Vegan & vegetarian Japan
We checked everything else.
85 Tokyo tables visited, tasted and decoded — the hidden dashi, the egg in the noodles, the honey in the tare — with real links to book and the exact Japanese to show the staff.
Eat by craving
The answer sheet
One page, one verdict each. We read the manufacturer’s own label or ask the kitchen, then say plainly whether it’s vegan — and when the honest answer is “it depends”, we say that instead of guessing.
Why trust us
No scraped listings, no guesswork. A guide is only as good as its last meal — so every entry begins with a reservation of our own.
Phrasebook
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 staff →In season at the market
In season at the market
In season at the market
In season at the market
By diet
Chain by chain
Starbucks Japan is rare among Japanese chains in publishing a written definition of plant-based — one that counts honey as an animal ingredient. Milk substitution, though, splits: free on a Starbucks Latte, +¥55 for oat or almond on other drinks. Here is the official definition, the current lineup, and the whipped-cream trap.
Chain by chain
At CoCo Ichibanya, the only item officially described as using no animal-derived ingredients is the CoCoICHI vegetarian curry (¥621, ¥683 with tax). The standard curry sauce is not vegetarian, so you must order this one by name. It is not at every branch, and it cannot be made mild. Here is what the guarantee covers, what it does not, and the honest caveat on dairy.
Chain by chain
As of September 2026 exactly one MOS Burger item is described by the company as free of animal ingredients in its primary materials: the Avocado Basil Burger with rice-flour buns (¥620). The Green Burger (Teriyaki) was discontinued on 20 May 2026. Here is why swapping in a soy patty does not make a burger vegan, and what MOS means when it says these are not for strict vegetarians.
Deer, temples, and Nara's quiet vegan scene
Nara's plant-based scene is small but real: five fully vegan restaurants clustered near Nara Park and the two stations, plus an honest look at why there's no shojin ryori restaurant at Todai-ji itself.
Rice, kōji, and distilled alcohol — no dairy, egg, honey, or fish in standard mirin.
Yes, standard mirin is vegan — here's what's actually in hon-mirin, shio-mirin, and mirin-fu chōmiryō, plus the one label warning worth checking and one you can ignore.
5 verified plant-based restaurants in Naha, plus a dedicated vegan menu at the airport
Naha's vegan scene is small but real: five owner-run restaurants within walking distance of Kokusai-dori serve fully plant-based Okinawan food, and Naha Airport has its own dedicated vegan menu. Here's what's confirmed, with hours, prices, and honest caveats as of July 2026.
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 Japan
