Best Vegan Japanese Food in Kyoto, Japan | Kyoto Vegan Food Tour 2023

[@nonconformityart]

I'm so excited! People have made it seem that it's impossible to eat vegan in Japan, but this is giving me hope for my trip! Thanks 😁

[@WanderlustWellman]

I was very excited too, don't listen to those people - it was SO easy to be vegan in Kyoto with a little planning and using the App "Happy Cow" - my biggest recommendation is to stay in the "Gion" area, that way after you spend the day exploring you can come back to your accommodation and have many vegan options nearby. During the day we usually just ate street food or onigiri from convenient stores.

[@timothyrandall7730]

Wow! what an AMAZING place Japan is for us Vegans ! 💚

[@WanderlustWellman]

I know right, it's wonderful to travel to this country and not miss out on the food! It was so delicious

[@gula_rata]

As a Japanese Vegan living here, Meh its ok.

[@veganlyy]

@@gula_rata 😅

[@Northstar2000]

Its the worst for vegans, they just randomly decide to chuck in an egg or two, or pour fish sauce into everything. Bunch of amateurs

[@FRAAANKYSUUUPER]

Just booked my flights and I'm not terrified of only eating rice and vegetable tempura now 🤩

[@WanderlustWellman]

Haha have no fear, I was spoiled for choice with delicious authentic Japanese food. That being said, I could eat Japanese rice and tempura everyday - it hits different there 😋

[@krishnaprasannavankayala5988]

I'm a lacto vegetarian and I love knowing the vegan or vegetarian options in Japan. Your video is helpful. Thanks

[@WanderlustWellman]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kylegraywolf]

Cocoichibanya will forever have a place in my heart 🫶

[@WanderlustWellman]

Haha same here, I’m going back to Japan next year and it’s one of the places I’m looking forward to the most!

[@kylegraywolf]

⁠​⁠@@WanderlustWellmanright on! We were there last in early January of ‘20, and Coco saved us a handful of times when had goofed our food plans. I think about it semi-regularly (along with Afuri ramen in Tokyo).

[@rebekkasmith6612]

Thank you so much bro! I am going to Kyoto soon and this video is going to make my visit so much more enjoyable! You are a life saver! i love you!!

[@WanderlustWellman]

No problem, I always try to make the vegan food guide video that I would want to have before visiting a city. I really recommend staying in Higashiyama/Gion, specifically close to the Kamogawa River - there are even more options in this area then I was able to cover. Have a great trip!

[@Etienne_H]

Subscribed to support a vegan influencer, we need more of those!

[@WanderlustWellman]

@@Etienne_H thanks so much, I appreciate it!!

[@0CIPHER1]

nice and beneficial video.... thank you...all the food looks delicious 😍🤩 ... I subscribed to your channel👍🏼

[@WanderlustWellman]

Thanks so much! The food was delicious, glad you found the video helpful :)

[@enbjay]

We loved the okonomayaki was amazing thanks for the suggestion Gino Tanto

[@WanderlustWellman]

@@enbjay we loved it too! Glad you enjoyed it

[@jaywilliams3453]

i followed your recommendation and took my family to Mimikou. I loved it! Thanks for the recommdation!!

[@WanderlustWellman]

That's so awesome to hear! Did you have a great trip to Japan overall?

[@_Pauper_]

Turns out a video about restaurants I can’t get to can inspire you. Thank you !

[@WanderlustWellman]

No problem, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@loribarrett-peterson4049]

Thank you for this great guide to vegan eating in Kyoto! It's so helpful!

[@WanderlustWellman]

@@loribarrett-peterson4049 no problem, thanks for checking out my channel 🙏

[@chrisiion]

I can really recommend all the Cafe Ren and Zirael Vegan Restaurant :)

[@WanderlustWellman]

Thanks for the recommendations!

[@Djcooksandbooks]

All the food looks yummy! Kyoto is beautiful!

[@WanderlustWellman]

The food was so good! And yes, Kyoto is one of the most beautiful places in the world in my opinion

[@Stratosphere07]

It all looks so good! I really hope to travel to Japan someday

[@WanderlustWellman]

It was delicious, I hope you can go someday too!

[@theblanketstealer]

yummm, thanks for sharing! i heard it's a lot easier to find vegan food in japan nowadays compared to just a few years ago when i last visited

[@WanderlustWellman]

Thanks for checking out the vid! It was so easy to be vegan in Kyoto, especially if you stay in the Gion/Central Part of Kyoto. We ate at a new restaurant everyday

[@jessicatou88]

Hi, I’m in Japan right now as a whole food plant based vegan with no soy and I can say I’m really struggling finding vegan food. The country is absolutely nice but not vegan friendly. The best option would be to cook yourself

[@veganlyy]

Great video, thanks for sharing! You got 👍and !

[@WanderlustWellman]

No problem, thank you so much!

[@morrowdoug]

I'm always still skeptical in Japan even of things marked vegetarian/vegan, because like, many, many people really just don't get that fish sauce and bonito flakes aren't vegetables.

[@WanderlustWellman]

Yeah, I can understand your concern

[@supaluvable]

Thank you for sharing! 😊

[@WanderlustWellman]

No problem, thanks for watching!

