Plant Based Eating in Tokyo, Japan: a Culinary Adventure in the Far East
By Molly Patrick
Aug 31, 2019,
We decided to take a vegan food tour by a company called Foodie Adventure Japan. I usually don’t do stuff like this, but because of the language barrier it wasn’t easy to navigate plant based food like it usually is. Jackie (in the middle) was a great guide and I learned a lot from her.
Jackie took us to a little vegan restaurant that was way tucked away on a random side street that I never would have been able to find myself. It was called Nagi Shokudo and it was really tasty.
Crisp cucumber, enoki mushrooms and tempura. One thing about food in Japan is that it’s not full of spices like in other Asian countries (especially South East Asia), because Japan wasn’t part of the Spice Trade Route. The flavor is more subtle and they rely on the freshness and quality of the ingredients.
Veggie soup, rice, salad and vegan karaage.
This is a pretty typical meal for most vegan restaurants in all of Japan.
After lunch, Jackie took us to a bustling underground grocery store / food court. This watermelon is square not because it is genetically engineered. It is square because when it was small, the watermelon was placed in a square mold and then turned several times a day, every single day until it was big and ready to sell.
Fruit is a common thing to gift people in Japan. The nicer the fruit the better it is received. This particular watermelon was close to $700 USD! If you really want to impress someone, this would do the trick!
These melons are about $250 USD each because of the perfection of the pattern on the fruit. The pattern is so nice because all but one fruit is picked off the vine so that all the nutrients can go to that one fruit. I love learning about different cultures and how they do things! So fascinating.
We ended the tour with a vegan donut stop in Harajuku at a place called Good Town Doughnuts. I was glad we took the tour. Jackie is making a guest appearance shortly to tell you her top 10 fave vegan restaurants in Tokyo.
Click on the number 6 below to get to the next page.
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Wonderful!!!! Sounds like you had a delightful time, and damn girls! You both are tenacious!!!!!
Loved reading this article. Thank you. My condolences to your dad❤???❤???
Much love, karen
Having lost my Daddy 5 years ago and watching and caring for older members of my family as they, frankly, decline, my heart goes out to you both. When we were younger, we
seemed to be sailing in smooth, pleasant waters. As we get older, with those folks in our family declining and dying, it can so often seem that we have now lowered our sails and are simply attempting to adjust to the storm…
I have learned that you never truly recover from the loss of a beloved. All that bullshit that people throw at you saying: “Oh, it will just take time” is actual fuckery. Instead, this becomes your new “normal”.
It sucks and hurts.
But, one thing that gives comfort to me is to share the stories and memories of those I have lost with my children who have never met most of these now dead folks. To share not only keeps the memory of those who died alive, but it establishes in my children who they are and where they come from.
Even if there are no kids, I believe this type of recollection, to anyone with whom you want to share, in a weird way, I suppose, keeps those beloved lost persons alive…
As for your dad’s stroke, I, again, am so sorry. This unexpected shit just falls upon us, and it sucks. Just remember to take care of yourself, and your mom should do so as well. (I know you are not in the same state as your parents.) Caregiving is exhausting but must be done…
Warm thoughts of love to both of you.
C
What a great experience your trip was. Thanks for making me feel apart of it.
So sorry to hear about Luann’s father passing. Never easy to loose a parent. Also sorry to hear about your father, hope he is on the mend.
Im sorry to hear about your dads. Fast healing for your dad Molly and condolences to Luann. Can you clarify the prices of the melons? It looked like $70.00 and $250.00 which seems highly unlikely. Love your weekly posts!
The price of the melons are from around $250 for the rock melon to $700 USD. Yes hundreds 🙂
I love going on these travel journeys with you guys. I’ve never been out of the USA so it is a real treat. We are currently going thru the ageing parent thing and it’s really hard. My wife’s Mom is in TX and we are in CA. Jenny was there for two months this summer finally moving her Mom to assisted living. So sorry to hear about both of your Dads. It so hard but nevertheless we persist. Thank you for your time and photos. You are so wonderful and real. Love Connie & Jenny
I have really enjoyed reading your experiences in Japan and love the photos. Very surprised to see the graffiti on the roller door in one of the small side street photos. I had to laugh because it seems the graffiti tag all looks the same in any language. Your writing really makes me want to go and visit.
May you and Luanne and your loved ones concerned find all the support and strength needed as you go through this pain that life throws at us all.
Thanks for taking the time to write this detailed blog – it’s fascinating!! I love your new jumpsuit!! Haha 🙂
Your post rings true again for me. Lost my cousin yesterday. She’s only about 6 or 8 years older than me (I am almost 68) so I am feeling mortal. Thanks for the tips on traveling to Japan. It’s our next trip to plan.