The Vegan Foodie's Guide to Japan
Here's my list of recommendations and non-recommendations of places where I ate as a vegan during my trip to Japan in May 2025.
Restaurants are listed in order of preference by city.
Tokyo
Kyushu Jangara
Ramen restaurant with only one vegan option, but it’s an incredible one.
Sakura-tei
Here, you cook your own meal on a hot plate in the middle of the table. They offer several vegetarian and vegan options marked on the menu, like okonomiyaki and monjayaki.
Note: I found out after my visit that their vegan options most likely contain eggs and fish flakes.
T’s Tantan Ramen
A 100% vegan restaurant located in Tokyo Station, offering a variety of ramen dishes.
Coco Ichibanya
Curry chain with vegan options. Be warned, it's very spicy!!
Minobu
Temple Lodging Kakurinbo
A highly recommended experience! Dinner and breakfast are included in the stay and are mostly vegetarian, so you can request a vegan option when booking. It's a traditional Japanese meal, and we absolutely loved it!
Kyoto
Mumokuteki Cafe
Delicious 100% vegan restaurant. We ordered the “Mumokuteki 3 kinds of special Gozen”, which included tofu hamburger steak, okaraage, and miso cutlet, along with several sides like miso soup, pickles, and more. Yum!
Fire Ramen Menbaka
This one is all about the experience! They literally set your ramen on fire in front of you and record it. They have a vegetarian section, including a ramen without egg that's suitable for vegans.
Matt Japan
We were invited to try this restaurant and got to taste two of their vegan options: mushrooms as a starter and squash as the main dish. Very pricey, but absolutely delicious.
Que Pasa
They offer a vegan burrito option!
(THISIS) Nature
For flower bouquet-style ice cream. Expensive, but very Instagrammable.
Osaka
Mercy Vegan Factory
100% vegan restaurant. I had a plate with kurumafu (wheat gluten cutlets), and it was really tasty!
Kura Sushi
You go for the fun sushi train experience! Not a ton of vegan options, but they do have a meat-free spaghetti bolognese that was surprisingly delicious, and even some fried fish.
Beppu
Noodle Factory
Only one vegan option, but it's an amazing tonkotsu ramen! We loved it so much we went back twice.
Jigokumushikobo Kannawa
Another one for the experience! You steam your food using volcanic steam. They offer veggies, tofu, and a yaseuma (sweet wheat noodle dish) as vegan options.
Takito
Mexican restaurant with a few vegan options. I tried the veggie taco, but it was underwhelming, I wouldn't really recommend it.
Kurokawa
Olmo Coppia
This organic restaurant was totally worth mixing up Kurokawa and Kurokawa Onsen. We ended up in the countryside at this charming spot with delicious and healthy vegan options.
Fukuoka
Bugoro All Vegan
100% vegan restaurant offering various dishes including the famous Hakata ramen. De-li-cious!
Tempura Hirao
A very popular tempura restaurant where you order with a vending machine and get served at the counter while they cook in front of you. They offer a vegetable tempura set.
Nagasaki
Nobister
Formerly a vegetarian restaurant, it still has several vegetarian and vegan options. The curry was especially good!
Takayama, Gifu
Bar Thumbs Up
Lots of vegan options at this bar, including gyoza, vegan jerky, and croquettes.
Teppan Osaka
Another spot where you cook your own meal on a hot plate at the table. They have a vegan okonomiyaki option.
Ebisu Soba
This soba restaurant, open since 1898, makes its noodles in-house. They have a separate menu with several vegan options.
Nagano
India The Spice: A bar with a large menu, including some indian vegan dishes. Be sure to tell the server you're vegan.
