Vegan Voyage Japan
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- Kawasaki 1 – 2 days
- Yokohama 1 day trip
- Himeji 1 day trip
- Hiroshima 1 – 2 days
- Miyajima 1 day trip
- Osaka 1 – 2 days
- Tokyo 3 days
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Vegan Voyage Around the World
We are going on a Vegan Voyage Around the World where we will travel to 21 countries, not including our own, over 5 months. We will be taking cooking classes, visiting sustainable hotels, reviewing vegan restaurants and restaurants with vegan options, going on huge adventures, and reporting all of it back for you to see.
You can follow along daily to see what we are up to and what we are eating on Instagram at www.instagram.com/forgoodnessseyks and www.instagram.com/forgoodnessseyks_foodie
Vegan Voyage Japan
JR Train Pass Before Getting to Japan
Before you leave for Japan, consider getting a JR train pass. You cannot buy them in the country – they are specifically for tourists and far less expensive than buying train rides once you are in Japan. Because we were planning on using the train for long stretches, we splurged on first class seats. We thought it had wifi (they did not have wifi but they say trains are being upgraded now) and that they came with free coffee (they did not come with coffee, we still had to buy coffee), but the seats were big, they recline, they have lights for reading, and are, in general really comfortable. Also, when you get first class train tickets you can book your actual seat assignment. The same is true in non-green cars but your options may be more limited. This is pretty cool if you are taking the train from Kawasaki/Tokyo to Hiroshima because if you sit on the right side of the train (like if you’re facing the way the train is driving, sit on the right hand seats) you can have a great view of the epic Mt. Fuji.
Vegan Voyage Japan Culture Notes
- Japan is clean, kind, polite, warm, and safe. We saw 7 year old children looking confident (and not neglected) walking down the street by themselves on multiple occasions. Bikes aren’t locked up – all over the city they are unlocked.
- On the buses it is so quiet you can hear a newspaper rustle on the other end of the bus. Even when you are packed into the bus like a deck of cards.
- It’s tough to find vegan food consistently if you aren’t planning ahead. If you are planning ahead you can find AMAZING, fun vegan food at restaurants with fun, wonderful people. Plan ahead and consider traveling only with fellow vegans, or with non-vegans who are as eager to spend the time and love finding vegan gems around the cities.
- Use Happy Cow app to find vegan food around the world.
- The tap water is safe to drink.
- The toilets not only flush toilet paper… they look like robots with all the buttons on them. They usually have a heated seat, bidet, dryer, and other spray things I haven’t gotten brave enough to try.
- If you are vegan, reach out to the Facebook groups before you get there to make some friends and get advice.
Kawasaki
Our Vegan Voyage Japan began by flying JAL from San Francisco to Haneda and then hopped on a 40 minute train to Kawasaki. GoogleMaps does an incredible job of telling you how to get around using trains, busses, and walking. We didn’t see any bikes for rent in the city, but it is a very bike friendly place.
We were exhausted when we first got in so we checked into our hostel, On the Marks, and went to bed. Jet lag and time change can be really tough when you first arrive. We took some melatonin (over the counter, natural, safe sleeping aid) to help us sleep the first night, and we ended up waking around 5:30 am.
We went to the train station first thing to buy tickets for the next couple of days. We went into the ticket office that says “JR Tickets” because we couldn’t buy our train tickets to Hiroshima at the ticket vending machine. We purchased tickets that would take us from Kawasaki to Himeji for a 4 hour stop to see the Himeji castle, and then to Hiroshima. We made sure to pick seats on the right hand side of the train so we would have great views of Mount Fuji.
While in Kawasaki we highly recommend checking out the Warehouse, an epic arcade in a blown out warehouse. Just approach the doors and explore. I won’t spoil the surprise of what’s behind the doors!
The Kawasaki Daishi is a beautiful temple that is much less frequently visited than comparable temples. We had the temple grounds almost completely to ourselves on a Wednesday afternoon.
We were fortunate enough to be in Japan for Sakura, the cherry blossom season. It’s their high season but if you can swing a trip at the end of March or beginning of April, it’s worth it.
Videos in Japan (before Tokyo): Instagram Adventure Highlights
Restaurants in Kawasaki
About a 15 minute walk from On the Marks (our hostel) in Kawasaki is a lovely vegan café and yoga studio. This venue is really special and worth the travel to get over to it, even if you aren’t staying in Kawasaki.
