Exploring Japanese Food Culture

I recently returned from a two week trip to Japan with my son and I’d like to share some of my experiences.

Photo of the Golden Temple, Kyoto, Japan

This was my first trip overseas in nearly thirty years! When the kids were young, we did lots of camping and traveling throughout Canada and the United States.

We also went to Hawaii and Mexico but the last time I was overseas was just before my husband and I were married. We spent three months traveling around South-East Asia.

I was excited about the trip of course and also a little nervous.

It had been a long time since I had done this sort of travel and to be honest, Japan was never on my list of places to visit. I thought it would be very crowded and quite frankly overwhelming but what I found was a beautiful country with kind and friendly people.

Of course, the trains and subway can be crowded but you are not allowed to talk on your phone or listen to music or videos that others may hear. This really made the ride on a crowded bus or train a more pleasant experience.

The streets can be filled with people and cars but just around the corner, you’ll find a green space or a quiet street with almost no one on it. The countryside is beautiful and filled with so many shades of green.

Japanese cuisine is known for its careful preparation, presentation and emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients.

This is evident everywhere from small kiosks selling glazed strawberries on a stick to the many restaurants and izakayas ( Japanese-style pub) and supermarkets. We visited the food floor of a fancy department store where the food was beautifully displayed (expensive too)!

Display at a department store food floor, Kyoto, Japan

Some traditional Japanese dishes rely heavily on meat, fish, and seafood however, so I knew that it would be more challenging to find vegetarian or vegan options.

I didn’t want to spend a lot of time looking for or traveling to vegetarian or vegan restaurants, this just wasn’t what I wanted this trip to be about. I decided to be very flexible in my eating and include fish and dairy when needed.

Many of the restaurants that we did visit or check the menu didn’t accommodate both vegetarians and omnivores.

I had assumed that tofu or fish would be available in most restaurants but this wasn’t the case. Casual restaurants often focus on one type of dish, for example, okonomiyaki (savory pancake), and may not have a tofu or fish option.

We did eat at a vegan restaurant which was conveniently located in one of the train stations and I did have some incredible fish and tofu meals so I am definitely not complaining!

Convenience stores in Japan stock a wide range of ready-to-eat meals and snacks from traditional bento boxes, sushi, and onigiri (rice balls) to fruit, salads, sandwiches, and hot foods.

We took advantage of the convenience store a few times for a quick breakfast or after a long day of sightseeing when we were too tired to look for an open restaurant.

Items are individually packaged so I did think about the impact on the environment but I did appreciate that these convenience stores carried something for every taste.

Convenience store in Japan

There is so much to explore about Japanese culture and food including that Japan is home to some of the world's longest living people (due in part to their diet). I wanted to share just some of my experiences while visiting Japan.

If you want to feel confident when going plant-based or vegan, click here  to download my free checklist The Top 5 Questions Asked When Going Plant-Based or Vegan