Vegetarianism in Japan

[Sakurahime]

Being vegetarian in Japan isn't as easy as it might seem, what with all of the delicious soy products on offer. I was hoping to get some tips together for anyone who is thinking of visiting.
Here are my first few:
It is much easier to eat out if you're in a city, but even then the few vegetarian restaurants and cafes might have limited opening hours. You'll mostly likely have to get used to cooking!
There are some great foods you can swap out for meat in recipes - konnyaku can be found across Japan. It's a firm, jelly-like, white/grey substance that is popular as a diet food and comes in many forms, from "steaks" to noodles. In Sendai (but possibly not anywhere else??), there is something called Sendai-fu, which is a stick of gluten, and it looks a bit like a small baguette. You can use it instead of chicken to make a sort of vegetarian oyako-don (a type of rice bowl), and it is delicious!
Both for eating out, and when buying food in supermarkets/convenience stores, hidden meat and fish is everywhere. If you can, learn the kanji for meat 肉and fish 魚. It won't save you every time, but it may well help you avoid some foods.

[Louie]

If you ever find yourself in Kamakura, you can have some authentic Shojin Ryori. This method of cooking is practiced by Buddhist monks and the good news is that there's no MEAT involved! You can even say that this is one of the oldest "Japanese Vegetarian Lifestyle" and you can learn a thing or two from it. Seasonal ingredients like fruits and organic vegetables can really make a difference. As long as you know the proper way to prepare them, they will definitely make you say "Oishii!"

I'm not really a vegetarian but I am interested in trying this style of food preparation. Who knows? after eating it for a month or two I might reach "enlightenment"

[Sakurahime]

I have heard of that, Louie! I want to try some really good Shojin Ryori sometime - perhaps that's a good excuse for going to Kamakura
Maybe this would be a good way of explaining to certain Japanese people what you mean by vegetarian. Because I've read about travelers who've had a terrible time trying to get wait staff to understand what they want (or rather don't want) in their food. Even after saying "no meat, no fish", they've had meals come out with fish stock or tiny pieces of beef in them!
I think it's fair to say that the concept of vegetarianism (and veganism for that matter) isn't a wide-spread one in Japan...

[Robin Singh]

I am a pure vegetarian and I have been in Tokyo for more than 2 years. In my initial days, it was quite difficult for me but with time I found many dishes which I can be dependent on (Example: Tofu, vegetarian onigiri (plum rice), Shojin Ryori, etc.). Apart from that I cook almost every day which helped me to improve my cooking skills.



With all these, life is easy and better for me.