in hindsight.

Also, we entered the Korean district of Tokyo and indulged in their traditional drink and food at a local restaurant. I will be writing another blog post on drinks, which will talk more about the beverages I consumed in Japan too.


Sweet Treats


One of the greatest questions of our time...starters or dessert? I say, why not both?

One of the best things about life is sweet treats and Japan sure do them well! We picked these bad boys up along the journey! On the left are two dipped waffles; one was smothered in white chocolate and nuts, and the other was dipped in raspberry chocolate. They were delightful, and filled a hole that I didn't even know existed.


On the right is a crepe from Dipper Dan's place. We found it on a whim, while exploring a shopping centre. Most of the shops were shut because of coronavirus, but not Dipper Dan's (or the pinball arcade)! Our crepe prayers were answered, and there were a large range of flavours to choose from and you got to watch them make it...as you drooled.





Another fabulous moment was when we went to the KitKat factory - it was very expensive for the bars and unfortunately you only get one finger. They were extraordinary flavours though, so well worth the experience. There's a restaurant, but it was closed by the time we got there, so we ended up with these little souvenirs instead. However, they were gone by the time we reached the end of the road.





Where to eat


Supermarkets and Convenience Stores

Obviously, one of the most convenient places to grab some grub are the shops on the streets. They are open 24/7, so you've always got time for a snack. Although you may be taking a meaty risk if you opt for noodles, it's likely that you'll find something enjoyable to munch on. In 7/11, I found some fishy noodles I could indulge in, or there's Lawson, which offers similar items. You can take food home and enjoy it in the comfort of your apartment if you're on a tight budget too. We enjoyed these pizza-esque slices, fishy instant noodles and sakura-flavoured cakes. Just explore and find the wackiest thing you can - I tried many different flavours of crisps, including wasabi and pizza.


We made regular trips to the convenience stores and on one journey I found this incredible chocolate bar on the right - it was so delicious I had to take a picture of the wrapper for the future of humankind. If you ever find it, buy it, try it, and fall in love with it.


If you're extremely lucky like us, your friend may cook for you. All ingredients can be found in the supermarket, which Andie helped us find. She made us vegetable noodles and they were incredible - spicy and delicious, so this is just a huge thank you to her and her boyfriend.


Restaurants


The most entertaining option is to dine in a restaurant...and we ate very well in every single one we entered. In one restaurant - Yoshniboya - I had this tasty mackerel dish that looked so good that even the man next to me wanted to know what it was. He vowed to get it next time he was in there.


My friend also showed us this incredible 100 yen sushi place. There are a few chains around, but we went to Kura Sushi. It's a great place for those who want to bridge the gap between fast food chain and traditional Japanese food. You order on a screen and the sushi turns up on a little conveyor belt. You can also order drinks, fries and other side orders that all rock up on the belt too. There are loads of different toppings to choose from - I went for horse mackerel, mayo and sweetcorn rolls, tuna, salmon with cheese and cheesy chips. There's also a fun game to play with your plates once you've finished too - you can read more about that here.




The Gion area in Kyoto is pretty expensive, so we found a restaurant/bar a little away from the Main Street. It was called Rutubo and it was a hip and cool place. Jazz music played, lanterns lit the tables and there were stacks of vinyl records against the wall. I enjoyed udo (a Japanese vegetable) cutlets and potato wedges with guacamole, salsa and onion. Seriously, excuse my face, but look how nice this place was!










We also found another lovely restaurant in Kyoto on our last night and the chef let us play with his samurai swords...do with that what you will. I opted for a vegetable stir fry this time - a soba noodles dish and we enjoyed our last night together.

Markets and Stalls


Japan is filled with amazing markets and food stalls. I sampled lots of cool street foods throughout the trip, including a cod roe fish cake and a deep fried oyster patty.

Ben invested in this giant fried potato stick, which could be dusted in an array of different spices. He chose garlic and I offered to help him eat it.

If you're looking to sample the very best in Japanese foods, find a good market and go crazy!


An Izakaya


As well as alcohol, you can also grab some food from the tiny little bars that are lined in the famous alleyways of Japan. Beware, it's a very difficult choice to decide on one, we walked up and down at least three times trying to pick the perfect bar. Many were packed and some were completely empty, so it may take a while for you to choose your ideal izakaya. Eventually, we found a slightly busy bar and had a few drinks. We ended up sharing grilled vegetable skewers - they had onion, pepper, garlic, beans and mushrooms on. There is something very satisfying about sitting almost outside and washing your food down with a high alcohol volume beverage. As they serve mostly snack food, you're likely to find a fishy dish or vegetarian skewer to accompany your drink.


Fast Food


If you're not feeling very adventurous, or you're just missing home, there are a lot of American fast food chains hanging around. We found a McDonald's, a Starbucks and a KFC (which Japanese citizens usually eat on Christmas Day). Here's a Domino's we found right outside our apartment in Osaka - and yes, one night we did walk forty five minutes through Fukuoka to get pizza - but it was covered in seafood and it was stuffed crust.


Some Bonus Points


We found this incredible veggie burger place called Mos Burger; I was craving something big and vegetarian, so I discovered this chain on Google. Give it a try if you're near a station and want to grab a quick bite before heading off to explore a shrine.

Unfortunately, the Pokemon Cafe in Osaka has very limited vegetarian options, but on the plus side I got to have pancakes. Do not underestimate the power of these floury circles of deliciousness or be disheartened by all the other cool food on offer. You can also grab a coffee too.

Bento boxes are a Shinkansen tradition, so make sure to find the mackerel bento box on offer! You don't have to miss out and go hungry. You'll find these boxes at the train stations and on the platforms before you board the Shinkansen.

If you tried this, message me.
Make sure to get an ice-cream at Nara Park!

It's so important to keep an open mind and not restrict your diet too much. Not being able to eat meat actually opened up my horizons more, and I ended up trying lots of different foods I'd never even heard of before. Also, I loved writing this article because I almost enjoy talking about food, as much as I do eating it. Thank you again for reading, and I'll see you on the next article about...drinks!

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