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Being Vegetarian in Japan

bexchurnside

Kouhai
5 Dec 2006
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Hello, I know almost everyone in Japan eats fish. But are there any Vegetarians in Japan, that are Japanese? How do you do it? Please describe how you manage your social interactions and sticking to your integrity.
 
I found it quite difficult to be vegetarian in Japan. I have this opinion that historically Japanese didn't eat meat, so now they are making up for it by putting meat in all their dishes. :)

The broth for most noodle dishes are made from some meat or fish, that depends on the shop. I decided that rather than starve to death I would have to make some compromises. I would eat the noodles, just not drink the broth.
😊

I was quite lucky that I lived near a ramen shop whose selling point was they weren't using meat. I think that was for health reasons, rather than being vegetarian.

There are also specialty tofu restaurants, I went to two of them, but very expensive. Everything there is made from tofu.

I never knowingly met any vegetarian Japanese (except the monks of course). My Japanese friends don't know any vegetarian Japanese either. I checked again just this last Saturday with a new Japanese friend. So I guess it is quite a rarity. I'm sure there are some, just not as widespread as in the west.

I did live in a "rural" region of Japan, so maybe that is expected but... One time I went to have a meal in Tokyo, my Japanese friend decided to search for vegetarian restaurants on the 'net and only found 5. When he phoned the one he decided on, he found out they stopped being vegetarian. We eventually ended up at an Indian restaurant.

Going to Chinese or Indian restaurants became quite common.
I had at least one other vegetarian classmate while studying in Japan. He tended to make his own food or go to Taiwanese restaurants. I'm not sure, but I guess they cater to a meat-free audience better.
 
I had no trouble. There are noodle shops that use a vegetable based soup. You can always buy instant ramen and some vegetables at the supermarket. I know that some one here on Jref gave me a website to a whole bunch of vegetarian restaurants. I really liked it when the vegetables were cooked in soy sauce and water. It was a thin, kind of salty, flavor, but the vegtables took on a really deep flavor. I am not a vegetarian for animal rights reasons though, I just have trouble with the texture and taste...so maybe I was more relaxed about it....
 
Please describe how you manage your social interactions and sticking to your integrity.
Yeah, that's difficult! Lunchboxes might be one way to go, or as a Buddhist co-worker of mine did, he always ate his own dinner before coming to Izakaya party. He just kind of nibbled on some vegetarian dish like edamame while at the party.

Fish flakes, fish cakes, miso broth with bits of fish in it, fish just seems everywhere. Also, unfermented soy or soy derivatives are evil! Don't go all soy, cause you'll be compromising your testosterone levels, necessary for your immune function and other stuff.
 
Yeah, that's difficult! Lunchboxes might be one way to go, or as a Buddhist co-worker of mine did, he always ate his own dinner before coming to Izakaya party. He just kind of nibbled on some vegetarian dish like edamame while at the party.
Fish flakes, fish cakes, miso broth with bits of fish in it, fish just seems everywhere. Also, unfermented soy or soy derivatives are evil! Don't go all soy, cause you'll be compromising your testosterone levels, necessary for your immune function and other stuff.

You mean fermented soyツ ツ( 窶拏窶慊、ツ ツ). My boyfriend says fermented soybeans are gross! But I love it! Luckily I am a lady so testrosterone is not an issue for me.

By the way, are you half white half Japanese mix? You are very pretty by the way.
 
strictly vegetarian restaurants are hard to come by, but there are vegetarian dishes to enjoy. If you are a vegan, you will have a harder time, but you can still get by one way or another. I have a friend who lives here and is allergic to seafood, so even fish is avoidable if you're careful.

btw: Revenent is a guy, it's right there under his name.
 

Thanks. I see you are also the chap that replied about Lt. Watada. You can also see, I am a vegetarian and I would not kill. I believe that I would not want a single animal to die when I am going to have a loving baby. I only want love for us in the world and I want vegetarianism for my loving family.
 
I believe there are NO japanese people who vegetarians, well maybe
you will find there are one or two somewhere. But I've lived here forever!
and I've never met one, but there are a few vegetarian Izakaya's in Tokyo
if I remember.
So if you are vegetarian, eating out is a little hard, as almost everything is
meat based, soups etc., even if you ask for fried vegetables it will always
come with small pieces of pork. :(
 
I've never met any "vegitarians" but I've read the book "The Okinawa Program" and too me it seemed as the older generations were border lined vegitarians but of course added a small amout of fish in there diets too.
 
