Dietary guides

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Dietary guide

Is udon vegan? What's really in the noodles and broth

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

Is miso soup vegan or vegetarian in Japan?

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.

Dietary guide

Is dashi vegan? Japan's foundational stock, explained

Most dashi is not vegan. The everyday Japanese stock is built on katsuobushi (dried bonito) and niboshi (dried sardines), so it carries fish even when a dish looks plant-based. The vegan exceptions are kombu (kelp) and dried-shiitake dashi — the base of Buddhist shojin cooking and of modern vegan ramen.

Trend

Tokyo's vegan ramen boom in 2026: real bowls, not afterthoughts

Plant-based dining in Tokyo has roughly doubled since 2019, and vegan ramen is the clearest sign — dedicated shops building deep umami from mushrooms, kombu and miso rather than meat. Here's what's driving it, and the bowls worth crossing town for.

Dietary guide

Can vegetarians and vegans eat well in Nara?

Yes — Nara is quietly one of Japan's easier cities for plant-based eating, but its famous specialty is fish, and bonito dashi still hides everywhere. Here is how to eat well, and the one shop to trust.

Dietary guide

Vegan sweets & cafes in Tokyo

Fluffy egg-free pancakes, plant-based puddings and the world's richest matcha gelato — dessert without compromise.