The number of tourists and foreign residents is at a record high in Japan and so is the demand for cities to be vegan-friendly. Tokyo, the amazing city, which proudly features itself as one of the most livable cities worldwide, where does it stand when it comes to vegans?
Before we start analyzing, let’s first define the attributes of a vegan-friendly city.
- Awareness of veganism and plant-based food
- Vegan-friendly restaurants & cafes
- Grocery stores with plant-based food items
- Community
We need to understand that Tokyo is not all neon lights & modified sports cars. Let’s divide it into 2 categories, Tokyo the 23-wards, neon lights & JDM cards, which is the image popular around the world, and outside of 23-wards, which is more residential and less of the flashy stuff.
Awareness of veganism and plant-based food
General awareness of veganism and plant-based food among the people living in the 23-wards Tokyo is good. However, I think that a Japanese person who lives in their Japanese bubble might not know about vegan or plant-based diets.
Outside of the flashy Tokyo, things are a bit different. The general public or even small restaurants might not know what a vegan diet is.
Vegan-friendly restaurants & cafes
Inside 23-wards Tokyo, there are plenty of restaurants & cafes that cater to vegans. There are many restaurants which are only serving plant-based food. You can get a nice bowl of ramen, high-quality sushi, burgers, and many more vegan food options.
Outside of 23-wards, there are fewer restaurants & cafes which are only serving plant-based food. Though some restaurants and cafes will have some vegan & plant-based options, generally they are near the big stations.
HappyCow says that there are currently 866 vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurants in all of Tokyo.
Grocery stores with plant-based food items
This is probably the same all around Tokyo. I have not lived in Tokyo for very long but in the last 3 years, I have seen a significant increase in plant-based food products. You can get items like plant-based milk, vegan omelets, vegan gyoza and other dumplings, mock meat, vegan ice cream & cakes, and many more things. Even more, you can get gluten-free products as well. Among all, this category has impressed me the most.
Community
Having a vibrant and supportive community is so important. However, the community of vegans is not that big in Tokyo. There is Tokyo Vegan, which organizes meetups for vegans & people who are interested in veganism. I have never joined their event so I can only assume that they are awesome. Community events are limited to the 23-wards Tokyo because I assume mostly vegans would be living there.
Conclusion
For your next trip to Tokyo, you are covered as the city has plenty to offer in terms of delicious vegan-friendly, plant-based Japanese cuisine. Tokyo is definitely on the uprise in the vegan frontier. There are challenges in raising general awareness among the local restaurants and people. If awareness and the need for change are effectively spread, I am confident that Japanese society will readily embrace and welcome the change with open arms.