The beautiful building was a home that was built before World War 1. The grounds are lovingly kept, blossoming with flowers, large stones from the mountains, and trees. You enter the building through a door that feels more like a home than a restaurant. Inside they have a small store with vegan items to take for your home. As in most Japanese homes, you take off your shoes as you enter and switch to slippers.
The restaurant has a yoga studio and a tatami room in the back of the building. Those two rooms, along with the main dining space, wrap around an open atrium outside that has a huge stone as the centerpiece. This stone is said to have great spiritual power, and people are encouraged to make wishes to it. I was told that many wishes come true. I made a wish too, I’ll let you know when it comes to fruition 😊
There is a set meal each day that people can order. Not a wide selection. One pre-set meal that has been curated by the owner and chef. Ours was an incredible meal that can be seen here:
Followed by a chocolate cake and a pumpkin torte. This totally nourished my sweet tooth.
The women who run this restaurant are so kind, so thoughtful, so warm. It’s hard not to feel at home while you are in their space.
Lodging in Kawasaki
We stayed at On the Marks. It was a great spot, within walking distance to bigger transportation, clean, comfortable, and kind people. Staying here allowed us to easily get to Kawasaki and Yokohama. Other people staying there were visiting Tokyo, but stayed 20 minutes outside of Tokyo in a calmer city. We had a double private ensuite room. We would stay here again.
Yokohama
Yokohama is a 15 min train ride away from Kawasaki. It’s a beautiful city on the water with an amusement park, green parks with flowers, tall buildings, restaurants, people picnicking in the grass, and more. We hopped on a train and met a friend at Yokohama park, walked down along the coast to the amusement park and then to the red brick building which sells many handmade local goods, through a park with blossoming flowers and meandered over to a beautiful street of high end shops.
Restaurants in Yokohama
We stopped for a bite to eat at a vegan restaurant M’s Table Pomadoro. The menu is all in Japanese, no English. We got Chinese noodles and katsu curry. They were both great, especially the katsu curry.
Then we went over to Brunton’s brewhouse which had 4 beers on tap, a couple of wine options, and mostly vegan food. Ask clearly about the items on the menu, however because they seemed confused about the difference between vegan and vegetarian. It is a quiet, charming spot on a second floor so you can sit and look out over the street.
That evening we had an early night because we were exhausted and had an early train to Hiroshima. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I’ve been frequenting Starbucks in the mornings. I want to go to mom and pop shops, however the cup sizes are quite small compared to American sized cups – except for at Starbucks. And I like a big cup of coffee, especially when Brian is stealing sips.
Himeji
On our way to Hiroshima we stopped at Himeji. I highly recommend the stop for a few reasons. First, it’s a charming little town, and the focal point (the castle) is only a 10 minute walk away from the train station. You can pop off the train for 3 or 4 hours to see the sights and enjoy lunch. You can put your luggage in a locker at the train station if your luggage is small enough to fit in a locker that is about half the size of a high school locker or about the size of two skinny carry on bags for $7.
The Himeji castle is beautiful. We didn’t go inside because we read online that it can be a bit underwhelming and we were enjoying the outside of the castle so much – but many other people love going inside. So I recommend checking out reviews of the inside before making your decision.
Instead we bought some fruit and drinks on our way to the castle, walked around the outside of the castle, found a grassy spot amongst the other picnickers, nibbled on our food, and did some acro yoga.
Restaurants in Himeji
Sakurasaku Vegetable Café: This is the adorable spot that we bought fruit from to eat at the castle, and where we went for lunch. You can see videos of the restaurant on my Japan story on Instagram @ForGoodnessSeyks_Foodie. We never saw a menu here, but we went in and told the owner that we are vegan, she asked if we had any other allergies, we said no, and 15 min later she brought out two lunches.
Menme: Had good vegan options according to reviews on Happy Cow, but we didn’t make it there for a meal. We peeked into the restaurant and it looked adorable.
Hiroshima
Hiroshima is a beautiful city, bustling with life and messages of peace. We spent our days walking by the river, looking at the picnickers and flowers. The Peace Memorial Park and Peace Memorial Museum are incredible. We have seen other reports saying the museum takes about 1.5 hours, but we spent over 2 hours and could have stayed for much longer. There is so much information to be read and emotion to feel in that place. 
The A-bomb dome is a building that partially survived the atomic bomb, despite being very close to the hypocenter. It’s a constant reminder to that tragic day where hundreds of thousands of lives and an entire city were wiped out in an instant. 
