Grocery shopping in Tokyo for vegans could be hard, especially when you are looking for vegan products other than veggies and tofu.
In this guide, I’m going to show you how to find vegan products in Japan convenience stores and supermarkets. And some vegan-friendly stores where you can buy hard-to-find items like vegan cheese and ice cream.
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Convenience Stores
Convenience stores are EVERYWHERE in Tokyo. Basically there is one every other block. The three main convenience stores you can find in Tokyo are Family Mart, Lawson and 7-11.
Sometimes if you are in an area where there is no vegan food, convenience stores are a good place to get a simple meal. Almost all of them stock similar selection of products.
There are quite a lot of things to be careful about in convenience stores, as items that may look vegan are actually not. So double check the ingredients of everything carefully before you buy.
[.tips][.icon-website][.icon-website][.div]Tip: Google Translate works well enough most of the times. Another app I use often in Japan is Papago. Make sure you have internet in Japan for translation. I use this eSim brand that's less than $1/day and I didn't experience any drop off.[.div][.tips]
Sushi and onigiri are a staple in Japanese convenience stores. Some of the sushi, like inari (wrapped in tofu skin) may look vegan from the list of ingredients, but are confirmed to be flavoured by fish stock or fish powder. This is because Japanese laws don’t require the manufacturers to list those ingredients if the amount used is small enough. This could be quite a headache for vegans.
In general, the salt and plum onigiri from Family Mart and Lawson are more likely to be vegan, but the kombu onigiri and inari sushi are mostly not.
Some safer options include:
- Edamame
- Plum onigiri*
- Salt onigiri*
- Soy milk*
- Juice
- Nuts
- Fresh fruits
For the * items, be extra careful about the ingredients and check the guide from Is It Vegan Japan?
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Natural Lawson
In Tokyo, look out for a sub-brand of Lawson called Natural Lawson. It’s a more vegan-friendly convenience store.
Natural Lawson is more targeted towards health conscious customers. They carry a better selection of vegan products from brands like T’s Tantan (cup noodles), Chaya (ready to eat curry and soup), 2foods (vegan scrambled egg) and more.
Here are some vegan finds in Natural Lawson:
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Supermarkets
In general, supermarkets in Japan are not particularly vegan-friendly, especially if you are looking for vegan meat or dairy substitutes. But there are some accidentally vegan products, and tons of delicious fruits and veggies to choose from.
Definitely stop by the produce section where you will find high quality, seasonal Japanese fruits and vegetables. Don't miss the chance to splurge a little and try some of Japan's finest quality fruits if you are traveling to Japan.
You’ll also find a dazzling array of flavoured soy milk in many supermarkets with unique flavours like cream fruit sandwich, vanilla ice cream, affogato and more. However, be careful as some seemingly ‘safe’ flavours may not be, for instance, the Kikkoman matcha soy milk contains shellfish. Check the ingredients carefully and also refer to Is It Vegan's website for the list of vegan vs not vegan soy milk.
Be sure to look at the dried food aisles for traditionally vegan Japanese staples. Look for different types of tofu. I particularly like koya tofu (高野豆腐), which is dehydrated and soaks up any broth you cook it in with a spongy texture. Dried wakame seaweed can be used in cooking soup and sauce. Also look out for vegan curry roux and miso soup packets.
While most items in the bakery section would be off-limits, check whether they carry some accidentally vegan traditional sweets like mochi, monaka, and warabimochi. Make sure to check the ingredients carefully. Check out this guide for more details for shopping traditional Japanese sweets as a vegan.
Some supermarkets have started stocking more vegan-friendly products. For example, the Life supermarket I went to had a "soy meat" section and a "Bio-ral" section for cruelty-free beauty and body care items.
Another more vegan-friendly supermarket is Seijo Ishii (成城石井). They are usually located inside or close to train stations and stock a good range of imported products.
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Vegan Friendly Grocery Stores
Don’t let the first two parts scare you. If you are in Tokyo, there are quite a few vegan-friendly grocery stores. From vegan cheese to meat-substitutes, you will be happy to see the amount of vegan products you can find.
Keep in mind that a lot of the vegan products are imported, and they will be more expensive in general. Another thing to note is that although these shops are more vegan friendly, many of them still sell meat.
Weller
As you may know, the convenience stores in Japan like Lawson or 7-11 are not that vegan friendly, which makes Weller an exciting find for vegans. Here you’ll find a great selection of vegan products, from a wide range of snacks to hard-to-find vegan beauty and skincare products. There are both local and imported items, with higher prices for the imported ones. Weller also has a fridge stocked with ready-to-eat vegan meals, desserts, and even bento boxes. There is a microwave in the shop for those who want to heat up their meals.
(Online says there’s a section of honey products, but I couldn’t see that during my visit.)
[.tips][.icon-food][.icon-food][.div]Tip: Visit Taiyaki Hiiragi which is just a few steps away. They sell hard-to-find vegan-friendly taiyaki, which is a fish-shaped street food dessert.[.div][.tips]
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Bio c' Bon
Bio c’ Bon is a health food grocery shop chain in Tokyo with locations in Ginza, Nakameguro, Harajuku, Omotesando and more. You can find a large selection of non-dairy milk, vegan yoghurt, and even a vegan bento box.
Multiple locations in Ginza, Nakameguro, Harajuku, Omotesando and more.
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Ohsawa Japan
Ohsawa is a vegan-friendly shop in Ikejiri-Ohashi, which is just one stop from Shibuya. Ice cream, cookies and sauces are just a few of the things you can find here. Last time I was there, they also carried the vegan cheese from Choice Cafe in Kyoto.
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Natural House
Natural House is a grocery store chain selling fresh fruits and some vegan friendly products. Some products are also organic. Other than groceries, you can also find some lunch boxes or sandwiches that are vegan (of course, check the labels carefully).
Multiple locations in Meguro, Shimokitazawa, Yurakucho and more.
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Bonraspail
I was quite pleasantly surprised when I visited Bonraspail. The vegan selection is quite extensive. It has lots of vegan sauces, noodles, chocolate, biscuits, and more. Also, you can find vegan cheese and vegan margarine which are difficult to come across in Japan.
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National Azabu
Also in Hiro-o, this supermarket has quite a selection of imported vegan products like cheese and cream. Next to it is a vegan cafe which serves salad bowls and other comfort food!
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Chabara Akihabara
This shop near Akihabara sells mostly Japanese food. The price is on the higher-side. There is also a vegan cafe inside called Komaki Syokudo. It serves some simple Japanese sets and desserts. However, the time may not be reliable. I arrived at about 5-6pm and they were already closing (they list 7:30pm as the closing time).
