There are Japanese vegans. I can think of at least two RUclipsrs, and last time I was in Japan earlier this year I met a Japanese vegan. Like convenience stores, cheap food ? Then you'll also love big cities in Taiwan; lots of vegan options and clear labelling of foods. And you'll get used to the heat - and rain - this time of year in Taiwan.
@@plushtine The only that I know is Peaceful Cuisine. He is a fabulous chief who makes visually and audibly therapeutic vegan version videos of many popular dishes.
Great video. I'm Japanese and I think more than half of the population here don't know what "vegan" means. So vegan ppl might feel troublesome when going out to eat but I'm sure that the vegan card that hannah introduced will be very usuful and easy for Japanese to understand as well!
It isn't just Japan. Here in the USA, people still don't know what it means. I went to MOD pizza once and asked the person if their crust was vegan, and he pulled out a container with crust and said it was gluten free. And I was like..."great, what does that have to do with being vegan?" His co-workers laughed at him at this point. Another time I went to Starbucks and asked the woman at the counter what she would recommend for vegan drinks, and she said "I would recommend the water". To be fair, she was like 60+ years old, and older people here in the US are actually not wise, despite what people think.
@@cleoraasaran9957 sorry, but no-one thinks US people are smart...like just nope. the population and its politics, the educational and health care system just don't make for a great educating environment, so only the rich get a good education, and they are blinded by classicism anyway .....
@@blonduose lol, yeah. I figured as much. It is sad how uneducated people are, I think the rich understand it is easier to control people who are uninformed or just lambs. Which is why they probably keep trying to pay republicans to do away with public education and go fully private or where you have to pay to have education. They want to make a business out of everything, and the only people who will prosper are the people who already have money.
Thanks Hannah! I'm planning to go to Japan next year and both my partner and I are vegan so this video is hugely helpful! Just looking at some other comments and I thought I'd mentioned that after much research into the animal agriculture industry, we gradually went from being steak lovers to striving for a lifestyle that doesn't involve any cruelty or suffering of any living beings, whether its a chicken, cow or pig. Not going to lie, there are challenges esp when your friends and family find it hard to understand. Also we're not perfect at being vegan but we try to do the best we can to avoid harming animals and for us, that starts on our plates. So I really encourage people to do their own research as to why people become vegan. There are so many great documentaries on RUclips and Netflix. I Have no intention to "convert" people to become vegan but to just have an understanding of why people choose this lifestyle. We don't do it because it's a trend or to be cool. A great quote, Imagine being born a prisoner on death row for committing no crime at all, for just being you. Welcome to the nightmare world of animals.
I'm a 14 year old vegan living in the Netherlands. There are a lot of options here and it feels like they are increasing day by day 😊. I hope that by the time I come to Japan (at least another 3 or 4 years) it'll be as easy as it is here 🙂
I actually recognised one of those Japanese characters (as my son studied Mandarin at school). The character for meat that looks like a rib cage. Very handy for vegans to learn that!
As a non-vegan with all the Vegan friends (*cough cough*)... I might steal some of these tips to share (^-^) Like... I've got this one Aussie Vlogger friend who is vegan and ... wait... never mind (-_-)
This video is super helpful. Thanks so much! I'll be traveling around Japan for about a month this November and am looking forward to checking out the vegan scene there. I hear it's growing
OMG I didn't knew about the new function on google translator !!😱😱 That is so cool!! This video was needed, I allways wonderd how the vegan options are in Japan! I would like too see more videos about veganism! Loved this video ❤🌱✨
When I go to Japan I will take my Jetboil camp stove and a supply of the vegan ramen I use here at home. Saved my life in Norway and Iceland. Then if you strike out for a meal you only need to find tofu and veggies, and you’re set. Thanks for the tips and I will definitely print those cards to take along for when we can’t communicate well.
Completely agree with everything said in the video. I lived in Osaka for about a year and being vegan was both easy and difficult. My personal tip, what saved me quite a lot of times, would be a baked sweet potato - you can get it at festivals, supermarkets and even some convenience stores (or bake it at home) and it's tasty and filling.
Great tips, thank you so much! This was a great short video, I enjoyed knowing what was tough and easy about being vegan in Tokyo. I also really loved the translating app, card, and words at the end ideas. Please though, do not promote eating animals. Telling people to skip the video because they might not be interested in veganism is unnecessary, they'll do it regardless and no attention needs to be put on that. But more so, the promoting of eating animals such as fish stock in the rice 'tip' if one is in the middle of nowhere: a better solution is how to work around that. Now, I've never been to Japan, so these specific solutions may not apply, but work with me here and correct them please: packing meals that require no cooking (canned, dried nuts, fruits and vegetables?), dried grain product like crackers, possibly food that one need only add hot water to like soups or oatmeal, or microwave?
Thank you for this video. I personally think it's pretty easy to eat vegan in Tokyo. There are so many good vegan restaurants, my favorite restaurants are T's Tan Tan, Ain Soph Ripple and Brown Rice Cafe, but of course there are often vegan options in non-vegan restaurants as well, as you mentioned too (for example Tokyo Soup Stock, Guzman Y Gomez, Italian restaurants,..). I love to look at the hashtag vegantokyo on Instagram to find vegan food :-). I'll leave a follow and looking forward to your videos.
You so right! There are way more options than people realise. I’ve even eaten a decent amount at an Izakaya with friends! Ps: I went to Ain Soph in Ginza but I can’t wait to eat at Ripple soon!
Girl I do love you. Thanks so much for this video! Coming to Tokyo in August alone as a vegan and now I am a bit less worried and even more thrilled! Love!
Ive been vegan for almost 4 yrs and travel quite often. Being half Asian myself ive been told traveling to other Asian countries is difficult as a vegan. Thanks for the info Queen!
I was watching some of your videos and really liked the quality, you seemed very smart and interesting ☺️, then I discovered you were also vegan and that was the deal breaker, immediately subscribed ❤️. It would be interesting to see how much things changed now for veganism in Japan thanks to the olympics! (The “2020” olympics 💔).
Japan is the land that is popular for the foods of tuna, salmon, beef, fatty pork, sea urchins, eel, horse meat, squid, octopus, cockles, sushi, gyoza. All of those are foods with meat but there are some vegetarian foods like tofu.
