What Japanese people do think about Vegetarians?

First of all, you can stop worrying about what people might think. Japanese usually don’t know a lot about being a vegetarian, and will probably innocently ask you: “Are you allergic?”. I have never been judged for being a vegetarian in Japan. People are curious, but respectful.

Mostly, Japanese people are not really aware of the impact of meat and fish on the environment, neither the reality of the meat industry. But you can take action and engage Japanese people in a conversation about the current issues. It is never a bad idea to communicate, and you can make new friends by introducing them to yummy vegetarian dishes!

How to find vegetarian food at the restaurant?

Now the important part: How to eat proper vegetarian food in Japan? You won’t find many vegetarian restaurants in Japan, except Tokyo, maybe. But you can always ask to have the meat taken off your dishes, and sometimes even find plant-based dishes on the menu.

You can also eat non-fish products like omelettes or noodles whenever your friends are abducting you to the local sushi restaurant, or even eat only vegetables at the grilled meat restaurant. It won’t be the best meal of you life, but you will always find special something.

However, you don’t want to get nutritional deficiency, so be sure to get the right amount of protein, omega-3 and so on! If you always eat at restaurants taking off the pieces of meat, your health and money will get depressed!!

How to cook Vegetarian meals at home?

So be sure to cook by yourself! Don’t hesitate to use all sorts of beans like soy, azuki or black beans for making vegetal steaks or adding it into your salad bowl. You can also find tofu in every supermarket for close to nothing, and then use it in a lot of different ways: putting it in curry, in omelette rice, frying it in risotto and many others.

If you don’t consume cow’s milk, don’t be afraid! You can find many plant milks like almond milk, soy milk and so on in Japan’s many supermarkets and even at the convenience store!

As you can see, being a vegetarian in Japan is no big deal. At the beginning, it will take some time to get settled, but as soon as you have it all figured out, people will be curious about you and you won’t have to deal with any inappropriate comments.