Hey Sparky,

Loved the 'engrish signs' on your homepage, just had a quick look!

The older generation Okinawan's were borderline vegetarians, eating
mainly seaweed, tofu, veg & fish. Unfortunately the younger generation
have gone downhill, esp. the men and are now way down near the bottom
of the list of longetivity(too many fast food chains).
 
bexchurnside said:
You mean fermented soyツ ツ( 窶拏窶慊、ツ ツ). My boyfriend says fermented soybeans are gross! But I love it! Luckily I am a lady so testrosterone is not an issue for me.
Actually I mean unfermented soy, fermented soy like natto, tempeh, or soy sauce have had most of the anti-nutrients destroyed in the fermentation process. Not that I'd load up on natto though.

As to whether you don't need to worry about your testosterone level cause you're a lady, I don't know whether you would need to worry or not. Females also have testosterone, and it does play a role in the immune system, so.....
bexchurnside said:
By the way, are you half white half Japanese mix? You are very pretty by the way.
That's Scarlett Johansson from the movie Lost In Translation, and yes, she is very pretty. I'm pretty sure she's got little to no Japanese blood in her though, she's a casper.
 
Having a baby and equating it with being a vegetarian. Maybe you should worry about overpopulation of this planet...
 
Having a baby and equating it with being a vegetarian. Maybe you should worry about overpopulation of this planet...

The issue isn't quantity of people as much as the few rich people at the top not sharing their resources. I feel my baby will be filled with love. What I loved about Kenichi is that he wants us to not get a crib, but let our cute little bundle sleep in the middle so when she cries, we can be there for her. Also, we would be able to give her lots of affection together.

I know some people argue that they wouldn't get enough sleep if the baby is crying. But we couldn't imagine just letting our baby cry through the night as we slept. She will cry because she needs us. Being there while they are cute and little will have an effect on how she will later attract a wonderful partner in the future. Our way of loving our child determines the outcome of how are children will select mates.
 
umm...there are too many people regardless of rich or poor.

You sound like you'll be a very caring mother...that's what matters. :)
 
Great to see youwant to be such an affectionate mum, but remember the well known saying "Love can kill".

I would think whatever choices you make for your child, it will be primarily based in logic and common sense, with love for their emotional needs and understanding this child is their own person with their own destiny and mind to develope.

I think you should simply give your child a good allround diet and let them decide for themselves if they want to be vegetarians, in my own personal opinion, no offense meant (sorry, but mothers or potential mothers seem to have a habit of taking alot of things the wrong way...). 😌

Personally I see no reason to stop eating meat, my body requires the protien and amino acids it provides, the lipids and fatty acids I get from it are pretty important to.

Scientifically speaking the world moves in a pretty non-emotional way, your body doesnt care about fuzzy obscure human concepts such as animal rights or such stuff, it merely makes a cold calculation: I need such input in such amount, where do I get it from?, Oh! that other organism over there looks like it will fill the job, its not a member of my species so eating it wont negetively effect our chances of survival, I'll go ahead and consume it.

Even in this modern world when theres apparently plenty of vegetarian alternatives, the human enjoyment of eating meat argument is scientific, our brains have evolved to make us feel good when eating meat because if it makes us feel good consuming what we need, then it encourages us to continue that practice.

Were effectively trying to alter human nature (which attributing Human concepts and value to animals is also an example of) and as every social engineer has proved through history, you cannot ultimately defeat human nature, theres a reason communism has never come close to the utopian society it proffesses to create (even though the fact utopia is also a flawed human concept).

Basically I eat meat because I enjoy it, and ultimately, in modesty, it benefits my metabolic requirements, and the Citric acid cycle is a really demanding mistress!, defying her results in insta-death (though thanks to evolving food stores, we die slow horrible deaths - starvation).

Basically what my rant is getting at is that ultimately vegetarianism is a lifestyle choice, so dont force it on others (glad to see nobody in this thread yet has tried it).

