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Commonly served vegan
Dishes that are traditionally served vegan
Japanese pickled vegetables/ fruits, usually served with rice dishes. Make sure: No dashi is used.
Tsukemono
Cooked fermented soy beans commonly served with rice, soy sauce and Japanese onion
Nattō
Glutinous rice sweet buns stuffed with red bean paste. Can also be stuffed with azuki beans, matcha tea or chocolate
Mochi
Rice crackers, brushed with soy sauce/mirin, or wrapped nori seaweed. Make sure no fish seasoning was used.
Senbei
Steamed/boiled soy beans served with salt and lemon
Edamame
Cucumber salad made with wakame seaweed, soy sauce, mirin and sesame
Sunomono
Seaweed wrapped rice balls with pickled plums. Make sure: no fish or dashi are used.
Onigiri
Soft grilled glutinous rice balls, covered with sweet soy sauce
Mitarashi Dango
Red bean paste made with sugar and used as part of many different local sweets and desserts
Anko
Grilled vegetables with seasoning of salt, mirin, sake, soy sauce, sugar and pepper
Vegetable Yakitori
Deep fried candied sweet potato snack
Kenpi
Traditional green tea made from ground tea leaves powder. Make sure: milk is not added
Matcha Tea
“Rice wine” alcoholic beverage made from fermenting rice. Served hot or cold
Sake
Dishes that can be Veganized
Dishes that are not vegan by default, but can be made so, by asking to remove or change part of the ingredients.
Rice roll wrapped in nori seaweed, filled with vegetables or seafood. To veganize: ask for only vegetable filling
Sushi
Braised/ sautéed carrot & burdock root with soy sauce, sugar, mirin and dashi (fish based sauce). To veganize: Ask for no dashi
Kinpira Gobo
Steamed buns filled with meat and vegetables To veganize: choose vegetables filling, make sure no lard, eggs or dairy are used
Nikuman
Fried rice with ham, kimchi, eggs and vegetables. To veganize: ask for no meat, eggs, and animal products in seasoning
Chahan
Buckwheat flour noodles served in hot or cold different variations. To veganize: ask for no dashi or meat stock
Soba
Soft tofu topped with ginger, okra, yuzu, plum paste and soy sauce. To veganize: ask for no fish sauce/dashi or fish flakes.
Hiya-Yakko / Yudofu
Sliced vegetables, fish, meat, tofu and noodles cooked in broth. To veganize: ask for no meat, fish or dashi
Hot Pot / Nabemono
Dishes that are not vegan, but appear to be.
Dishes that might look vegan, but contain animal products.
Battered and deep fried vegetables, the batter usually made with eggs
Vegetable Tempura
Fish- shaped cake filled with beans. The batter contain eggs and sometimes milk
Taiyaki
Deep fried patties usually made with eggs
Vegetable Korokke
Bean paste filled sweet pancake, usually contain eggs
Dorayaki/ Dora Cake
Spiced stew with vegetables, served with rice. usually contains butter/ dashi/ chicken stock
Vegetable Curry
Traditional clear soup with tofu and wakame seaweed, made with dashi (fish-based stock)
Miso Soup
Noodle soup with different added ingredients. Usually contain dashi/ animal stock/ eggs
Ramen
Rice, seaweed and vegetables wrapped in deep fried tofu. Will most likely contain some form of fish even if not labeled.
Inari Sushi
Savory pancakes containing a variety of ingredients. Usually include eggs, dashi and oyster sauce