Great tips Hannah! Will definately take note for my next visit to Japan. Thank you, I LOVE your videos ❤️ I've been vegan for a couple of years now and heading to Vietnam this year. I've travelled Asia in the past but not as a vegan so I'm super excited to explore options. Might even blog about it to help other fellow vegan travellers ✈️
Currently Hannah I binge watched all your Vietnam posts and am sooooo excited!!! My husband has to work in Hanoi for a week so we thought we'd build a trip around it. Actually visiting Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong. We have a month so lots of time for adventure 🐱
Japan is a paradise for vegan as far as you like Tofu which satisfy required amount of protein that vegan food cannot. There is various kinds of cuisine using Tofu. Strict shojin-ryori right after funeral is well made but a little expensive.
My first early comment!! I’m happy that I decided to go to bed late. I found it quite hard to eat vegan food in Japan, but I totally agree with you. Pls keep making these awesome videos😊
Hi Hannah! First of all thank you again for making such great professional travel videos! Just liked to share that if you happen to come across the term Shojin Ryori しょうじんりょうり 精進料理 around Japan then I think you might be in luck. Although I haven't travelled there yet but according to google search there are good restaurants like Bon in Taito-ku and Komaki Syokudo in Chiyoda-ku. Anyway keep up the good 'n green work!
I’m not vegan, but I enjoy listen to you had the information presented your channel. I was under the impression prior to watching this video that eating Vegan would be an easy task. So even though in not Vegan the additives used in their food is useful to know. I hope that your audience realized that even if they be accidentally eat something non vegan would no cause them to put a finger down their throat to expel it. Their body needs the nutrients and will resume in equilibrium once their back in their familiar comfort zone. I feel people at time can go to extremes unnecessarily. That google translation app is freakin amazing! I was recently at a See’s candy store in a mall. An older couple wanted to buy 15 gift boxes of their suckers as gifts for people back home. Neither person could speak American, but the husband had that app and it resolved any communication difficulties they were having, which help immensely to the sales transaction. I was so floored to see it in action which work effortlessly and quickly. Your blurb of a food class you took reminded me of a movie Jiro dreams of suchi. I was wondering if it the location used actually exists or was just a location used or created just for this movie. I don’t remember which city it was in other than it’s in a bus or train station. I’m stating to notice your glitching a bit in your dialogue, because I can see your brain trying to process everything you wish to say and having to decide which language that you’re supposed to be speaking in before you utter your next word. It’s all good! You’re figuring it out on the fly. So that device in your part of the globe is called a pocket Wi Fi? Here in the US I know it as a Wi Fi hot spot. Wow, another communication break through! Say, you didn’t mention the price and limitations of the pocket Wi Fi? That could be your product promo info since your hawking it to your viewers. All good and useful stuff.
went vegan half a year ago, am Osaka-based, you can survive but it's sometimes not easy at all..used to love convenience stores for their..convenience, but they have close to no vegan foods at all..pretty much the only food is kombu riceballs, it's ridiculous.. even nuts sometimes contain dairy...why?? cooking much more at home now, at least it's healthier.
Thanks Hanna for a very useful video. I was wondering if you would consider a video guide for a pescatarian tourist to Japan or mainly the major cities/golden triangle. There are many, especially coastal cultures, where vegetarian = pescatarian, so there are many of us rattling around the universe! Thanks again for your efforts with this channel.
It's easier than you think. It's harder than you think. This hurts my brain lol 😂 We're a vegetarian family and last time we were in Japan we got by pretty well. We did a lot of research before we left and found some amazing places to eat. In saying that when we ended up somewhere we hadn't researched it was super hard to make sure a restaurant has vegetarian food. We had one restaurant in Shibuya ask us if beef was ok? Uh, no... Anyway we're heading back in July. We'll print off those cards you mentioned. I'm sure they'll help a lot! Thanks Hannah 😀
Been vegetarian for a year, but I try to eat vegan whenever possible. I've been learning Japanese for the past three years and have planned on going for a short trip. For a short trip to Tokyo, I imagined I wouldn't have to worry about eating since it would be in the city and only for about a week. HappyCow could help me out there. However, I'm now applying for the JET program and I'm worried about being placed in a rural area and not being able to get adequate food or nutrition. I'm also worried about being seen as a picky eater. Luckily, I'm not very stingy about what I eat. If it has fish stock and I have no other option, I would just go ahead and eat it. I do that here in the States even when I order miso soup and I'm unsure if it contains fish stock. Small things I wouldn't sweat. So, I'm sure if I end up living in rural Japan, I'll just eat whatever is available to me and try to eat vegan whenever possible. We can't all get it right 100% of the time.
Sav-Chan some people can be allergic to non vegan foods so maybe they will respect it more if you just say you can’t eat ___ people can even be allergic to red meat after tick bites which are really common now days so if you’re okay with lying so you don’t seem picky then do so lol but do your best💕
But you do have other options..... there are vegan restaurants and you won’t die if you go to a combini. I don’t quite understand how people can be so wish washy with their morals.
I just enjoy watching your vlogs no matter what the content is. I think you are a natural in front of the camera and I enjoy the way you edit your videos. Looking forward to more videos, vegan or otherwise!
Yeah, being vegan it scared me watching videos about table manners and such, where being particular or "picky" is considered rude. Hopefully, before I ever visit Japan (if I ever do), I will be able to speak it well and maybe even read so it will be easier.
If you are traveling to Japan, don't forget to try those Japanese delicious sweets as well! Ramen or sushi are not only food we can recommend. I respect your choice of being vegan, and hope you all to have great time in Japan 😍
Would love a convenience store vegan/vegetarian haul or walk through of what you can buy. Also would be handy the know the most affordable grocery stores in Tokyo. When I visited a year or so ago I found vegetables to be quite expensive, but maybe I wasn't shopping in the right place.
Apparently there is a US grocery style store in Tokyo that sells alot of western style vegan/vegetarian products. Be good to do a video on that. The veggie Sushi 🍣 looks yum!
TOP VEGAN RESTAURANTS: Brown Rice by Neal'syard!! for vegan traditional Japanese food, Trueberry +Veganie for AMAZING smoothies, Kippy's Coconut ice cream :P Though honestly so many amazing vegan restaurants and vegan friendly restaurants have been opening up lately! I'm moving to Tokyo in a week and honestly I can't wait to try Sasaya cafe and Mr.Farmer, the food looks amazing!