Hiroshima Restaurants
Nagataya – This restaurant has a line outside of it when it is open. You go in and they cook for you for about 40 minutes, so make sure you leave yourself enough time to enjoy it. They have a vegan section of their menu that clearly states that those items have no animal ingredients. Because you can watch them cook, you can see that they use different utensils and cooking area for vegan items.
Taiko – A cozy, comfortable udon restaurant. The owner is a warm, friendly, intelligent woman who speaks English pretty well and fully understands veganism. They have an iPad with a vegan menu on it, so you don’t need to ask questions about modification.
We had a vegan udon meal, tempura, a Tokyo IPA, and some Hiroshima sake. It was a perfect meal for a cold night.
CoCo Ichibanya – This is a chain throughout Japan. You must order off of the vegetarian menu in order for your curry to be vegan, otherwise there is animal in the curry sauce!!! You can order a vegan curry with rice and adjust the spiciness to your level. They have spicy level 1 – 10, and mild level 1-5. I got a 5 spicy and it was pretty hot for me (and I can eat basically any level of spice) so I recommend taking it easy.
Miyjima Island
We did a day trip over to Miyajima Island. It is a about 30 minutes by train then a short 10 minute ferry to the island and your JR pass makes the ferry free! We went over at about 2 pm, met the friendly deer, and walked around the gorgeous temples and shrines. 
Then we did a hike up Mount Misen is about the same intensity as the hike up the stairs to Machu Picchu. Big hike. It’s about an hour and a half hiking straight up, mostly stairs. The hike up is mostly covered with trees, walking along side streams and waterfalls. At the top there is a temple and then an observatory that lets you look over the whole island and out over Hiroshima. Stunning views, totally worth it. After the hike we were exhausted and I was freezing (bring layers). 
Miyajima Restaurants
The island really starts to shut down at 8, so plan to be back for dinner no later than 7 pm as the options start getting very slim. We missed the restaurant that we really wanted to go to, Yamaichi Bekkan, which had vegan bowl and sushi options. Instead we had to do a Yelp search for restaurants that are “Open Now” and found Okonomiyaki Kishibe which is a hole in the wall. Hungry and tired we used Google Translate to beg them to make us food without any of their standard ingredients. They did it gladly and gave us a big bowl of noodles, vegetables and sauce for about $7 each!
The last ferry is at 10 or 10:30 pm, so check the schedule before you plan your day and don’t miss it. I don’t know what happens if you do lol… deer snuggles?
Osaka
Osaka has a different feel to it than any of the other places that we went to in Japan. It is calmer, quieter, and had more similarities to American cities. We walked along the beautiful river and watched picnickers (common theme), saw the cherry blossoms, and went to the Osaka Castle. The castles are epic and worth taking the time for.
We didn’t go inside but enjoyed playing around the castle grounds.
Osaka Restaurants
Paprika Vegan Café
Paprika is a special restaurant blossoming with a lot of love. Set yourself up for success by calling to make a reservation before going in. The café has vegan art on the walls, educational pamphlets, and other information that is helping people go vegan. Their tag line appears to be “Vegan for Life”. I’m not sure if it is a statement of their lifelong commitment to veganism, or a statement that veganism is a giver of life (to animals, humans, and our planet) but either way, I love it.
They have a small vegan store inside with goodies you can buy to keep with you on your trip or cook at home. I FINALLY FOUND VEGAN CHOCOLATE here. Actually, Brian found it and bought it sneakily to surprise me 😊
We had the Karrage Deep Fried Tofu Plate and the Creamy Vegetable Pasta, followed by the Ice Cream Parfait. Every dish was truly delicious and unique. I recommend this restaurant very highly.
The owner of this adorable little shop is as unique as her food it. This is not a completely vegan restaurant so please be careful when ordering – only order from the pages that are clearly marked “vegan” or ask the owner who speaks great English.
The food here has worldly flavors – while it has a strong emphasis on Japanese traditional cooking, the chef also integrates flavors from Jamaica, London and more.
We ordered the Craft Burger, Side Salad, Chips, Quiche, Potatoes and Cream, Tofu Steak, Black Cauliflower Fried Chicken, and a Chocolate Avocado Cake. It was filling, unique, fun, and yummy. I recommend checking this place out.
