Vegan in Tokyo

Being a vegan is quite a challenge in the Philippines, it is a bit difficult to find vegan cuisine when dining out. Despite my beloved country being an agricultural land, vegans like me felt that plant based food offered in restaurants are limited. So how do I survive? For one, I prepare my meals at home and as much as possible carry a vegan lunchbox daily. When I am dining out, I look for vegan resto and if I can’t find one, I usually request that a certain recipe be modified like removing anything that is animal based, it does work especially if the chef is customer-centric😊

Anyway, I think it is easier to be Vegan in some countries especially in key cities. Recently I traveled in Tokyo for business purposes. My trip was smooth and effortless, due to great arrangement by our company and colleagues in Japan, also because it is very easy to find vegan meals in the city.

On those days that we had the conference, our office arranged for lunch and dinner which were amazing. They inquired about my food preference and it was accommodated. On the other hand on those nights that I have to eat out, I didn’t encounter any problem looking for vegan food as our office is located at Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo which is considered to be the wealthiest neighborhood in Tokyo. The area is well known for its international fashion houses, cafes and restaurants. The restaurants are limitless, there are so many options and our head office colleagues arranged for vegan friendly restaurants to dine in. Unfortunately since this was a business trip, I can’t really take a lot of photos or take down every detail of the restaurants that we went in.

Instead I took some snaps of the vegan food served during my latest 6-day business trip. Here are some colorful, enticing and delicious vegan meals served to me  and my 4 other vegan colleagues from UAE and India.

For lunch, choice of fresh greens and  colored veggy salad with  vinaigrette dressing.

After which a vegan (yes, this is certified vegan) dessert… I had to confirm from restaurant crew

Over dinner, I had a different kind of mashed veggy for starter

Breakfast at the hotel, vegetable salad with almonds and my fave Miso Soup… what I love about the soup is that I create my own….so i get to choose what pickled stuff to add… yum yum

Second night dinner was vegan shabu-shabu

Upon arrival at the hotel I ate Vegan Udon and Japanese Style Kimchi bought from the Supermarket beside our hotel in Aoyama. My flight arrived at 8:30pm so  am not really in the mood to go out and dine…Supermarkets in Aoyama actually sell ready to eat and microwave ready fresh meals…

Udon again this was from my first trip a two weeks before the second

Eating in Tokyo isn’t complete without the traditional Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls).. served on my second night dinner

Grilled Lotus Root!!! OMG this is heavenly….

Vegan Bento box served during lunch while at Aoyama Office listening to meetings and conferences

Salad at breakfast…

This is my favorite starter among all those that were served… chilled Japanese Tomato…. my goodness! This is so sweet! I can eat a kilo if they give me more 🙂

Well these are some of the meals I had while in Tokyo, its sad that I wasn’t able to provide more details about the restaurant since my trip was business… anyway on my next personal trip I shall list all details.

Hope you like the photos though! Cheers!

 

-Arlyn