JainFoodMap

Jain food in Japan, and at Japanese restaurants

Japan is one of the hardest places to eat Jain, and not for the reason people expect. Meat is easy to avoid. The problem is fish stock, which is in almost everything, even dishes that look vegetarian. Here's what to watch for, and where Jain travelers in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka actually ate.

Compiled from Jain diners' reports at 23 restaurants in the JainFoodMap directory · Updated · 8 min read

The short version

  • Ask about dashi first. Miso soup, udon and soba broth, noodle dipping sauce and most simmered dishes are made with bonito (fish) stock unless the kitchen says otherwise.
  • Vegan is the starting point, not the answer. Vegan ramen, gyoza and curry commonly use garlic, onion and green onion.
  • Watch the root vegetables. Japanese cooking uses daikon, burdock (gobo), lotus root, carrot, ginger and konnyaku (made from a corm) constantly.
  • Carry it in writing. Show a card in Japanese rather than explaining out loud. Our Jain food card has a Japanese version.

The hidden ingredients

Dashi (出汁)

Usually katsuobushi (dried bonito) with kombu seaweed. A vegetarian dashi uses kombu and dried shiitake instead, and vegan restaurants make it that way. Ask: 鰹節は入っていますか? (Is there bonito in it?)

Negi (ねぎ)

Green onion goes on ramen, udon, soba, tofu and rice bowls, often without being listed on the menu. Say negi nashi (no green onion).

Wasabi and gari

Real wasabi is a rhizome, and most restaurant wasabi is horseradish, another root. Gari, the pink pickled ginger beside sushi, is ginger.

Pickles

Oshinko and takuan are pickled daikon radish, and appear in rolls, as sides and in set meals.

Tempura batter

Often made with egg. Some shops use flour and water only, so ask. Sweet potato and lotus root are common tempura vegetables.

Mirin and sake

Rice wines used in sauces like teriyaki and in simmered dishes. If you avoid alcohol even in cooking, ask about these.

Ramen: go vegan, then ask again

Vegan ramen is the most-reported Japanese dish in the directory, but notice what the reports don't say: nobody has yet confirmed a bowl in Japan as Jain. Diners ordered vegan ramen at T's Tantan (at Tokyo Station, with another branch inside the gates at Ueno) and vegan tantanmen at Jikasei MENSHO in Shibuya. At Engine Ramenin Kyoto, one diner called the vegan zesty ramen a must, “but not sure if it is Jain.” Vegan broths and tare are commonly built on garlic, onion or leek, so ask at each one.

At Jangara Ramen in Harajuku, the layout matters: downstairs serves the regular menu and upstairs is vegan. Outside Japan, JINYA Ramen Bar in Totowa, New Jersey was the clearest success: three vegan ramen options, and a diner reports all three can be made Jain.

Sushi: fewer options than it looks

Sushi rice is seasoned with vinegar, sugar and salt, and cucumber and avocado rolls are the dependable orders. At Sushi Man in Champaign, a diner ordered from the vegetable-roll section. At Zen Ramen & Sushiin New York, another points out that the avocado roll is Jain only “if you consume seaweed”. Some Jains don't, so decide before you go. Leave the wasabi and ginger on the side of the plate, and skip any roll with pickled radish.

Temple food: the closest thing to Jain in Japan

Shojin ryoriis the vegetarian cooking of Zen Buddhist temples. It uses no meat or fish, and traditionally none of the strong-smelling vegetables either: garlic, onion, leek and chives. On those rules alone, it's nearer to Jain food than anything else in the country.

The gap is root vegetables. Shojin cooking relies on burdock, lotus root, daikon, carrot, taro and konnyaku, so book ahead and ask for a Jain version rather than ordering off the set menu. Shigetsu, inside Tenryū-ji in Kyoto's Arashiyama, is in the directory. It's waiting for its first detailed dish report.

Chains and quick food

  • CoCo Ichibanya, the curry chain, has a vegetarian menu made without meat or fish stock. That makes it vegetarian, not Jain: Japanese curry is usually built on onion, and nobody has reported a Jain version yet.
  • Mos Burger's Green Burger is 100% plant-based. Ask about onion in the sauce and patty.
  • At Vegan Gyoza in Taitō, most dumplings are filled with tofu instead of meat. Gyoza are usually seasoned with garlic and chives, so ask.
  • Ain Soph is fully vegan, with several locations in Japan, and a good base for asking for changes.

What to say

“肉、魚、卵は食べられません。 (I can't eat meat, fish or eggs.)”Niku, sakana, tamago wa taberaremasen.
“玉ねぎ、にんにく、ねぎなしでお願いします。 (No onion, garlic or green onion, please.)”Tamanegi, ninniku, negi nashi de onegaishimasu.
“鰹節の出汁は入っていますか？ (Is there bonito stock in this?)”Katsuobushi no dashi wa haitte imasu ka?

Japanese restaurants are careful and literal, so a written list works better than “Jain”, a word most staff won't know. Name every ingredient, including potato, carrot, ginger and daikon.

The directory currently has 9places in Japan with reports. If you've eaten Jain there, add what you ordered. The Japan section needs it more than any other.

Japanese restaurants where Jain diners ate

What diners reported ordering, most detail first. Kitchens change their recipes, so say “Jain” every time.

Headed further? Read the international Jain traveler's guide for flight meals and packing, or browse Jain food in Tokyo.

Quick answers

Is vegetarian food in Japan Jain?

Rarely by default. The biggest issue is dashi, the stock under miso soup, udon, noodle sauces and simmered dishes, which is usually made with bonito (fish) flakes. Vegan restaurants avoid that, but many still cook with garlic, onion, green onion and root vegetables like daikon and burdock.

Is vegan ramen Jain?

Usually not as served. Vegan ramen broths and tare often rely on garlic, onion or leek, and toppings are commonly green onion. Some shops can leave these out; ask before you order, and check the toppings too.

Is sushi Jain?

Some of it. Cucumber (kappa maki) and avocado rolls are the usual choices. Skip wasabi (a rhizome, or horseradish in cheaper versions), pickled ginger, and pickled daikon rolls (oshinko), and check whether you eat seaweed.

What is shojin ryori?

Buddhist temple cuisine. It uses no meat or fish, and traditionally none of the pungent vegetables like garlic, onion and leek, so it's the closest native cuisine to Jain food. It does use many root vegetables, such as burdock, lotus root, daikon, carrot and konnyaku, so ask for those to be left out.

Ate somewhere that isn't listed?

Every dish in this guide came from someone who ordered it. Add yours and the next Jain traveler gets a real answer instead of a guess.

Add a placeHow to order Jain anywhere