Tokyo dining, your way
We hunt down Tokyo’s most worthwhile tables — a hushed ten-seat Edomae sushi counter, a vegan ramen that fools carnivores, charcoal wagyu that melts on the tongue — taste them ourselves, and bring back the verdict: real links to book, an honest word on what you can eat, and the story behind every bowl.
Vegan, vegetarian, halal, gluten-free or pescatarian — tap your diet and see every place we’ve confirmed.
Plant-based & planet-friendly
Eating plant-based in Japan, made joyful: where to eat, what to buy, the festivals to find your people — and a warm look at the good your choices do for the planet.
Explore Vegan JapanPhrasebook
Pick your diet and hold your phone up to the staff. The exact Japanese to say what you can’t eat — plus the hidden traps (dashi, mirin, wheat in the soy) that catch first-timers.
Show this to staffThe places our editors are sending friends to right now.
Vegan kara-age (plant-based 'fried chicken') and vegan gyoza
A fully plant-based izakaya in the basement of Shibuya PARCO serving vegan 'fried chicken', gyoza and lemon sours, with no meat, fish, eggs, dairy or honey, so the fish-dashi trap does not apply. It is not gluten-free, as the mock-meat batters and soy sauce contain wheat.
Plant-based nigiri and sushi sets using vegetable alternatives to fish
A sit-down plant-based sushi restaurant in Shoto (near Shibuya) where every piece is made without seafood or animal products, so there is no fish dashi to worry about. It is not gluten-free (soy sauce and some components contain wheat); reservations are recommended and the venue opened its permanent location in late 2025.
Falafel pita sandwich with hummus
Fully plant-based, build-your-own falafel pitas and hummus bowls inside Shibuya PARCO — a fast, affordable vegan refuel between the neighbourhood's shopping and nightlife.
Creamy sesame-tahini broth ramen with soy meat and raw vegetables
A 100% vegan ramen specialist that opened in June 2025 near Harajuku's Laforet, a few minutes from Meiji-Jingumae Station. Its signature bowl pairs a rich sesame-tahini broth with soy meat and colourful raw vegetables.
Vegan ramen and grilled soy-meat plates
A second-floor all-vegan bistro in Harajuku opened in 2021 by the Kyushu Jangara ramen chain. The menu spans vegan ramen, curries, grilled soy-meat plates, gyoza and karaage.
Thrive
A well-planned vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian diet is healthful at every life stage — say the dietitians. The few nutrients worth planning (yes, B12), and why Japan is one of the easiest places to thrive.
Connection
Family dinners, sceptical friends, the well-meant 'where do you get your protein?'. Calm, evidence-based ways to lower friction, keep relationships warm, and grow like-minded people worldwide — by attraction, not argument.
Empathy
The 'preachy vegan' stereotype hides a gentler truth. What research says about the values, empathy and quiet kindness behind plant-based eating — and why you never have to prove yourself.
Understanding
Most people choose plant-based eating for several reasons at once — animals, health, the planet, faith, taste. Here's what the research actually shows, why the spectrum is a strength, and why you belong.
Dietary guide
The noodles are vegan — udon is just wheat flour, water and salt — but the dish usually is not. Standard udon broth (tsuyu) is made with bonito dashi and finished with soy sauce and mirin, and toppings like tempura, fish cake and egg add more. Vegan udon with kelp-shiitake broth exists at plant-based shops.
Dietary guide
Usually not. Miso paste itself is plant-based, but almost all miso soup in Japan is made with bonito-and-sardine dashi, so the standard bowl is neither vegan nor vegetarian. Versions made with kombu (kelp) or shiitake dashi — common at temple and vegan restaurants — are fully plant-based.