Truthfully I think being vegan in Japan is very difficult. It's not like the US or UK. Your options decrease massively. The difficulty put me off turning vegan for a long time, until I realised it's not a sacrifice but a privilege to live according to my values. To anyone researching turning vegan in Japan, don't worry about the difficulty - if you want it in your heart, you'll find a way.
Very informative. I knew next to nothing about... veganatics? veganism? err... followers of the Vegan, but this makes one respect and admire your choice. Never realised how much it impacts your everyday life and I assume people give it up, because the struggle is just so real. PS. Why not have a cardboard cutout of the Rock in the background!? 😉
#video suggestions Hi 👋 Hannah thank you for the awesome video same as usual! I’m Kai and I’m Japanese high school student in U.S. It’s might be too personal question so If you don’t mind, I wanna know why you became vegan. I’m Japanese so I know how unique to be an vegan in Japan , I didn’t even know the existence of vegan before I got be hosted in a vegan family in U.S, so can you make a video explain about the reason to be a vegan or why you became a vegan for the Japanese people who doesn’t know about vegan at all with Japanese Sub? I think I’ll help understanding of the vegan culture in Japan. If you don’t mind to share with us !! Have a great time in Tokyo !!!!!
Kai Kai in U.S. late response , also i’m not hannah lol ^-^ , but i read your comment and saw that she didn’t reply, so i thought i should :) . ok , so basically there are three types of vegans . - the “only-vegan-for-health-reasons” vegan some people would actually not call these people vegans since they still purchase products that induce animal cruelty e.g. makeup and cleaning products etc . instead they would be referred to as “ plant based “ . plant based eaters go “vegan” for their health and not for the well being of animals , as opposed to the “ ethical vegan “ . - the ethical vegan these people are vegan for the animals . they see hypocrisy in how we love some animals ( e.g. cats or dogs ) yet cruelly torture and kill others for food . they have come to realise that there is no such thing as ethical meat , egg or dairy products . ( ^ this may come as a surprise but eggs and dairy are just as cruel and gruesome as the meat industry , if not more ^ . ) they think that all beings should have the right to life since we , as humans, have moral consciousness and also do not need animal products to survive or thrive as opposed to a tiger or a lion . ( they do also acknowledge the health and environmental benefits of being vegan and see this as even more reason to continue being vegan . ) - the environmentalist vegan these people are vegan because see how much destruction animal industries cause to the earth and do not want to contribute to such a thing . they have come to understand that eating animal products is not sustainable , especially meat . these vegans also tend to be conscious of the ethical and health reasons of veganism . if you’re interested to learn more , the following are some youtube channels i’d recommend for further info on vegan : - health • mic the vegan • goji man • nutritionfacts.org - food / recipes • rachel ama • pick up limes • mina rome • caitlin shoemaker • the easy vegan - ethics • earthling ed ( such a fan of him ahhh ^-^ ) • vegan gains ( kinda controversial , ooh ) • benny the vegan • cosmic skeptic ( he looks at veganism from a philosophical point of view which i love as an environmentally conscious ethical vegan . ) ruclips.net/video/C1vW9iSpLLk/видео.html - environment there aren’t that many environmental vegan channels :( ( perhaps i haven’t looked hard enough , though ) but there are a lot of really eye opening documentaries on climate change and veganism , like this one : ruclips.net/video/wthTmQHmuZ0/видео.html i apologise if i didn’t get my properly get my point across and if you weren’t able to understand some of my language :( . i’m really glad that you are interested in learning more , or at least you were when you wrote this a year ago lol . basically what this comment boils down to is that “ we don’t need to harm living beings to have good health . “ hope you have a good day ^-^
What is vegan ramen like in Japan? Also, I'm still new to this channel, but I love your personality and I think you have a beautiful voice! I look forward to more videos! :)
I"m highly curious about veg options in Japan - it always seems like a bummer to not be able to dine well when visiting an otherwise interesting place.
Hey Hannah I always watch your videos and I noticed that your English is easier to understand than other native speakers. Do you have any idea some differences? Im Japanese Thank you
Lol I have the same problem where I live in Canada!! Someone told me they thought a vegan was some kind of British thing. 😂😂 you think Chinese/ Asian is a great option to eat but the rice so often has chicken and eggs in it and broccoli always have cow in it. It's so frustrating.
As allways Hannah your videos are so interesting, and very helpful. In you opinion how hard would it be to travel around japan if you were blind, could you make a video that may list helpful services that the Japanese culture provide to help disable people. Is there any customes that could offend the Japanese people if i blind person was aware. I love the way you verbally descibe things on your videos thank you so much i wish more bloggers would.😉😀
I look forward to see video about grocery shopping in japan :D I'm also intresting in prices of fruits there, are they really that expensive?Is it possible to find the cheap one?
zapisana kartka fruit are typically priced individually or in packs at set prices. They also come in different grades / sizes. For example I can buy a simple pack of 3 to 5 bananas at 100 yen. Or go for a higher renowned brand, bigger bananas of similiar quantity for 500 yen. Similiarly you can buy a single apple for 100 yen or find a larger one individually wrapped with cushioning for 1500. There are some extreme prestigious fruit more designed for gifting that cost hundreds of dollars too. I'm not sure about your country but where I am from it's usually weighed and you pay based on weight. If I remember, next time I'm in a supermarket I'll record some prices and post.
Prices in local supermarket: All in yen after tax, note that many stores like to show before tax in a big number and after tax (which may be slightly inaccurate, I think it depends on your final shopping bill and rounding) in a smaller number. Current Exchange Rate at time of writing 100 yen = 91 cents USD *Apples* 170 - Fuji Apple (red) each 537 - Fuji Apple four pack. 537 - Shinano Gold (I'd call green) for like three. *Oranges* 321 - Plastic container of American ”hand peel-able oranges" (about 4) 537 - a bag of Mineora (about 5) Another fruit that I can only say is "uwabankan", I have no idea... looks like a yellow version of a ponkan, a full orange sized mandarin. 429 - bag of 5. *Bananas* 45 - an individual banana (wrapped in plastic too, bit weird) 105 - the smaller bunch (3 to 5 depending on the sizes of individual bananas) 198 - a bunch from Doll I think there are 4 to 6 in one bag 298 - Narekko bananas, 4-6 in one bag *Mango* There are single mangoes selling at 429 and "lesser" ones sold in pairs also for 429 *Melon* 518 - Canary melon and cantaloupe (can buy pre-cut as well for 321) *Watermelon* 2138 - a whole watermelon. They seem to be wrapped in ribbons at the moment. *Pre-cut* 321 or 429 for pre-cut assortments including strawberries, melon and pineapple. 429 for a pre cut pineapple too. *Kiwifruit* 106 - Single Green (Zespri, from NZ :D) 321 - 4x above 170 - Single Gold (Jumbo, also Zespri) I've seen a Chinese brand too but not when I looked tonight.