From what I gathered of Japanese food, its not all that hard to find a purely vegetable based dish on menu, infact nearly everywhere I dined at, there was something avaliable, so, I dont think meat will be too big an obstacle to your visit/stay/settling down.

And as always, if in doubt, theres no shame in asking a waiter/waitress what vegetarian alternatives they have avaliable.

On a random last note, though its found in the animal world, I do find it as a good indication of what makes humans different, the capacity for pretty intense altruism, I mean, some of us chose to forsake a perfectly good source of many nutrients our body's need to protect animals from percieved suffering.

I think though I'll stick to meat while I can, before humanity's food requirements are met by nothing more then a grey paste. 😊

Yeah...science has its downsides.... *shakes fists at the ultimate nutritional source*. 🙂
 
I have no doubts that humans were naturally omnivores, and that some of us wouldn't do well attempting to absorb nutrients solely from plant sources, but I do doubt our need for the amounts of meat that we consume.

Considering the environmental impact that modern farming techniques have, it seems a better course to at the very least reduce one's meat consumption, and if at all possible, to get one's meat from free range ranches.

For some, just getting the vitamin B12 and omega 3 from supplements would be all that would be necessary. There really are only a couple nutrients that meat provides lots of that the plant world doesn't have in much abundance.

Ethics dictates that we must consider the happiness and well being of those that follow us, so if we can by choosing a less diet that impacts the environment less make the world more habitable for those that follow, then I think that would be the better course to take.
 
Basically I eat meat because I enjoy it....
Basically what my rant is getting at is that ultimately vegetarianism is a lifestyle choice, so dont force it on others (glad to see nobody in this thread yet has tried it).
I used to enjoy eating meat too. But then I visited a pig farm and slaughterhouse, and witnessed what these creatures have to endure for our 'enjoyment', and it suddenly the idea of eating meat became not quite so enjoyable. Isn't compassion also human nature?
I've been veggie for 20 years, and I've never met a vegetarian who forced vegetarianism on others. Just how can you force it on others anyway? I think you're confusing 'forcing it on others' with 'stating one's opinion'. In fact, even on the occasions when I've stated my opinion it's been in the following scenario:
Meat-eater: What? You're vegetarian!! Why??
Me: <my explanation>
Meat-eater: Well, I like eating meat, so don't force your views on me!!
Me: <sigh>

When I was a meat-eater, I felt vaguely threatened when chatting with vegetarians. The reason was that I knew that animals were suffering hideously for my enjoyment, and the fact that I 'sweeping it under the carpet' made me uneasy. However after the trip to the slaughterhouse eating meat became almost an impossibility for me.
 
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Hello, I know almost everyone in Japan eats fish. But are there any Vegetarians in Japan, that are Japanese? How do you do it? Please describe how you manage your social interactions and sticking to your integrity.

Hi fellow veggie! Veggies who come to Japan are in for a tough time, but hang on in there.

Practicalities: at the restaurant.
1) If you eat out with Japanese often, be prepared for "Eeeeee! Vegetarian??? Omoshiroi! Doshite?"
My own main reason (I disapprove of barbaric cruelty to animals) fails to register with my Japanese friends most of the time, and the conversation becomes drawn out (esp if it's in Japanese) and quite stressful. So if your reasons are similar, prepare a quick and snappy back-up explanation (eg I'm allergic to meat) and move on to the menu.

2) In izakayas you're probably restricted to
* Salads (make sure you ask then not put bacon bits in)
* Pizzas (garlic pizza seems to be popular)
* Camembert cheese fries (delicious)
* Chips (french fries)
* Tofu (watch out for the pink dried fish flakes though)
* Nattou omelette!! (But you have to endure the 'eeeee, you can eat nattou' questions)
* Ask your Japanese friends for other suggestions, they're likely to be very helpful!

3) Eat at Indian restaurants!

