Global Courant
TOKYO – Even on a weekday, there’s a line at Tokyo’s vegan Izakaya Masaka, including many tourists eager to try meat-free versions of Japanese classics like fried chicken and juicy dumplings.
While millions of visitors have enjoyed Japanese cuisine with lots of fish and meat, options for vegetarians and vegans are harder to come by.
Now Tokyo and other cities are on a mission to show that the country’s famous gastronomy isn’t off limits to those who don’t eat meat.
Ms. Tina Bui, a 36-year-old vegan from San Francisco, said she was very excited to order the signature “karaage” soy fried chicken at Izakaya Masaka.
She said plant-based options in Japan were limited compared to the United States, with just “enough for me to survive” a short trip.
The Tokyo government has been holding seminars for restaurateurs and sending experts to help eateries develop new menu items and introduce alternatives to basic ingredients such as dried fish flakes or pork stock.
Ninna Fujimoto of the Tokyo metropolitan government told AFP the city wants to help accommodate tourists by broadening the diversity of food options, including vegetarian cuisine.
The city publishes a specialized restaurant guide, offers grants to have businesses certified vegetarian-friendly and has two vegetarian and vegan chefs among its “tourism ambassadors”.
One of them is Mr. Katsumi Kusumoto of Saido, a restaurant that serves vegan versions of common dishes, such as grilled eel made from tofu and vegetables.
“In Tokyo, there are many Michelin-starred restaurants, the most in the world. But compared to other cities, Tokyo has extremely few vegan and vegetarian restaurants,” he told AFP after a fully booked lunch service.
Switching ingredients
About half of Saido’s customers, which has topped the global rankings of vegan guide app Happy Cow in recent years, are foreign tourists.
It is “sad” that so many people are being excluded from Tokyo’s gastronomic scene, said Mr Kusumoto, who posts on social media about vegan cooking and gives demonstrations in his role as a volunteer ambassador.
Ms. Haruko Kawano, founder of the non-profit VegeProject Japan, is also helping Tokyo in its push for more inclusive cuisine.
