Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to the Client Based Diet Podcast. I'm
Speaker 1: your host esther Garfin, and today I'm taking you on
Speaker 1: a culinary journey through Japan. A big thank you to
Speaker 1: the japan National Tourism Organization for their assistance in making
Speaker 1: this episode possible. I absolutely loved to travel, and I
Speaker 1: recently returned from an incredible trip to Japan. I haven't
Speaker 1: traveled too much in the last bunch of years, mainly
Speaker 1: because I was raising a family and running Alternative Food Network,
Speaker 1: but I had the opportunity to go and carpe dm
Speaker 1: I seize the moment before I left, I wondered, is
Speaker 1: Japan going to be easy for vegetarians and vegans. The
Speaker 1: short answer is yes, it can be, but with a
Speaker 1: little planning. Japan has a reputation for being a country
Speaker 1: where fish, seafood, and meat are woven into many traditional dishes.
Speaker 1: But what surprised me was just how many delicious plant
Speaker 1: based options there are, from comforting bowls of vegan ramen
Speaker 1: to vegan versions of classic Japanese comfort foods. You just
Speaker 1: have to do a little research beforehand. In today's episode,
Speaker 1: I'm going to take you through my trips city by city,
Speaker 1: sharing some of my favorite discoveries, along with a few
Speaker 1: practical tips. While I did eat some fish, much of
Speaker 1: what I ate was vegan and vegetarian. I visited Tokyo,
Speaker 1: izu Kyoto, and Osaka, and if you're planning a trip yourself,
Speaker 1: I've included timestamps in the show notes so you can
Speaker 1: jump directly to whichever city you're visiting. And because so
Speaker 1: much of the Japanese cuisine is as beautiful as it
Speaker 1: is delicious, if you'd like to see photos of the
Speaker 1: many foods I'll be talking about today, head over Sheltern
Speaker 1: of Food networks Instagram page to see the pictures, and
Speaker 1: we've tagged the various restaurants and cafes. So let's start
Speaker 1: where most visitors do. Tokyo. One thing you'll quickly notice
Speaker 1: is that vegan ramen is everywhere if you know where
Speaker 1: to look. I think I may have vegan ramen in
Speaker 1: almost every city I visited, and honestly, I never got
Speaker 1: tired of it. Every bowl has its own personality, and
Speaker 1: each restaurant put its own spin on toppings and presentation.
Speaker 1: In terms of snacks, one simple snack I enjoyed was
Speaker 1: a red bean paste sandwich. Sweet red bean paste is
Speaker 1: used often in Japanese cuisine and desserts, and it was
Speaker 1: a nice introduction to flavors that are very different from
Speaker 1: what we're used to in North America. Now. With this
Speaker 1: particular snack, because it's made of beans, it offers protein,
Speaker 1: which is what I liked and needed. After walking what
Speaker 1: seemed like all over Japan. One evening in Tokyo, I
Speaker 1: visited an all vegan is a kaya if you never
Speaker 1: heard that term before, and is akaya is a casual
Speaker 1: Japanese pub where people gather to enjoy lots of small
Speaker 1: dishes together. What impressed me most was how faithfully they
Speaker 1: recreated traditional comfort foods using plant based ingredients. Served crispy
Speaker 1: soymeat karag. Sorry if I'm mispronouncing this that might happen
Speaker 1: a few times in this episode. Karag is traditionally Japanese
Speaker 1: fried chicken, but in this case it was soy meat.
Speaker 1: At this restaurant, I also had delicious vegan gioza and
Speaker 1: other small plates that were perfect for sharing for those
Speaker 1: who are interested. The place is called Isakaya Masaka in Shibuya.
Speaker 1: It's actually in the Shibuya Parko Mall. Another thing that
Speaker 1: I tried in Tokyo the famous fluffy pancakes. Now, if
Speaker 1: you've spent any time on social media, you've probably seen them,
Speaker 1: these towering cloud like pancakes, and they have become famous
Speaker 1: around the world. Now, just a note, they are made
Speaker 1: with eggs and they're vegetarian, not vegan. So we waited
Speaker 1: for about forty five minutes at this restaurant called Ginza
Speaker 1: Cafe Hannan in order to experience these fluffy pancakes. And
Speaker 1: you might be wondering was it worth the way. Absolutely there,
Speaker 1: Unlike any pancake I've ever had. They were light, airy
Speaker 1: and almost to fle like. I actually had fluffy pancakes
Speaker 1: a second time when I was in Tokyo at a
Speaker 1: place called Flippers. The pancakes themselves were wonderful, but the
Speaker 1: experience there felt much more geared toward tourists. Everything from
Speaker 1: the syrup to the fruit toppings was an additional charge,
Speaker 1: and overall it was considerably more expensive. So if I
Speaker 1: had to choose just one, I'd happily wait again for
Speaker 1: the Ginza Cafe han and pancakes. Our next stop was
Speaker 1: the beautiful Ezu Peninsula. We stayed at a beautiful Onsen
Speaker 1: and this area if you are not familiar with it.