4) Eat at Italian restaurants, but ask for 'no bacon'.
In the supermarket:

* If you go trad Japanese, I hope you like tofu. Actually, in the tofu section there are lots of interesting fried tofu/vegetable stuff. I like 'kon-kon' - but none of my Japanese friends have ever heard of it, even though it's in every fair-sized supermarket.
* Croquet and tempura: Ask the staff which croquets don't contain meat or bacon bits.
* The 'Natural House' supermarket chain has a wide range of veggie-burgers, veggie-salami, frozen veggie dishes, bolognaise, meat-style soya chunks... it's an oasis. And what's more, all this stuff in made in Japan, so it's cheap and plentiful.
* The Nissin foreign food supermarket in Azabu Juban has lots of veggie food, and soups etc NOT made with chicken stock (unlike Japanese brands)
* Ask a Japanese person (although in practice I mean a Japanese woman!) to make a traditional Japanese dish for you. They'll say they're not good at it, but will be delighted to demonstrate Japanese cuisine. My ex conjured up some wonderful dishes. I can cook a little, but I still don't know how she did it.
My local nomiya rustles up a gorgeous hot tofu, egg and vegetable dish for me. Normally has the other customers going 'eeeeee! oishi-sou' and then they try it.
Also, I spent a week in a Japanese Self Defence Forces hospital (long story). Naturally, when I said I was veggie they were astounded, and said I'd have to cater for myself. But then, every mealtime, a proud and delighted hospital cook would present me with a different, imaginative, delicious vegetarian Japanese dish :)

Btw, I've met one Japanese vegetarian- on the plane from the London to Tokyo.
 
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Some people react negative when I say that I'm a vegetarian, because they feel some kind of subconsious giult about eating animals. So I really don't worry about them. Indeed, when your boss/ senpai insist on you eating meat, it is difficult, but there are many places where you can eat vegetarian food. Pizza La, Domino and all these, thay have special vegetarian pizza. Subway also have vegetarian sandwich, and if you can eat fish, then in Dotours there are several types.You have to give up, however, most backeries, because the idea of Japanese for bread is either with meat, or sweet.
But I presonally cook. How obsolete!
 
Some people react negative when I say that I'm a vegetarian, because they feel some kind of subconsious giult about eating animals.

No, its either because they find your percieved flawed philosophy laughable, or they expect any minute a long boring philosophical rant on why animals deserve to be worshiped like dieties or whatever.


Frankly, I havnt any problems with a veggie aslong as they dont make a fuss I'm a meatie.

As I said, I reckon most japanese resturaunts have a vegetarian dish, or if theres a dish with only minimal meat, just ask for it without meat.

Vegetarians will have a hard time almost anywhere, but thats because they chose to live a minority dietary lifestyle, supply and demand, its a basic of economics. :p
 
No, its either because they find your percieved flawed philosophy laughable, or they expect any minute a long boring philosophical rant on why animals deserve to be worshiped like dieties or whatever.

While I think taehyun was making presumptions here, your sarcastic over-reaction is unnecessary. If you think veggies worship animals like dieties, or are 'my body is a temple' weirdos, you should perhaps be less condescending and more accommodating to views that differ from your own.

Frankly, I havnt any problems with a veggie aslong as they dont make a fuss I'm a meatie.

I get the impression you'd be far more likely to criticise a veggie than a veggie would be to criticise you.

... your percieved flawed philosophy...

Einstein would disagree with you here... but then I suppose science and philosophy weren't really his strong points.:)

Your comment about supply and demand is relevant. That's why in London is absolutely no problem at all to be a veggie, while in Tokyo you're up against it.
 
Please re-read my post and re-considor your response, I never claimed any opinions of flawed philosophies, but someone who was averse to taehyun's vegetarianism might feel like this, and might percieve it as such.

I get the impression you'd be far more likely to criticise a veggie than a veggie would be to criticise you.

Only when they get up in my face about my dietary habits, since no-one here has, and no-one in real life has yet to make a song and dance about their vegetarianism, it isnt really a problem, perhaps you are reflecting your own negetive emotions surrounding vegetarianism on me, which is why you would perhaps percieve my reply as somehow negetive or hostile.

I forgive you for your illogical misguided response and defence from a slight that was not given, but please in future be careful about what you percieve from a text based reply over the internet.

Einstein would disagree with you here... but then I suppose science and philosophy weren't really his strong points.

Yes, I suppouse a world famous scientist would really struggle with science.

Your comment about supply and demand is relevant. That's why in London is absolutely no problem at all to be a veggie, while in Tokyo you're up against it.

Indeed.
 
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