Thank you for the effort! :D Now I see that it is not that expensive as i heard, it seems affordable, i heard that you can pay 4,300 yen for 15 strawberries and I was bewildered! you're probably right saying that it depend on where you buy it ayy I'm glad to hear that ^^ Thank you again!
zapisana kartka I don’t remember buying a punnet of 8 strawberries for more than 600 yen. You were probably told about famous/rare ones. You can go strawberry picking for (depending on the month) 1800 to 1200. (December until end of May, earlier is more expensive, no limits advertised) or 2000 to 1400 yen (different farm advertises a 30 minute limit, all you can eat). A client of mine have stated they pigged out and ate like 500 strawberries in that time as a teenager. On the other side of the fence you can buy strawberries that weigh 70g-80g each for 10,000. These are as big as your palm of your hand. I’ve even that you can buy a single strawberry for 50,000 too. So, if you know what you are doing it’s cheap. But there are insane opposite sided of the fence (gift) ones too.
I'm going to Japan for a month, can anyone help me with how much the general cost would be for vegan konbini grocceries for 1 month? I plan on bringing some vegan snacks with me though as I wouldn't want to live solely off onigiri, mochi and salads :p. Would 200 euros be enough? I dont plan on going to restaurant often. Maybe one shoujin ryouri meal at the temple in Kyoto and some vegan burger lol.
I was in Japan less than a year ago and I knew that it was going to be difficult to find vegan options. So, for the 2 weeks I spent there I ate vegan options when I could find them but I ate A LOT of things that had dairy and/or meat in them. I wasn't going to spend my honeymoon being disappointed in myself or the options available. Sometimes, compromise is the only way.
Yeah I completely agree. There's no reason to stress yourself out over trying to find vegan options and getting sad when you realise your meal is now tofu and rice again. Compromise is key and I'm not judging you for it.
I don't mind what others do as vegans, but is it seriously true that there's times you cannot get by unless you have something tainted by fish stock?? I could not bring myself to do this as a life long vegetarian/vegan! Does this mean I am going to be in trouble if I go to Japan? (I would love to go live there, but not being able to eat is a big concern for me)
Currently Hannah Lol. Too bad I don’t eat carbs or sugar otherwise I would so be on board with that statement. That said, I think you’ve got a separate stomach devoted to kochi. =)
There are Japanese vegans. I can think of at least two RUclipsrs, and last time I was in Japan earlier this year I met a Japanese vegan. Like convenience stores, cheap food ? Then you'll also love big cities in Taiwan; lots of vegan options and clear labelling of foods. And you'll get used to the heat - and rain - this time of year in Taiwan.
who are the two japanese vegan youtubers? :)
@@plushtine Still waiting!!!
@@plushtine The only that I know is Peaceful Cuisine. He is a fabulous chief who makes visually and audibly therapeutic vegan version videos of many popular dishes.
Great video. I'm Japanese and I think more than half of the population here don't know what "vegan" means. So vegan ppl might feel troublesome when going out to eat but I'm sure that the vegan card that hannah introduced will be very usuful and easy for Japanese to understand as well!
It isn't just Japan. Here in the USA, people still don't know what it means. I went to MOD pizza once and asked the person if their crust was vegan, and he pulled out a container with crust and said it was gluten free. And I was like..."great, what does that have to do with being vegan?" His co-workers laughed at him at this point.
Another time I went to Starbucks and asked the woman at the counter what she would recommend for vegan drinks, and she said "I would recommend the water". To be fair, she was like 60+ years old, and older people here in the US are actually not wise, despite what people think.
@@cleoraasaran9957 sorry, but no-one thinks US people are smart...like just nope. the population and its politics, the educational and health care system just don't make for a great educating environment, so only the rich get a good education, and they are blinded by classicism anyway .....
@@blonduose lol, yeah. I figured as much. It is sad how uneducated people are, I think the rich understand it is easier to control people who are uninformed or just lambs. Which is why they probably keep trying to pay republicans to do away with public education and go fully private or where you have to pay to have education. They want to make a business out of everything, and the only people who will prosper are the people who already have money.
Thanks Hannah! I'm planning to go to Japan next year and both my partner and I are vegan so this video is hugely helpful! Just looking at some other comments and I thought I'd mentioned that after much research into the animal agriculture industry, we gradually went from being steak lovers to striving for a lifestyle that doesn't involve any cruelty or suffering of any living beings, whether its a chicken, cow or pig. Not going to lie, there are challenges esp when your friends and family find it hard to understand. Also we're not perfect at being vegan but we try to do the best we can to avoid harming animals and for us, that starts on our plates. So I really encourage people to do their own research as to why people become vegan. There are so many great documentaries on RUclips and Netflix. I Have no intention to "convert" people to become vegan but to just have an understanding of why people choose this lifestyle. We don't do it because it's a trend or to be cool. A great quote, Imagine being born a prisoner on death row for committing no crime at all, for just being you. Welcome to the nightmare world of animals.
Vegans can also try Japanese vegetables, they never had before like Renkon or Lotus root, Takenoko or Bamboo shoots and Gobo or burdock root.
This question has been KILLING ME Thankyou for this video!!
I'm a 14 year old vegan living in the Netherlands. There are a lot of options here and it feels like they are increasing day by day 😊. I hope that by the time I come to Japan (at least another 3 or 4 years) it'll be as easy as it is here 🙂
I actually recognised one of those Japanese characters (as my son studied Mandarin at school). The character for meat that looks like a rib cage. Very handy for vegans to learn that!