Speaker 1: It has a much slower pace than the big cities,
Speaker 1: and it's known for its natural beauty, hot springs with
Speaker 1: sabby farms and historic tans. We had a tour guide
Speaker 1: for one day who arranged a lunch at a rest
Speaker 1: called Loquat. The restaurant occupies what was once the home
Speaker 1: of the historic Suzuki family, and according to the restaurant,
Speaker 1: the name Loquat pays tribute to the white loquat fruit
Speaker 1: that's native to the region. So this restaurant is not
Speaker 1: a vegan or vegetarian restaurant, but they did prepare for
Speaker 1: us foods that we could eat, which included a fresh
Speaker 1: vegetable spaghetti followed by a beautifully prepared fish course. Honestly, though,
Speaker 1: the dessert completely stole the show. It was a caramel
Speaker 1: custard presented inside an egg shaped container on top of
Speaker 1: what looked like a delicate bundle of branches resembling a
Speaker 1: bird's nest. It's one of the most artistic desserts I've
Speaker 1: ever seen, and again, it's very hard to describe it
Speaker 1: in words, So if you do want to see what
Speaker 1: this dessert looks like, check it out on the Alternative
Speaker 1: Food Networks Instagram page. It was a dairy dessert also,
Speaker 1: so again for anyone who's strictly vegan for you, but
Speaker 1: if you do include dairy and your diet, it was
Speaker 1: just a fantastic dessert. At the end of our tour,
Speaker 1: we happened to walk past a window and watched soba
Speaker 1: noodles being made completely by hand. And soba is made
Speaker 1: with buckwheat, very healthy, and it was really fascinating to
Speaker 1: watch the precision and craftsmanship. Unfortunately we didn't actually have
Speaker 1: time to stop and eat them at the Coco Soba restaurant,
Speaker 1: but sometimes simply watching traditional food being made becomes part
Speaker 1: of the travel experience. When we were leaving Easy, we
Speaker 1: went by train and we were at the Mishima train
Speaker 1: station and I noticed something that made me smile. Even
Speaker 1: there right on the train platform was a small kiosk
Speaker 1: selling a vegan lunchbox. I didn't buy one because we'd
Speaker 1: just eaten, but it was another reminder that plant based
Speaker 1: options are becoming easier to find throughout Japan. Our next
Speaker 1: stop was Kyoto. Kyoto offered a completely different experience. This
Speaker 1: is where I participated in a traditional Japanese tea experience
Speaker 1: by me Koya tea ceremony. Sitting on tatammy matz, I
Speaker 1: learned about the centuries old ritual of preparing, serving, and
Speaker 1: drinking macha. Using a bamboo whisk and tea bowl. I
Speaker 1: prepared my own bowl of macha while learning about the
Speaker 1: meaning behind each movement and gesture. It was peaceful, intentional,
Speaker 1: and a wonderful reminder that food isn't only about nutrition
Speaker 1: and flavor. It's also about culture, mindfulness, and connection. Another
Speaker 1: unforgettable experience came after hiking through the famous red tory
Speaker 1: gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine. If you've been there, you
Speaker 1: know it's a climb. You climb up a mountain, and
Speaker 1: in our case, it was also raining. After making our
Speaker 1: way back down the mountain, we stopped at a cafe
Speaker 1: where I tried one of the most unusual desserts I've
Speaker 1: ever seen, Emo Pippy. It's fresh, purple, sweet potato that
Speaker 1: was squeezed through a machine into delicate strands that completely
Speaker 1: covered a scoop of ice cream. It's sweet potato on
Speaker 1: top of potato and ice cream. I've honestly never seen
Speaker 1: anything like it. It tasted wonderful, but watching it being
Speaker 1: made was almost as enjoyable as eating it. I took
Speaker 1: a video again. We put it on the Instagram page.
Speaker 1: It can take a look if you want. It is
Speaker 1: a very cool dessert, I have to say it. Another
Speaker 1: memorable meal in Kyoto was vegan and halal ramen at
Speaker 1: Shokaku Noodle. Not only was it delicious, but it was
Speaker 1: beautifully presented and for anyone avoiding gluten, they also offered
Speaker 1: gluten free options. And by the way, I should add
Speaker 1: I'm naming the restaurants and cafes in here. None of
Speaker 1: these restaurants and cafes have sponsored this episode or anything
Speaker 1: like that. I'm just naming them because I was there,
Speaker 1: and if when is listening and they're going to travel Shapan,
Speaker 1: they might want to know where the foods I'm referring
Speaker 1: to are coming from. So I thought it would be useful.
Speaker 1: All right, back to Kyoto. As I wandered through Kyoto,
Speaker 1: I noticed also vegan signs in the windows, including vegan
Speaker 1: sushi a vegan donut. It just reinforced how much the
Speaker 1: plant based dining scene continues to grow across Japan. Our
Speaker 1: final city was Osaka, and I spent three nights there,
Speaker 1: and every night I ate at a different vegan restaurant.
