Being Vegetarian in Japan

A lot of people imagine that Japan must be a great country for vegetarians. After all, this is the country that made tofu famous, and they’re Buddhists, aren’t they? Well yes, but my first piece of advice to vegetarians coming to Japan is this: think carefully - do you really, really want to come here? Is the lure of that job, this culture, those almond-eyed girls or boys, that great? Are you sure you don’t want to go to Thailand instead? Okay, so you’re determined to come. Let’s be positive. Here is a brief, personal guide to surviving as a vegetarian in Japan, specifically Tokyo, with a list of restaurants and some useful links. I’ve been here for just over ten months, and haven’t gone hungry, so it is possible. And by the way, I’m talking proper vegetarian here - that means no fish - but I’m not vegan, so dairy products are okay.

If you don’t eat EVEN fish, before you starve yourself to death in the country that thinks “vegetarian” means there is at least one vegetable in the ingredients, go have a look at his site.