(I chose and paid everything myself, this blogpost is not a paid advertisement)
Tokyo is my absolute favourite destination and I always wish I could spend a little more time there. Especially now that being vegan in Tokyo has become a little easier. Happycow lists quite a lot of places now, so you’re not limited to avocado maki anymore. Here I have listed my favourite food sources for you.
For more picture material, you can view my Instagram highlight Tokyo.
T’s Tantan
My favourite soup ever! This all vegan Japanese restaurant chain has several outlets, and this one is located at Keiyo Street inside Tokyo Station. You can get amazing ramen, also curry, gyozas and really tasty vegan chicken. Service is nice and very fast.
There also is one at Ueno Station, one at Ikebukuro station, one at Narita Airport and one in Jiyugaoka. The other outlets might have a slightly different menu, check them out on Happy cow, or if you can read Japanese, go to T’s website.
Meanwhile you can also get an instant ramen version of their famous soup, which is also available at convenience store Natural Lawson (see further below).
I got so crazy about this soup, I put a lot of effort into reconstructing it at home. And it turned out pretty well! Click here for the recipe if you’re interested in how to make it.
Ain Soph
This is the second vegan chain I highly recommend checking out. Ain Soph has restaurants in Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and Ginza. The food is fantastic, the restaurants are beautiful. We had delicious vegan burgers and pancakes. Perfect place to spend a nice evening.
WHERE I ATE AS A VEGAN IN SHIBUYA
Nagi Shokudo
This cute little restaurant is in Shibuya and has western and Japanese seating to chose from. They offer several different Japanese sets. I had one with fried “chicken”, rice, soup, salad and pickles veggies and I gobbled it up to the last crumb. Delicious. Have a look at their Facebook page here.
MILAN NATARAJ
This Indian vegetarian restaurant chain also has several outlets in Tokyo and I went to the one in Shibuya, just a three minute walk from the Hachiko monument. Seriously, this is the best vegan Indian food I have had outside of India. I had a delicious naan with two curries, a huge naan, bhajis and salad.
The next evening, I took friends there and there seems to be a different and quite extensive evening menu where we discovered a naan burger! Of courses that was delicious as well.
There are other outlets in Harajuku and Ogikubo.
Can this place please also open a restaurant in Berlin? In my street maybe …? I know Berlin is supposed to be vegan heaven, but I think there is a shortage in really good Indian places for vegans. At least in my neighbourhood.
I was curious what Nataraj Harajuku would be like. In Asia, at least I have seen it in Japan and Hongkong, they have these tall buildings that only consist of restaurants. You get on the elevator to the 8th for and there is that fancy Indian place. I don’t think I have ever come across something like that in Europe?
Anyway, the Indian food I got at Nataraj Harajuku had a slight Japanese influence. I wouldn’t have thought that combination would work, but I got curious, ordered a naan with mustard leaves and sesame and it was delicious. And the homemade ginger ale was so good! Check out Nataraj’s website here.
WHERE I ATE AS A VEGAN IN SHINJUKU
Plant Based Tokyo
You’ll find this vegan deli at new Food Hall Blast food court in Shinjuku. There also is a coffee place and a bar. I had the spicy eggplant curry and soy chicken and it was excellent. There was also tiramisu! You’ll find their website here.
Wired Bonbon
This cute cafe located on the 6th floor inside Lumine 1 mall in Shinjuku also has lots of options for those who are vegan in Tokyo! They have a large selection of vegan desserts, and also a few savory dishes.
The vegan options are marked with the little leaf. I went for an almond cappuccino and a yummy hojicha tiramisu, my colleague had a crepe with berries.
The next time I came back to try the curry! Delicious as well. Check out Wired Bonbon’s Website here.
Afuri
You’ll also find this little ramen place at lumine 1 mall in Shinjuku, in the basement where the other food stalls are. They have only one vegan ramen soup called rainbow ramen, but that is a good quick meal. I ordered mine with extra yuzu, which was delicious. This ramen shop is not a place to hang out and chat with friends. You order and pay for your soup on a display, are given a seat at the bar, eat your soup and leave. Afuri is popular, there often is a line.
Coco Ichibanya
I usually try to avoid places that also serve meat, but I included this curry house chain for several reasons: there is one literally everwhere and it’s perfect for a quick inexpensive Japanese curry.
They have a few vegan options which are clearly labeled on the menu. You order your own food on an iPad, and you can even choose the amount of rice it comes with. Service is fast, my veggie curry was quite good. And they sell instant curries too. I forgot to take a picture because I was so busy with filming for my instagram story, but luckily they have a plastic version of their food outside too:
Their outlet at shinjuku station is open 24 hours, so even as a jet lagged European you can get vegan food at any time! I also liked the retro colour scheme of the place. For their website click here.
More than bakery
Only on Sundays, everything this bakery inside hotel the Knot sells is vegan. There are croissants, bagels, focaccia, burgers and sandwiches and also some sweet stuff of course. Perfect for breakfast or brunch!
Uzu Vegan Ramen TeamLab Tokyo
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that in front of the big light installation exhibition, there was a vegan ramen and dessert place. We got the miso ramen (spicy!) and a nice donut.
Natural Lawson and other convenience stores where you’ll find food as a vegan in Tokyo
As a vegan in Tokyo, shopping for snacks can be tricky, as a lot of things look vegan at first sight but are not. Meat or fish are often just considered seasonings. So something called vegetable rice can still contain pork, which using the google translate app will show, when scanning the finely printed ingredients (Check out my blogpost on useful apps that I recommend for traveling) At convenience stores, onigiri that just consist of salted rice are usually safe, and so are edamame.
These are things I got with the help of my google translate app and my Japanese colleague at supermarket Maruetsu: pickled plum onigiri, edamame, roasted sweet potato, red beans rice ball, salted rice ball and mochi.
And then there are the soups by T’s Tantan at Natural Lawson, which are of course always vegan. I highly recommend joining the facebook groups “Vegan Japan” and “Is it vegan (Japan)” when spending time as a vegan in Tokyo. That group is extremely helpful, I found a lot of interesting information there.
Cosmetics and Souvenirs for a vegan in Tokyo
If you should run out of cosmetics, you will find several outlets of the Body Shop and Lush all over Japan which have clearly marked vegan options. A very special highlight is the Harajuku Lush Store. where you can find bath bombs that are Japan-themed and exclusively sold there, just like the maneki neko (lucky cat) that you can see in the title picture. A perfect souvenir that will also make your hand luggage smell amazing. You can find out online whether these specials are vegan. In January 2023, there was this little piece of art to celebrate the beginning of the year of the rabbit.
Fukoshiki, the art of wrapping gifts with a knot wrap, also is at home at lush. You can buy a cloth wrap and have your purchases wrapped for you.
Are you planning a trip? Check out my blogpost on how to make sure you get food as a vegan when flying.
Have you been a vegan in Tokyo and have further tips? Did you find amazing food I should try next time? Let me know in the comments.
For further inspiration, you can have a look at my instagram highlights.
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