Speaker 1: The first evening I visited a vegan restaurant and bar
Speaker 1: called Pivot Base, and they serve a plant based version
Speaker 1: of one of Osaka's signature foods, takoyaki. Traditionally, takoyaki is
Speaker 1: made with octopus, but here it was completely plant based,
Speaker 1: so it was fun to experience one of the city's
Speaker 1: most iconic dishes in a way that fit my diet.
Speaker 1: The following night, I enjoyed an excellent vega and burger
Speaker 1: at Paprika Shokudo, and the third night, well, yes, you
Speaker 1: might have guessed it, more vegan ramen. At that point
Speaker 1: I realized I probably had eaten vegan ramen in nearly
Speaker 1: every city I'd visited, and somehow every bowl still felt
Speaker 1: completely different. I also had a pleasant surprise at the airport.
Speaker 1: At Narita Airport's Terminal one, I found Tease Tanton, a
Speaker 1: fully vegan ramen restaurant in the food If you're flying
Speaker 1: through Narita I need one last great meal before heading home,
Speaker 1: I highly recommend it. Now. There were a few things
Speaker 1: that surprised me on my trip. One thing I wasn't
Speaker 1: expecting were the fruit prices. The fruit was absolutely beautiful,
Speaker 1: but it was also incredibly expensive compared to North America.
Speaker 1: And I'll just give you a couple of examples. I
Speaker 1: saw grapes selling for around thirty five US dollars, you know,
Speaker 1: like a bunch seat buy in a grocery store thirty
Speaker 1: five US dollars. I saw two peaches being sold for
Speaker 1: the equivalent of eighteen dollars. So I didn't actually buy
Speaker 1: a lot of fruit on this trip. But fortunately the
Speaker 1: convenience stores carried some frozen fruit and also some fresh fruit,
Speaker 1: including individually wrapped bananas. Now, speaking of the convenience stores,
Speaker 1: they're everywhere, and when I say everywhere, I mean almost
Speaker 1: every block. Stores like seven to eleven Lawson and Family
Speaker 1: Mart are open twenty four hours a day, and they
Speaker 1: became incredibly useful during the trip. You can find drink, snacks, fruit,
Speaker 1: prepared meals, and some vegan options at these convenience stores.
Speaker 1: But my biggest piece of advice is this, always use
Speaker 1: a translation app when reading ingredients. For example, I made
Speaker 1: the mistake of buying what looked like a perfectly vegan
Speaker 1: etemame snack, and after I purchased it. I use the
Speaker 1: app just to read the ingredients, and I discovered it
Speaker 1: contained gelatin. Why gelatin wasn't an etemame snack? I have
Speaker 1: no idea, So anyways, just don't assume double check all
Speaker 1: the labels. It only takes a few seconds with your phone.
Speaker 1: I haven't really touched upon this. Now. If you're someone
Speaker 1: with a sweet tooth, you will be happy to know
Speaker 1: that there's also plant based Macha soft serve there that's
Speaker 1: made with rice milk, and they are also vegan bakeries
Speaker 1: in the cities I visited. I simply ran out a
Speaker 1: time to visit them, which I guess kind of gives
Speaker 1: me a reason to go back. Overall, I came away
Speaker 1: incredibly impressed by Japan's growing plant based food scene. Did
Speaker 1: every restaurant have vegan options? Absolutely not, But with a
Speaker 1: little planning and a willingness to explore, I found amazing
Speaker 1: meals in every city. Plus, since I'm not one hundred
Speaker 1: percent vegan, I was also able to enjoy a large
Speaker 1: array of foods, whether it was a vegan ramen in Tokyo,
Speaker 1: Macha sweet potato desserts and Kyoto, or vegan takes on
Speaker 1: Osaka's famous street food. I never felt like I was
Speaker 1: missing out. If Japan is on your travel list, I
Speaker 1: hope this episode gives you confidence that eating plant based
Speaker 1: there is not only possible, it's delicious. And don't forget
Speaker 1: to visit Alternative Food networks Instagram page to see photos
Speaker 1: from the many places I mentioned today. Thanks so much
Speaker 1: for listening to the Plant Based Diet podcast. If you've
Speaker 1: enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share
Speaker 1: it with someone who's dreaming of their next adventure. Until
Speaker 1: next time, happy travels and happy eating. I hope you
Speaker 1: found this helpful. Please share, rate, leave a review, and
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Speaker 1: You can find us on Instagram at Alternative Food Network.
Speaker 1: We also publish a monthly newsletter that includes plant based recipes,
Speaker 1: links to our latest episodes, and the occasional giveaway. You
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Speaker 1: Back until next time, Thanks for listening. All content provided
Speaker 1: or opinions expressed in this podcast or for informational purposes only,
Speaker 1: and are not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please
Speaker 1: seek advice from your doctor or other qualified health care practitioner,