[@TishDavisCFO]

Thank you! We are here for a few days and this video is perfect!

[@WanderlustWellman]

No problem, glad that the video is useful for you. Have a great trip!

[@TishDavisCFO]

@@WanderlustWellman thank you!

[@suyashpatwari2469]

Thank you for such detailed video. It is so immensely helpful! :)

[@WanderlustWellman]

No problem! Glad you found it helpful

[@malkalazar1801]

I had a hard time last year, being on vegan, no gluten, no sugar diet in Japan. Hopefully, thanks to people like you, it will be better next time. Thank you❤

[@WanderlustWellman]

Thanks so much, sorry about the hard time you had with your diet - that does sound awfully restrictive, so best luck to you :)

[@sheLL6677]

thank you for sharing.....so good.....I live in Osaka

[@WanderlustWellman]

Thank you so much, I love Osaka - it has some great vegan food too ;)

[@sheLL6677]

@@WanderlustWellman really? I can.not find 😂

[@WanderlustWellman]

@@sheLL6677 haha well good luck to you!

[@sheLL6677]

@@WanderlustWellman thankyou so much....welcome to Osaka again for vegan food .....haha

[@maiwurld2578]

Thank you,i started my vegan life,so i dont want to mess up.i will b ein Kyoto in April 2024

[@WanderlustWellman]

Wow congratulations on making the start! You'll have no problems in Kyoto, have a great trip!

[@okeyjay]

Another great video! Don't suppose you plan on doing another vegan guide in Tokyo or Hiroshima?

[@WanderlustWellman]

Thank you! Unfortunately during my last trip, I didn't visit Tokyo or Hiroshima so I can't really give a thoughtful vegan guide. I hope I can do it in the future though!

[@JyotsnaRamachandran]

Thank you so much for this super useful video! Have taken notes for our trip to Japan next week.

[@WanderlustWellman]

No problem, thanks for checking it out. Hope that you have a great trip to Japan!

[@staicy]

Ohh, these foods look so delicious, I'm really looking forward to try some of them out! Thank you so much for this video! 😊

[@WanderlustWellman]

They really were delicious, I hope you enjoy them. Thank you for checking out my videos :)

[@PlusUltraVitality]

Coming here from the Osaka video, I had to pause the video just to leave a comment. Absolutely love this series! Truly hoping to see more in the future this is awesome. Thank you!!

[@WanderlustWellman]

Thanks so much, so happy to hear that you are enjoying the series. Unfortunately for now, Osaka and Kyoto are the only cities in Japan where I have been able to make vegan food guides. I'm hoping to revisit Japan next year and cover Tokyo and some other places. In the time being, I'm working on some larger travel guides for Osaka and Tokyo, so stay tuned if that interests you!

[@MrAchsas]

that looks amazing

[@WanderlustWellman]

The food really was!!!

[@ZionistGundam]

Thank you for the video! Going to kyoto soon❤️

[@WanderlustWellman]

Thanks for checking out my vid, I hope you have an amazing trip!

[@Hawaii_NoKaOi]

1:22 Thank you so much for this amazing video. May I ask if you had any concerns about cross-contamination with eating food cooked on the same grill / cookings utensils as non-vegan food? Thanks!

[@WanderlustWellman]

No problem! I didn't have huge concerns because I am vegan for ethical reasons, but I know that at "Gion Tanto", they prepared the food on a separate pan/grill for us

[@Stargazer10000]

Great video, thanks for sharing! How accommodating are standard non vegan restaurants in Japan as a whole to make things vegan-friendly?

[@WanderlustWellman]

Thanks! And that is difficult to answer for me, because I would typically only go to restaurants that I knew were vegan friendly. Here are my thoughts: Most Japanese restaurants do not have vegan options, so I would always try and look at a menu before eating. Japanese people are very accommodating, but most places do not/will not customize a dish like they would in the USA or other western countries. However, if you explain that you might have an allergy/that you are vegan, they might be able to make you a vegan version of a dish. So it really does depend on the place. I hope this helps!

[@pinkcloud3126]

I wish I could like this video more than once.

[@WanderlustWellman]

Woah thanks so much, I really appreciate that! If you want to go the extra mile, feel free to subscribe 😉

[@ohsixthirty5514]

Thanks for the video! I’m definitely adding some of these for my upcoming trip. Do you think ordering would be possible at all of these places with no Japanese skills?

[@WanderlustWellman]

No problem! And I think you could do it without Japanese, but knowing a few basic phrases definitely helps. Kyoto receives a lot of tourists so most people know a bit of English, and restaurants will have English menus!

[@MrMrsMemories]

Great video bro 👍

[@WanderlustWellman]

Thanks a lot of my friend!

[@Venessaramoss]

Now I’m hungry 🤤

[@WanderlustWellman]

That makes two of us!

