Paku Midin: SLOW TO CATER FOR VEGETARIANS DESPITE GROWING DEMAND

SLOW TO CATER FOR VEGETARIANS DESPITE GROWING DEMAND - JAPAN

@Jr_Paku Midin Channel

TOKYO

A surge in inbound tourism has boosted the number of vegetarians visiting Japan, but businesses in the country have not been able to fully meet demand by providing sufficient animal-free food options, a body that promotes vegetarianism said.

While Japanese food is often considered healthy, many dishes are made using "dashi" broth extracted from fish such as bonito, meaning vegetarians and vegans cannot eat them.

"I love tempura soba, but I haven't had a chance to eat it here," said Ruby Ramsden, a 25-year-old vegan studying at a graduate school of Waseda University in Tokyo. Vegans do not eat food derived from animals, including eggs and dairy products.

Hailing from Melbourne, Ramsden said there was a Japanese restaurant offering vegan tempura soba in the Australian city, but she has not encountered one in Japan so far.

"There is a Taiwanese restaurant offering vegan tempura soba near the university. It tastes like Chinese food, but I have no choice but to go eat there," she added.

The soba soup base, a signature dish of Japanese cuisine, is often made with bonito broth, but to be suitable for vegetarians and vegans, the soup stock must be made from plant-based ingredients such as dried kelp or shiitake mushrooms. Furthermore, vegans cannot eat eggs, which are typically used in tempura batter.

Among the top 20 countries and regions where visitors to Japan come from, India has the highest rate of vegetarians, accounting for 20.2 percent, followed by Taiwan at 12.3 percent and Canada at 11.8 percent, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.

While there are various reasons people forgo meat or animal produce such as their religion, health or animal welfare concerns, the number of vegetarians has been rising globally, reaching around 530 million as of 2023, the agency said.

The number of vegetarians who visited Japan in 2023 is estimated to be around 1.28 million, accounting for about 5 percent of the total foreign visitors, with the value of their consumption in Japan estimated at around 60.9 billion yen.

One way of meeting demand could be through the promotion of Buddhist vegetarian cuisine called shojin ryori, a traditional meal cooked without animal meat to avoid suffering.

Japanese restaurant Shinshu Soba Tateshinaan in Tokyo's Adachi Ward offers tempura soba for vegans called shojin soba. The restaurant has noticed a growing number of foreign vegan customers since the end of coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

"It takes time to make the soba because the broth recipe is different from usual, but we see some customers enjoy it," said Hayato Matsushita, an official of the company operating the restaurant.

"We hope restaurants across the country will do their best to provide vegan meals," said House of Representatives member Jin Matsubara, who serves as the secretary general of a nonpartisan association of lawmakers to promote services for vegetarians and vegans in Japan.

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