Yep! Very very useful when reading the label!
Your channel is so underrated 😞😍 the quality of your videos is amazing 😱
Peya Beshovska I totally agree. Hannah is great on camera and has incredible technical skills too. I love her channel!
Thanks so much! Just striving to make my videos bette every time. I'm glad you like it!
I’m going at the end of September! This video helps a LOT! ありがとうございます。
As a non-vegan with all the Vegan friends (*cough cough*)... I might steal some of these tips to share (^-^)
Like... I've got this one Aussie Vlogger friend who is vegan and ... wait... never mind (-_-)
This video is super helpful. Thanks so much! I'll be traveling around Japan for about a month this November and am looking forward to checking out the vegan scene there. I hear it's growing
I'm hoping to be able to hold a conversation in Japanese by the time I go back, but those cards are SO useful! Printing them out ASAP!
OMG I didn't knew about the new function on google translator !!😱😱 That is so cool!! This video was needed, I allways wonderd how the vegan options are in Japan! I would like too see more videos about veganism! Loved this video ❤🌱✨
Yeah the translator is awesome!
More vegan videos to come! Stay tuned!
When I go to Japan I will take my Jetboil camp stove and a supply of the vegan ramen I use here at home. Saved my life in Norway and Iceland. Then if you strike out for a meal you only need to find tofu and veggies, and you’re set. Thanks for the tips and I will definitely print those cards to take along for when we can’t communicate well.
I'm surprised mochi didn't get a mention :) thanks for the tip about happy cow it will be helpful for feeding my brother
Hahaha I was going to mention it but thought that me eating it at the start was enough of a mention.
I am vegan and planning on coming to Japan soon. Thank you for making this video. Really enjoy your channel.
I'd love to visit Japan some time and thanks for the tips!
Completely agree with everything said in the video. I lived in Osaka for about a year and being vegan was both easy and difficult. My personal tip, what saved me quite a lot of times, would be a baked sweet potato - you can get it at festivals, supermarkets and even some convenience stores (or bake it at home) and it's tasty and filling.
Great tips, thank you so much! This was a great short video, I enjoyed knowing what was tough and easy about being vegan in Tokyo. I also really loved the translating app, card, and words at the end ideas.
Please though, do not promote eating animals. Telling people to skip the video because they might not be interested in veganism is unnecessary, they'll do it regardless and no attention needs to be put on that. But more so, the promoting of eating animals such as fish stock in the rice 'tip' if one is in the middle of nowhere: a better solution is how to work around that. Now, I've never been to Japan, so these specific solutions may not apply, but work with me here and correct them please: packing meals that require no cooking (canned, dried nuts, fruits and vegetables?), dried grain product like crackers, possibly food that one need only add hot water to like soups or oatmeal, or microwave?
Thank you for this video. I personally think it's pretty easy to eat vegan in Tokyo. There are so many good vegan restaurants, my favorite restaurants are T's Tan Tan, Ain Soph Ripple and Brown Rice Cafe, but of course there are often vegan options in non-vegan restaurants as well, as you mentioned too (for example Tokyo Soup Stock, Guzman Y Gomez, Italian restaurants,..). I love to look at the hashtag vegantokyo on Instagram to find vegan food :-). I'll leave a follow and looking forward to your videos.
You so right! There are way more options than people realise. I’ve even eaten a decent amount at an Izakaya with friends!
Ps: I went to Ain Soph in Ginza but I can’t wait to eat at Ripple soon!
Girl I do love you. Thanks so much for this video! Coming to Tokyo in August alone as a vegan and now I am a bit less worried and even more thrilled! Love!
I’m so glad this has helped easy your mind a little bit. Convenience stores are your friends, always.
Ive been vegan for almost 4 yrs and travel quite often. Being half Asian myself ive been told traveling to other Asian countries is difficult as a vegan. Thanks for the info Queen!
I was watching some of your videos and really liked the quality, you seemed very smart and interesting ☺️, then I discovered you were also vegan and that was the deal breaker, immediately subscribed ❤️.
It would be interesting to see how much things changed now for veganism in Japan thanks to the olympics! (The “2020” olympics 💔).
Japan is the land that is popular for the foods of tuna, salmon, beef, fatty pork, sea urchins, eel, horse meat, squid, octopus, cockles, sushi, gyoza. All of those are foods with meat but there are some vegetarian foods like tofu.
Great tips Hannah! Will definately take note for my next visit to Japan. Thank you, I LOVE your videos ❤️ I've been vegan for a couple of years now and heading to Vietnam this year. I've travelled Asia in the past but not as a vegan so I'm super excited to explore options. Might even blog about it to help other fellow vegan travellers ✈️
Oh Vietnam is lovely! Their food is quite fresh and usually based around vegetables so hopefully you’ll find a lot of things you can eat :)
Currently Hannah I binge watched all your Vietnam posts and am sooooo excited!!! My husband has to work in Hanoi for a week so we thought we'd build a trip around it. Actually visiting Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong. We have a month so lots of time for adventure 🐱
Oh amazing! Have the best time there! I loved my trip to Vietnam! Sounds like you’ve got a great trip ahead!
Japan is a paradise for vegan as far as you like Tofu which satisfy required amount of protein that vegan food cannot. There is various kinds of cuisine using Tofu. Strict shojin-ryori right after funeral is well made but a little expensive.
Kitty George also, killing 3 people a day in order to attend their funerals seems like quite some effort for some food
My first early comment!! I’m happy that I decided to go to bed late. I found it quite hard to eat vegan food in Japan, but I totally agree with you. Pls keep making these awesome videos😊
Hi Hannah! First of all thank you again for making such great professional travel videos! Just liked to share that if you happen to come across the term Shojin Ryori しょうじんりょうり 精進料理 around Japan then I think you might be in luck. Although I haven't travelled there yet but according to google search there are good restaurants like Bon in Taito-ku and Komaki Syokudo in Chiyoda-ku. Anyway keep up the good 'n green work!