Additionally the owner is working to share organic options and delicious vegan food with the world. Part of having a restaurant that serves both meat and vegan food is helping people make the transition slowly. She also is running an organic farmer’s market and hosts a vegan gluten free cooking class for the community in Osaka!
Hyatt Regency Osaka
We had an incredible meal at the Hyatt Regency Osaka. I recommend calling ahead and requesting a vegan meal if you plan to eat here so that they are prepared for you. Our meal is below. The food and service were exceptional.
Lodging in Osaka
This was the best hotel experience I’ve ever had. The hotel was grand and beautiful. The entry way has incredible art and expansive spiral staircases. Our room had a lovely view of Osaka and much more space than the other places that we stayed in Japan.
The hotel service was exceptional. The staff appeared to not only care about our every need, but even anticipate those needs and get to them before we did.
Although the outdoor pool and bar was closed because it wasn’t summer when we were there, we really enjoyed the other amenities. They have a beautiful lap pool indoors and a hot tub. In the gender segregated areas there are traditional bathhouses where you go in naked and soak in a warm tub, a dry sauna and a steam room. We also enjoyed their aerobics room and the full gym with windows overlooking the city.
One possible downside of the hotel is that it is a little ways outside the actual city. However they have free shuttles that run every half hour and take 25 minutes that take you in and out of the city. That made it very easy for us.
If you are looking for a place that is inviting, comfortable, safe, and you feel completely at ease, I recommend the Hyatt in Osaka.
Tokyo
Food in Tokyo
This completely vegan chain has over six locations across Japan. The environment is cozy, comfortable, and romantic. Their whole menu is plant based, comfort oriented, and they have many gluten free options. I highly recommend this stop while in Japan!
They have a small shop with cookies and take homes at Ain Soph as well.
We did a vegan sushi cooking class with BentoYa. We learned fun new cooking skills to take home. I would recommend this as a fun way to connect with locals and learn about the cultural food. This would be a great activity with kids as well.
This vegan organic tour was fun. There was another couple who was on the tour with us, and a local guide who took the tour to three restaurants and through some shops locally all on foot. The food was fun, traditional Japanese food. The guide spoke excellent English, had a fun personality and was able to answer lots of questions about Japan. It was a fun way to learn while making friends and having a great adventure.
Indian food in a warm, friendly environment. They have many vegetarian options already on the menu, and they can customize vegan, gluten free, without onion and garlic, halal, and more. Very kind people and great food!
The owner of Bahrati takes great pride in being able to accommodate many dietary restrictions. He prefers some notice to prepare the kitchen but can also adjust the menu to fit what people need.
A vegetarian Indian restaurant in a lovely area of town with high end shopping and people bustling about. They had vegan versions of all of their food, and more vegan options than vegetarian options. We had a lunch buffet and were extremely happy with it.
T’s TanTan
This is a vegan ramen and noodle restaurant in Tokyo station. It is on Happy Cow and Yelp. We loved the golden sesame ramen. The broth noodle bowl and sides were pretty boring – I would not get it again. But I would go back for another sesame bowl. The ice cream was great too. Awesome to find a completely vegan restaurant in the metro station.
In the Haneda airport there is an awesome vegan café and store that you can buy so many goodies at! Check out this video for details!
Things to do in Tokyo
Walking around neighborhoods is really fun. We went to Shibuya Crossing to people watch, the Oriental Bazaar, Golden Gai is an area in Shinjuku that has many streets of tiny, adorable bars that you can walk through. We went shopping for chopsticks, enjoyed the public bath at our hotel, walked around the Imperial Palace, and more. 
Sun and Moon Yoga
Lovely yoga studio in Tokyo which has English classes. We went for a vinyasa flow class with Carla and it was spectacular. I definitely recommend stopping in on your travels to get in your stretch and sweat.
Our Vegan Voyage Japan has been amazing. We have been moving very fast and are hoping to take it a bit slower while we are in Taiwan. Next stop: Taipei!
Xo,
Seyka & Brian
- “two weeks in japan” “one week in japan” “what to do on japan holiday” “what to do on vacation in japan” “japan backpacking itinerary” “japan two week itinerary” “japan” “vegan japan” “japan vegan” “cities in japan” “backpacking japan” “fun things to do in Kawasaki”
“fun things to do in Yokohama” “fun things to do in Himeji” “fun things to do in Hiroshima” “fun things to do in Osaka” “fun things to do in Tokyo 3 days”
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