New Vegan & Plant-Based Restaurants in Japan: 2026 Openings

Japan's 2026 vegan calendar has been busier than the past few years: a dedicated vegan ramen shop opened in Osaka in January, a national fast-food chain rolled out a redesigned plant-based burger in May, and a major Japanese plant-based food maker released four new product lines in six months. It's not a wholesale shift — most activity is concentrated in Tokyo and Osaka, and a couple of mainstream launches use softer language than a full vegan guarantee. But as of July 2026, the direction is clear.

New restaurant openings

MERCY Vegan Ramen, Osaka — opened January 29, 2026, a short walk from Sakaisujihoncho Station in Chuo Ward. Every dish is 100% animal-product-free, and the kitchen also skips the "five pungent" alliums (garlic, onion, leek, chive, asafoetida) used in shojin-style cooking. It's a franchise spinoff of MERCY Vegan Factory, ranked first in Osaka on HappyCow. Bowls run ¥1,650–¥2,200; the soymilk tantanmen is the signature order. For more of the city's plant-based scene, see our Osaka vegan restaurant guide.

bego, Osaka Morinomiya — opened April 20, 2026. One caveat: bego is a wellness cafe, not an exclusively vegan restaurant. The morning menu includes a free-range scrambled-egg plate alongside vegan options made with spelt bread, and gluten-free eaters can swap in a rice-flour bagel. Ask before ordering if you need a fully plant-based plate.

A mainstream chain updates its plant-based burger

MOS Burger redesigned its soy patty for the first time in six years and put its "Avocado Basil Burger" on a rice-flour bun on sale nationwide on May 20, 2026 (announced via press release the day before, May 19), describing it as free of animal-derived main ingredients. That phrasing falls short of a vegan claim — condiments and minor ingredients aren't spelled out — so treat it as a sign of mainstream demand rather than a confirmed 100% vegan item, and check with staff if certainty matters.

More plant-based products reaching restaurant kitchens

Green Culture, the Japanese plant-based food maker that brings Taiwan's Vegefarm line to restaurant kitchens here, kept up a steady release schedule through the first half of 2026: a vegan minced "Green Meat" in January, soy-based yakiniku and karaage mixes in February, vegan burger patties and meatballs in March, and, on June 22, a frozen "Vegi Fish Fillet" and vegan nugget aimed at restaurant and hotel kitchens rather than supermarket shelves. If plant-based fish or nuggets start showing up on more menus later this year, this is likely why.

Where the industry is placing its bets

Two of Japan's largest food trade shows carved out dedicated vegan floor space in 2026: Tokyo's Health Expo (February 25–27) and FOODEX in Kansai at Intex Osaka (July 22–24), both run with NPO Vege Project Japan and including tastings, sourcing meetings, and a cooking demo by the chef behind Paprika Shokudo Vegan. On the consumer side, the recurring Vegan Gourmet Festival — one of Japan's largest plant-based food festivals — held dates in Nagoya, Tokyo's Kiba Park, and Kyoto's Umekoji Park through the year, with an autumn Tokyo date set for October 4.

What it means for a trip

None of this replaces homework at the table: ask whether dashi is kombu-only, and don't assume a "plant-based" label at a mainstream chain means certified vegan. But between new dedicated restaurants, a major chain's burger relaunch, and a food-service supplier pushing vegan fish and nuggets into more kitchens, 2026 has been a genuinely active year for plant-based dining in Japan.