[@KH-pw4vo]

how did you know those street food options were vegan? so excited to try them

[@WanderlustWellman]

There are some items that are almost always vegan in Japan, and usually I will just ask if they have any animal products in Japanese if I’m unsure

[@omaramorotec]

Hey, I see your video is from 2 days ago.. By any chance you guys still in Kyoto, wanted to try their vegan Kaiseki at Honke Tankuma Honten, but they only take reservations for 2+ people and I’m traveling solo.. Well if you don’t mind having dinner with a Peruvian vegan stranger let me know..

[@WanderlustWellman]

Awh man, I would have loved to take you up on this offer but unfortunately this footage is from a few months ago. Thank you for the invite, we loved the vegan food we had in your country of Peru as well btw! 🇵🇪

[@greenteasenpai101]

Thank you so much for making these videos! One question - did you need to book ahead of time, or did you just walk in? I've heard it can be tricky to just walk in in Kyoto!

[@WanderlustWellman]

No problem! And we did not book ahead of time, but we went to Japan right when it reopened after COVID so it was a lot less busy

[@greenteasenpai101]

good to know, thank you! :)@@WanderlustWellman

[@WanderlustWellman]

@@greenteasenpai101 no problem 😁

[@learnerit3164]

I have similar food choices. I think your choices like the soymilk ramen are due to your excellent research skills. Strictly speaking, the ingredients of sweets may use animal products in the manufacturing process, but there is no limit to how much you can stick to. Overall, both of you have well-balanced vegan choice.

[@WanderlustWellman]

Awesome, thank you!

[@atuljoshi1990]

thanks for this - I'm less nervous now....where did you research all these...HappyCOw?

[@WanderlustWellman]

No problem, and I did a mixture of Happy Cow, Google Maps, and other videos/blogs!

[@nirvana4698]

Hi.. loved your video.. do you know which place serves a good vegan/vegetarian sushi?

[@WanderlustWellman]

Hi, very glad to hear that! My favorite place I ate sushi was actually “Ramen Towzen”, but they only really had one type of vegan sushi (vegan eel sushi) I think. I’m not too sure about any place that offers many vegan sushi in Kyoto, sorry about that!

[@nirvana4698]

@@WanderlustWellman ok.. thnx a lot.

[@WanderlustWellman]

@@nirvana4698 no problem!

[@iahorana]

what was made the omurice omelette with to replace the eggs ???

[@WanderlustWellman]

I'm not entirely sure, maybe they used chickpea flour? It was good though!

[@oaks.at.sunrise]

isn't the croquette usually done with egg?

[@DanaSellsLA]

Helpful video, thanks! I will save this video for my upcoming trip to Kyoto! It seems this is vegetarian, not vegan, since you eat eggs. Is that correct?

[@WanderlustWellman]

No problem, thanks for watching! But it is indeed vegan, the omurice is made without eggs! Crazy right?

[@DanaSellsLA]

@@WanderlustWellman Thank you so much! And I appreciate your quick reply. 🙏

[@WanderlustWellman]

@@DanaSellsLA no problem 😁

[@Sunshine-gp1fn]

Where is more vegan food in China or Japan?

[@WanderlustWellman]

I’ve never been to China so it’s very hard for me to comment on that, sorry!

[@HakunaMatataHM]

Muzzles! Bruh! 🥴

[@robertbeurre1825]

I thought okonomiyaki has eggs in it?

[@WanderlustWellman]

@@robertbeurre1825 it typically does, but some restaurants can make okonomiyaki without eggs as well!

[@803midd]

Hello, please note the Korokke is generally not vegan unless stated that way and there is no mention anywhere that this one would be. It generally has minced meat and even if it doesn’t it surely has eggs at least. It could be fried in animal fat also.

[@WanderlustWellman]

The ones we ordered didn’t have minced meat in them, and I’m not sure about the eggs. Those are good things to keep in mind though!

[@Siddharth90988]

Before meji restoration whole japan was vegetarian that's all u need to know

[@WanderlustWellman]

Interesting point!

[@staicy]

That's what they say, but they ate fish. Fish is considered as vegetarian as it seems. So pescetarian would fit as description.

[@Siddharth90988]

@@staicy they used to ate fish during festivals and celebration and it was actually nobles and kings who eat fish before meji restoration not normal peoples they used to be completely vegetarian, same as Ancient India and Ancient China.

[@staicy]

@@Siddharth90988 oh ok. When I lived in Osaka, one of my professors told me, that "of course, they ate fish", so I assumed he is correct. Thanks for the explanation!

[@motherfungler420]

Can you recommend any chain sushi places in Kyoto for vegan/vegetarian options? Love the video! Definitely going to check these out

[@WanderlustWellman]

Glad you loved the video! I'm not too familiar with the chain sushi places in Kyoto, but it looks like there is a good place called "Sushi no Musashi" in/nearby Kyoto Station that does conveyor belt style sushi with lots of veggie options

[@SrinivasanR-nd1uy]

All said and done nothing to beat South Indian food (food sweets desserts savouries and people's hospitality) see some foreign youtubers videos and then come to a conclusion thanks God bless you

[@WanderlustWellman]

I would LOVE to visit India in the near future, Indian Food is in my top 3 cuisines. Thank you so much :)

[@SrinivasanR-nd1uy]

If you need more details please refer some old vedic texts regarding vegetarian food and their benefits on the human digestive system