月: 2017年12月

Is it difficult to be a vegan or vegetarian in Japan?

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Is it difficult to be a vegan or vegetarian in Japan?

 

Unfortunately I have to say it is difficult to be a vegetarian in Japan and really tough to be a vegan. Following are some reasons.

  • Vegetarianism still is not common in Japan and there are some people, especially in the elder generation, who regard it as a cult or disrespectful belief.
  • The word “vegetarian” is well known but few people know what “vegan” means and it is complicated to get restaurant employees to really understand what you don’t eat, sometimes even in Japanese.
  • Traditional Japanese foods typically use bonito or other fish or animals to make soup stock, which is used in most dishes.
  • There are only a few restaurants with a lot of vegetarian options, especially in the rural areas.
  • For those who don’t understand Japanese, it is impossible to know the ingredients of almost all of products in supermarkets because they are written only in Japanese.

It is pity that vegetarianism is not common in Japan, all the more the major religion in Japan is Buddhism, which normally forbid our eating animals.

 

However, I’m sure you can enjoy Japan with some tips

 

Knowing these difficulties, you may have been discouraged.

However, things have been changing. There are some vegetarian and vegan restaurants in big cities like Tokyo or Osaka. Japanese government is encouraging inbound tourism towards the Olympic Games in 2020 and Japan has been trying to become a country of diversity.

Of course it will take much for Japan to change, but I’m sure that you will be able to enjoy Japan including its food with a bit of tips and this is why I write this blog.

I will give you practical advice to be a vegan or vegetarian in Japan; I have survived as a vegetarian since 2006 and as a vegan since 2010. If you have any questions or requests, please ask.

Introduction

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I’m a Japanese, living in the Chiba Prefecture, where the Tokyo International Airport is situated.

I’ve been a vegetarian since 2006 and a vegan since 2010. There are not many vegans and vegetarians in Japan unfortunately and it is not very easy to be a vegan or vegetarian here.

On the other hand, there are more and more foreign people interested to come to Japan, which is a great pleasure for me.

I work as an area sales manager of an international company and knows a lot of vegetarians in many countries. As I find it pity that some of them are hesitant to come to Japan just because Japan is not very vegetarian friendly. This is a part the reasons for which I decided to start this website.

I really hope the information I supply would be of help for you to come to Japan or to live in Japan.

はじめに

2 Comments

私はいま、双子の男の子の面倒を見るため、パパママ育休プラスの制度を使って、2カ月間の育児休暇をとっています(2017年末時点)。

これをきっかけとして、ブログをはじめてみることにしました。仕事と距離をおいて、子どもたちが日に日に成長するのを実感しながら過ごしていると、私もなにか新しいことをやってみようという気持ちになったからです。

ときには気分によってその場限りのテーマで書くかもしれませんが、基本的には、動物開放論、ないしはベジタリアニズムについて語っていくつもりです。私は2006年からベジタリアンで、2010年からはヴィーガンです。ベジタリアンはまだごく少数派ですが、最近は、テレビなどのメディアでもベジタリアンという生き方が多少とりあげられるようになってきました。

しかし、なぜベジタリアンになるのかということについて、まじめに語られることはほとんどないように思います。残念ながら、いまの日本では、大多数の人にとって、動物を搾取しないという生き方は、ただの酔狂であり、他人事でしかありません。ベジタリアニズムは、「なぜ肉を食べないのか?」という形で問われることがほとんどです。これは、マイノリティであるベジタリアンを特異なものとみなすだけで、日常や自分自身に跳ね返ってくる問いではありません。

ベジタリアンの側からのマジョリティへの問いかけはこうです。「なぜ肉を食べてよいのか?」あなたがベジタリアンでないなら、どうかこの問いに納得のいく答えを与えていただけないでしょうか。もしこの問いを自問したことがないなら、このブログが、それを考えるきっかけとなることを願います。