Hello Vegan Travelers!
Today I’d like to tell you about my trip to Tokyo, Japan. It happened about 9 years ago, way before the popularity of blogging. In fact, I did not even own a digital camera back then! I was also not aware how popular food photos would be with the advent of travel blogging. Oh well.lesson learned! These days I take one, two week vacation per year to a country which I have never visited, in addition to a long weekend in a US state in which I have never been. I will be sure to take plenty of good, vegan food pics from now on!! Back to my Japan story..Yes!, I still want to blog about it even though my trip was several years ago, as it is important to note the situation of the vegan dining scene there, as well as the sightseeing possibilities!!
My journey was part of a whirlwind 3 day tour of Tokyo and its surrounding villages. What a modern-day, contemporary city it is! It reminds me of New York City with all of its huge, neon signs and bright lights which shine throughout the downtown area in the evening like Times Square! We were told that Tokyo actually consists of 7 or 8 downtowns. Our hotel was situated in the electronics district. There you could find countless retail stores selling all kinds of high tech gadgets. Very impressive..electronics city!
My tour group got on the bus in the morning to partake in the obligatory city tour. There the region’s history, architecture, and peoples were described in detail. This kind of tour is something that alot of tourists detest, but I feel that it is an important way to get acclimated to a new city, especially the capital. We also visited a temple, shopping market, and public gardens containing little prayer statue enclosures with incense.
In the evening, I ventured into the downtown area for a walk and to find a restaurant for dinner. Unfortunately, my tourmates were fervent about dining at a steakhouse we stumbled upon. I then went along my merry way, disappointed that I would not have company, but hopeful that I would find a suitable place for my vegan eating needs. At that point back in time, I was unaware of vegan restaurant websites such as HappyCow, so I was left on my own to find suitable vegan fare. Walking in circles, pacing back and forth on every street and alley, I popped my head in various restaurants until I found some place suitable to dine. Honestly, I can not remember what I ate. I only remember that it was not a huge selection and that it was difficult to find a suitable restaurant, at least in this district. Oh well. At least my tummy was full and healthy!
The next morning, our tour group got on the bus again for a visit to a nearby Buddhist Temple. It was pretty cool! There was a ritual which visitors performed here, not only tourists. You needed to wash your hands with a towel of warm water, to cleanse yourself. The temple was ornate. We wandered inside and remained quiet and still in prayer. Outside there was a particular “prayer tree” where you may write down your prayers and wishes and hang it on a branch. It was a mystical, tranquil place to visit! I wish I remembered the name. As usual, if you dine with a tour group, your local guide can speak to the waiters to prepare a vegan meal for you. However, in this country it is difficult. Seafood is all the rage. You may need to resort to just plain, boiled rice with miso soup.
Breakfast is not as much of a problem in Japan as you may have cereal or toast in western hotels or the traditional Japanese rice. On my third and final day in Japan, we ventured even further outside of the city. Our first stop, was the town of Kamakura. This is a very popular tourist destination because of the big, green Buddha statue called “Great Buddha” one may visit there. Several centuries back it was Japan’s political center. Now it is mainly known for its temples and historical sites. It is a fantastic, photo opp!!
Next, we went on to a popular mountain top tour. It was not Mount Fuji, but it was closeby as I recall. We took a cable car to the top but alas, it was too foggy to see the surrounding region clearly! The gift shop atop the mountain was where I had my first exposure to the Hello Kitty phenomenon and barrage of Hello Kitty type gifts. Below, when we got off the cable car and returned to the parking lot, we were gathered to join our group for lunch at the mountain base restaurant. I do recall eating a fairly small,veggie-friendly lunch, thanks to my tour guide’s request. However, I was vegetarian then , not vegan so I did not ask the typical vegan mandatory series of questions! What did indeed stand out was the huge supply of vegan desserts and snacks in the gift shop!! I purchased vegan mochi rice cakes and cookies, and jelly-like snacks. Yummy!! 🙂 🙂
Finally, my journey had ended and I was back at the airport awaiting my departure flight back to the USA. I remember frantically running around the airport trying to find a veggie-friendly lunch. The only suitable eats I found was a simple, miso soup at a small airport cafe.
I must say that Japan is actually one of the most difficult places I found as a vegan. Even the vegetable dishes and soups tend to contain fish sauce. However, as is possible everywhere if you look hard enough, you may find something to satisfy your palate. These days, according to sites like HappyCow, there are at least a dozen vegan restaurants in Tokyo and quite a few veggie-friendly dining establishments in the neighboring villages. The landscape is breath-taking and mystical and a holiday adventure should not be missed here!!