Guides
Eating plant-based in Japan
Restaurants, convenience stores and home cooking — where people actually get stuck, and how to get around it.
The hard part is dashi, not meat
The first obstacle to eating plant-based in Japan is not meat or fish as such — it is dashi. Miso soup, soba broth, simmered dishes, okonomiyaki, udon broth: a great many dishes that look plant-based are built on bonito or dried sardine.
Which also means that solving dashi opens up most of the cuisine. A combined kombu and dried shiitake stock covers the majority of Japanese home cooking.
Substitutions at home
- Dashi: kombu plus dried shiitake; the soaking water from dried daikon also works
- Soy sauce: tamari if you are avoiding wheat
- Mirin-style seasoning: true hon-mirin if additives concern you
- Umami: tomato, onion, and fermented seasonings
- Protein: tofu, atsuage, natto, soy meat, koya-dofu
Eating out
Shojin ryori — Buddhist temple cuisine — is structurally free of animal products and the most reliable option. Vegetarian menus at Indian restaurants, vegan ramen at some shops, and vegan cafes in the major cities are all increasingly available.
At an ordinary restaurant, the fastest check is a specific question: “does the dashi contain fish or meat?” That communicates better than “am I able to eat vegetarian here?”
Convenience stores and supermarkets
- Onigiri: kombu, umeboshi and sekihan are often free of animal ingredients — still worth checking
- Natto: the sachet of sauce usually contains bonito dashi
- Frozen vegetables and tofu products are dependable
- Get into the habit of checking what “extract” refers to on the ingredient list
Do not aim for perfect
Verifying every ingredient in every restaurant meal and packaged food is not realistic. Making home cooking plant-based by default takes the pressure off the choices you make outside. Something you can sustain beats strictness in any single instance.
Last updated: 2026-10-06