I’m not vegan, but I enjoy listen to you had the information presented your channel. I was under the impression prior to watching this video that eating Vegan would be an easy task. So even though in not Vegan the additives used in their food is useful to know. I hope that your audience realized that even if they be accidentally eat something non vegan would no cause them to put a finger down their throat to expel it. Their body needs the nutrients and will resume in equilibrium once their back in their familiar comfort zone. I feel people at time can go to extremes unnecessarily. That google translation app is freakin amazing! I was recently at a See’s candy store in a mall. An older couple wanted to buy 15 gift boxes of their suckers as gifts for people back home. Neither person could speak American, but the husband had that app and it resolved any communication difficulties they were having, which help immensely to the sales transaction. I was so floored to see it in action which work effortlessly and quickly. Your blurb of a food class you took reminded me of a movie Jiro dreams of suchi. I was wondering if it the location used actually exists or was just a location used or created just for this movie. I don’t remember which city it was in other than it’s in a bus or train station. I’m stating to notice your glitching a bit in your dialogue, because I can see your brain trying to process everything you wish to say and having to decide which language that you’re supposed to be speaking in before you utter your next word. It’s all good! You’re figuring it out on the fly. So that device in your part of the globe is called a pocket Wi Fi? Here in the US I know it as a Wi Fi hot spot. Wow, another communication break through! Say, you didn’t mention the price and limitations of the pocket Wi Fi? That could be your product promo info since your hawking it to your viewers. All good and useful stuff.
this is so helpful !!!!
went vegan half a year ago, am Osaka-based, you can survive but it's sometimes not easy at all..used to love convenience stores for their..convenience, but they have close to no vegan foods at all..pretty much the only food is kombu riceballs, it's ridiculous.. even nuts sometimes contain dairy...why?? cooking much more at home now, at least it's healthier.
Satsuma nuts with dairy? Lol that’s so strange
Thanks Hanna for a very useful video. I was wondering if you would consider a video guide for a pescatarian tourist to Japan or mainly the major cities/golden triangle. There are many, especially coastal cultures, where vegetarian = pescatarian, so there are many of us rattling around the universe! Thanks again for your efforts with this channel.
Pescatarian is pretty much normal diet in Japan 😂
I will leave a positive vibe loaded message. There, enjoy it!
Thank you
Really sensible comment at the end of the video. Congrats! We can't do more than our best. Otherwise it leads only to frustration.
Love your message to the haters. Very nice. :)
It's easier than you think. It's harder than you think. This hurts my brain lol 😂
We're a vegetarian family and last time we were in Japan we got by pretty well. We did a lot of research before we left and found some amazing places to eat. In saying that when we ended up somewhere we hadn't researched it was super hard to make sure a restaurant has vegetarian food. We had one restaurant in Shibuya ask us if beef was ok? Uh, no...
Anyway we're heading back in July. We'll print off those cards you mentioned. I'm sure they'll help a lot! Thanks Hannah 😀
Been vegetarian for a year, but I try to eat vegan whenever possible. I've been learning Japanese for the past three years and have planned on going for a short trip. For a short trip to Tokyo, I imagined I wouldn't have to worry about eating since it would be in the city and only for about a week. HappyCow could help me out there. However, I'm now applying for the JET program and I'm worried about being placed in a rural area and not being able to get adequate food or nutrition. I'm also worried about being seen as a picky eater. Luckily, I'm not very stingy about what I eat. If it has fish stock and I have no other option, I would just go ahead and eat it. I do that here in the States even when I order miso soup and I'm unsure if it contains fish stock. Small things I wouldn't sweat. So, I'm sure if I end up living in rural Japan, I'll just eat whatever is available to me and try to eat vegan whenever possible. We can't all get it right 100% of the time.
Sav-Chan some people can be allergic to non vegan foods so maybe they will respect it more if you just say you can’t eat ___ people can even be allergic to red meat after tick bites which are really common now days so if you’re okay with lying so you don’t seem picky then do so lol but do your best💕
But you do have other options..... there are vegan restaurants and you won’t die if you go to a combini. I don’t quite understand how people can be so wish washy with their morals.
Would also love to hear some great vegan or vegetarian places you recommend.
YES yes yes to all these tips!!
and yes Being able to read very basic Japanese is a huge game changer (y)
Keeen for the rest of this vegan series
and to be a part of it ;))
I’m vegan and enjoy your personality. More vegan content would be great 💖 ps: love short hair on you 😘
I just enjoy watching your vlogs no matter what the content is. I think you are a natural in front of the camera and I enjoy the way you edit your videos. Looking forward to more videos, vegan or otherwise!
Thanks so much! That’s really encouraging to hear!
Yeah, being vegan it scared me watching videos about table manners and such, where being particular or "picky" is considered rude. Hopefully, before I ever visit Japan (if I ever do), I will be able to speak it well and maybe even read so it will be easier.
If you are traveling to Japan, don't forget to try those Japanese delicious sweets as well! Ramen or sushi are not only food we can recommend. I respect your choice of being vegan, and hope you all to have great time in Japan 😍
I can’t wait to travel soon 🇯🇵😃
Im the 90,000 sub looL first vid I see of you and I love your vibe! Much love!
Yes these are so helpful!!
Would love a convenience store vegan/vegetarian haul or walk through of what you can buy.
Also would be handy the know the most affordable grocery stores in Tokyo. When I visited a year or so ago I found vegetables to be quite expensive, but maybe I wasn't shopping in the right place.
Yes I think I’ll do a video like that next! A grocery store haul and then maybe emergency vegan snacks from convenient stores?
Apparently there is a US grocery style store in Tokyo that sells alot of western style vegan/vegetarian products. Be good to do a video on that. The veggie Sushi 🍣 looks yum!
¥300 is crazy cheap! It's like ¥700 - ¥1,000 in Indonesia because it's imported goods and we don't produce one here.
TOP VEGAN RESTAURANTS: Brown Rice by Neal'syard!! for vegan traditional Japanese food, Trueberry +Veganie for AMAZING smoothies, Kippy's Coconut ice cream :P Though honestly so many amazing vegan restaurants and vegan friendly restaurants have been opening up lately! I'm moving to Tokyo in a week and honestly I can't wait to try Sasaya cafe and Mr.Farmer, the food looks amazing!
Truthfully I think being vegan in Japan is very difficult. It's not like the US or UK. Your options decrease massively. The difficulty put me off turning vegan for a long time, until I realised it's not a sacrifice but a privilege to live according to my values. To anyone researching turning vegan in Japan, don't worry about the difficulty - if you want it in your heart, you'll find a way.
