Being vegetarian in Japan

So, we knew it would be difficult for Tori to live in Japan as a vegetarian, and it definitely is. It takes a long time to go food shopping. We have to translate everything-- all of the ingredients. To do the translation, we have to pull out Google lens, and sometimes it doesn't work, yada, yada.. Point is, it takes quite a while. Plus, there are so many restaurants and eateries that Tori simply can't eat at because there are no vegetarian options.

That being said, we are quite surprised to see that Japan is in fact slowly beginning to embrace vegetarianism/veganism. As we mentioned, we did go to a vegan festival just this past weekend. There were vendors from all of the city that sell vegetarian items.

We've also ventured out to vegetarian restaurants. Literally, the only food they sold was vegetarian. It was great because many of the dishes were traditional Japanese dishes, giving Tori the chance to taste and experience them.

But, honestly, what has been the most surprising are the meat alternatives that we've found. We stumbled upon several different meat alternative options in our local supermarket! Win! Also, we popped into 711 last weekend and stumbled upon a vegetarian meat patty stuffed with cheese! Another win! One of the vegetarian restaurants we went to sold a vegan roast. We'll be eating that for Thanksgiving. And, of course, good old Ikea sells their vegan meatballs.

So frequently vegetarians and vegans are asked what they eat. Tori, in particular, has traditionally relied on meat alternatives. They're a quick, easy, and healthy way to make a meal. Relying solely on vegetables is wonderful, too, but it takes a lot of time and preparation, and we don't always have that much free time.

So, thank you, Japan, for getting on board and offering these delicious meat alternatives. Your vegetarian and vegan friends are incredibly grateful!