Japan may not be famous for its vegan food offerings, but the Vegan Gourmet Festival in Tokyo may surprise you by how good the food is.
Ramen, gyoza, cheese cake, donuts, ice cream are just some of the food you can find here. Everything you can find in this festival is vegan: no meat, seafood, eggs, milk, or honey. And some food stalls offer organic, macrobiotic and raw food as well.
The organizer also holds vegan gourmet festivals in Nagoya and Kyoto. Check their website or Facebook for the latest schedule.
Pro tips
- Go early. Some popular stalls sold out their food 2-3 hours after the festival starts.
- Bring your own utensils: Bowls, cups, spoon and fork if you want to reduce waste.
- Quickly go around and see what interested you first, and then go get your most wanted items
- When it’s close to closing time (around 3pm for my visit), some shops that haven’t sold out their food start to lower the price.
Information
Location
5-10 minutes walk from Kiba Station Exit 1. The festival is held on the North side of the park after crossing the bridge in Kiba Park.
Dates
April and September
Entrance
Free entrance
Time
10am - 4pm (2019 September)
Number of Stalls
74 (2019 September)
Japanese Food
Japanese food is full of non-vegan ingredients usually. Even an innocent looking tofu could be cooked in fish stock.
But in this vegan festival, you can find the vegan version of many Japanese dishes, including sushi, ramen, gyozas, and more.
There are at least 3-4 shops selling beautifully-made sushi. Like the photos above, you can find a number of sushi with different flavours and textures.
Some other food, like gyozas and fried oyster (made with tofu and mushroom), are also popular choices.
Here are some other Japanese food you can find in the festival:
Other Comfort Food
If you are craving a burger or burrito, worry not, this festival has you covered as well.
This 'pork' skewer is meaty and crispy. With sweet teriyaki sauce drizzled on top, it is a great snack when walking around the festival. The same shop also sells burgers.
A few shops in the festival sells burgers. Some shops like Luna Burger is super popular and sold out their burgers half way through the festival. So if you see people lining up for food that you are interested in, get in line!
Desserts
Desserts, desserts, desserts. Who doesn't love desserts?
As a dessert lover, I'm happy to report back that this vegan festival has an abundance of sweet treats. From donuts and ice cream, to cookies and mochi, you can get full from just stuffing your face with sweet things.
Donut on matcha drink from UPBEET!Tokyo and ice cream from Premarche Gelateria are two of the most popular items in the festival. There are constantly a line and some items/flavours sold out quickly.
There are also many shops selling cookies, muffins and cakes. You won't run out of options for them.
Here's a look at some other desserts in the festival:
Drinks
If it's like my experience, you will be under the sun for quite a while during the festival (remember to bring sunscreen!). A cold drink to cool yourself down is more than welcome.
I've found kombucha (super popular), beer, coffee, cold tea, and other drinks at this festival.
Food To Bring Home
If you are like me, you'd like to bring home some Japanese food as well. Luckily, there are quite a few stalls that sell items you can bring home to eat or cook with.
Many of these items, like sauce packets from Chaya and Ohsawa are available outside the festival, but they often are discounted in the festival. And you can find all of them in one place.