Very informative. I knew next to nothing about... veganatics? veganism? err... followers of the Vegan, but this makes one respect and admire your choice. Never realised how much it impacts your everyday life and I assume people give it up, because the struggle is just so real.
PS. Why not have a cardboard cutout of the Rock in the background!? 😉
#video suggestions
Hi 👋 Hannah thank you for the awesome video same as usual! I’m Kai and I’m Japanese high school student in U.S.
It’s might be too personal question so If you don’t mind, I wanna know why you became vegan. I’m Japanese so I know how unique to be an vegan in Japan , I didn’t even know the existence of vegan before I got be hosted in a vegan family in U.S, so can you make a video explain about the reason to be a vegan or why you became a vegan for the Japanese people who doesn’t know about vegan at all with Japanese Sub? I think I’ll help understanding of the vegan culture in Japan. If you don’t mind to share with us !!
Have a great time in Tokyo !!!!!
Kai Kai in U.S.
late response , also i’m not hannah lol
^-^ , but i read your comment and saw that she didn’t reply, so i thought i should :) .
ok , so basically there are three types of vegans .
- the “only-vegan-for-health-reasons” vegan
some people would actually not call these people vegans since they still purchase products that induce animal cruelty e.g. makeup and cleaning products etc .
instead they would be referred to as
“ plant based “ .
plant based eaters go “vegan” for their health and not for the well being of animals , as opposed to the “ ethical vegan “ .
- the ethical vegan
these people are vegan for the animals .
they see hypocrisy in how we love some animals ( e.g. cats or dogs ) yet cruelly torture and kill others for food .
they have come to realise that there is no such thing as ethical meat , egg or dairy products .
( ^ this may come as a surprise but eggs and dairy are just as cruel and gruesome as the meat industry , if not more ^ . )
they think that all beings should have the right to life since we , as humans, have moral consciousness and also do not need animal products to survive or thrive as opposed to a tiger or a lion .
( they do also acknowledge the health and environmental benefits of being vegan and see this as even more reason to continue being vegan . )
- the environmentalist vegan
these people are vegan because see how much destruction animal industries cause to the earth and do not want to contribute to such a thing .
they have come to understand that eating animal products is not sustainable , especially meat .
these vegans also tend to be conscious of the ethical and health reasons of veganism .
if you’re interested to learn more , the following are some youtube channels i’d recommend for further info on vegan :
- health
• mic the vegan
• goji man
• nutritionfacts.org
- food / recipes
• rachel ama
• pick up limes
• mina rome
• caitlin shoemaker
• the easy vegan
- ethics
• earthling ed ( such a fan of him ahhh ^-^ )
• vegan gains ( kinda controversial , ooh )
• benny the vegan
• cosmic skeptic ( he looks at veganism from a philosophical point of view which i love as an environmentally conscious ethical vegan . )
ruclips.net/video/C1vW9iSpLLk/видео.html
- environment
there aren’t that many environmental vegan channels :(
( perhaps i haven’t looked hard enough , though )
but there are a lot of really eye opening documentaries on climate change and veganism , like this one :
ruclips.net/video/wthTmQHmuZ0/видео.html
i apologise if i didn’t get my properly get my point across and if you weren’t able to understand some of my language :( .
i’m really glad that you are interested in learning more , or at least you were when you wrote this a year ago lol .
basically what this comment boils down to is that “ we don’t need to harm living beings to have good health . “
hope you have a good day ^-^
gosh , sorry , i’m only now realising how long this is . oops .
Thank you Hannah!
Lovin' the vegan content!! ❤️
yay! Happy to know another vegan RUclipsr!
What is vegan ramen like in Japan?
Also, I'm still new to this channel, but I love your personality and I think you have a beautiful voice! I look forward to more videos! :)
Hilarious intro. It made my day. haha
Awesome video. I’m very happy to hear that veganism is getting more recognition worldwide. Subscribed 😀
私はマクロビやってます～(￣▽￣)マクロビオティック(巨視的視野で見る"正しい生活法") ビーガンもやろうと思えば出来ますよ。マクロビは理に適ってるので、納得して採り入れる人は多いと思います。※私は久司道夫さんの本を参考にしてます(英語版も有るのでお奨めです※米国在住)。
another hot tip: there's an instagram account called @smile_veg dedicated to vegan food spots in tokyo!!!
Oh amazing! Thank you so much!
Nice way to start the video, you got some magic tricks ...
Please make more vegan videos, it was really useful!! :)
Very nice intro to Japan.
My girlfriend who is from UK says “ 日本でビーガンやると、高い。最近はだんだん良くなってるけどね”
japan has many kinds of vigan food because of buddhism
so maybe it’s easy to stay in japan for vigan people
First, I always look forward to your videos.
I like Syoujin ryouri and TaiwaneseV Vegan food.♡
I love your channel!
Can you make a video about differences between Tokyo and Osaka?
Oh I definitely will be! Glad to know someone else wants to see it too haha
I"m highly curious about veg options in Japan - it always seems like a bummer to not be able to dine well when visiting an otherwise interesting place.
oh, what a great video :)
Fruits, vegetables, supermarket, Soranoiro and Ts Tan Tan... That's how I survived Tokyo.
Hey Hannah
I always watch your videos and I noticed that your English is easier to understand than other native speakers. Do you have any idea some differences? Im Japanese
Thank you
hiro
I think she is Australian but I cannot be sure
veganに興味を持ちました！
Music is so calming 😊 land of fish Lol 🐟
Lol I have the same problem where I live in Canada!! Someone told me they thought a vegan was some kind of British thing. 😂😂 you think Chinese/ Asian is a great option to eat but the rice so often has chicken and eggs in it and broccoli always have cow in it. It's so frustrating.
As allways Hannah your videos are so interesting, and very helpful. In you opinion how hard would it be to travel around japan if you were blind, could you make a video that may list helpful services that the Japanese culture provide to help disable people. Is there any customes that could offend the Japanese people if i blind person was aware.
I love the way you verbally descibe things on your videos thank you so much i wish more bloggers would.😉😀
I look forward to see video about grocery shopping in japan :D I'm also intresting in prices of fruits there, are they really that expensive?Is it possible to find the cheap one?
zapisana kartka fruit are typically priced individually or in packs at set prices. They also come in different grades / sizes.
For example I can buy a simple pack of 3 to 5 bananas at 100 yen. Or go for a higher renowned brand, bigger bananas of similiar quantity for 500 yen.
Similiarly you can buy a single apple for 100 yen or find a larger one individually wrapped with cushioning for 1500.
There are some extreme prestigious fruit more designed for gifting that cost hundreds of dollars too.
I'm not sure about your country but where I am from it's usually weighed and you pay based on weight.
If I remember, next time I'm in a supermarket I'll record some prices and post.
Prices in local supermarket: All in yen after tax, note that many stores like to show before tax in a big number and after tax (which may be slightly inaccurate, I think it depends on your final shopping bill and rounding) in a smaller number.
Current Exchange Rate at time of writing
100 yen = 91 cents USD
*Apples*
170 - Fuji Apple (red) each
537 - Fuji Apple four pack.
537 - Shinano Gold (I'd call green) for like three.
*Oranges*
321 - Plastic container of American ”hand peel-able oranges" (about 4)
537 - a bag of Mineora (about 5)
Another fruit that I can only say is "uwabankan", I have no idea... looks like a yellow version of a ponkan, a full orange sized mandarin.
429 - bag of 5.
*Bananas*
45 - an individual banana (wrapped in plastic too, bit weird)
105 - the smaller bunch (3 to 5 depending on the sizes of individual bananas)
198 - a bunch from Doll I think there are 4 to 6 in one bag
298 - Narekko bananas, 4-6 in one bag
*Mango*
There are single mangoes selling at 429 and "lesser" ones sold in pairs also for 429
*Melon*
518 - Canary melon and cantaloupe (can buy pre-cut as well for 321)
*Watermelon*
2138 - a whole watermelon. They seem to be wrapped in ribbons at the moment.
*Pre-cut*
321 or 429 for pre-cut assortments including strawberries, melon and pineapple.
429 for a pre cut pineapple too.
*Kiwifruit*
106 - Single Green (Zespri, from NZ :D)
321 - 4x above
170 - Single Gold (Jumbo, also Zespri)
I've seen a Chinese brand too but not when I looked tonight.
Thank you for the effort! :D Now I see that it is not that expensive as i heard, it seems affordable, i heard that you can pay 4,300 yen for 15 strawberries and I was bewildered! you're probably right saying that it depend on where you buy it ayy I'm glad to hear that ^^ Thank you again!
zapisana kartka I don’t remember buying a punnet of 8 strawberries for more than 600 yen. You were probably told about famous/rare ones. You can go strawberry picking for (depending on the month) 1800 to 1200. (December until end of May, earlier is more expensive, no limits advertised) or 2000 to 1400 yen (different farm advertises a 30 minute limit, all you can eat). A client of mine have stated they pigged out and ate like 500 strawberries in that time as a teenager.
On the other side of the fence you can buy strawberries that weigh 70g-80g each for 10,000. These are as big as your palm of your hand. I’ve even that you can buy a single strawberry for 50,000 too.
So, if you know what you are doing it’s cheap. But there are insane opposite sided of the fence (gift) ones too.
Hi Hannah, Can you please make a video about hair salons in Japan if you have ever been in one of them? (:
I'm going to Japan for a month, can anyone help me with how much the general cost would be for vegan konbini grocceries for 1 month? I plan on bringing some vegan snacks with me though as I wouldn't want to live solely off onigiri, mochi and salads :p. Would 200 euros be enough? I dont plan on going to restaurant often. Maybe one shoujin ryouri meal at the temple in Kyoto and some vegan burger lol.
Really nice
Interesting , good thing I can cook. I won’t starve. Cool Segway to pocket WiFi.
I use same pocket wi-if :D
@3:00 lmao... reminded of my friend who once said, "tooken"
“I was tooken by surprise.” 😂
日本の和食についてちゃんと知ってから日本に来るべきだと思う
ヘルシーだからって来る人いるけど、ヘルシーかつ栄養バランスが整ってるのが和食ですよ。もちろん肉を使っていますし
Sorry haven't seen the whole vid yet, but was wondering, what food(s) do you miss most now that you're a vegan?
What is your fav Japanese action movies? I've been watching some, they are epic. my watched list: Cashern, Gantz O, Devilman, Shinobido.
日本人はヴィーガンに対して批判ばかりするのはなぜだろうか？
遅れた野蛮人の嫉妬。それだけ
ビーガンを強制する人に批判的なんじゃないですか？別に一個人が何を食べようが好きにすればと思います。
日本語字幕してほしい…!!
I was in Japan less than a year ago and I knew that it was going to be difficult to find vegan options. So, for the 2 weeks I spent there I ate vegan options when I could find them but I ate A LOT of things that had dairy and/or meat in them. I wasn't going to spend my honeymoon being disappointed in myself or the options available. Sometimes, compromise is the only way.
Yeah I completely agree. There's no reason to stress yourself out over trying to find vegan options and getting sad when you realise your meal is now tofu and rice again. Compromise is key and I'm not judging you for it.
Where do you go grocery shopping in Tokyo?
I don't mind what others do as vegans, but is it seriously true that there's times you cannot get by unless you have something tainted by fish stock?? I could not bring myself to do this as a life long vegetarian/vegan! Does this mean I am going to be in trouble if I go to Japan? (I would love to go live there, but not being able to eat is a big concern for me)
If you live in a city, you’ll be fine! It only becomes a big issue if you’re living in the rural area.
Several magical local phrases help you stick to the precious life-long devotion even in a rural area.
イスラム教徒も日本に住むのは難しいです。
Side dishes like mochi! I swear every time I see you eat something, it's mochi. =P
How about a beginners guide to all things Mochi?
I like the way you think. Mochi is love.
Currently Hannah Lol. Too bad I don’t eat carbs or sugar otherwise I would so be on board with that statement. That said, I think you’ve got a separate stomach devoted to kochi. =)
A pocket wifi!?
Here in Argentina it doesn't exist :(
hmmm,... now I'm not sure, I wonder if Koya-san food is vegetarian or vegan,... (?) ...
Vegan eats videos would be sweet!
It’s good to see that you seem well on your way to mending after your wisdom tooth removal
Hahaha yeah I'm totally fine now. Thanks!
What was the instant translator app!?
Google translate