Yes, you read that correctly. TOKYO GOURMET VEGAN FESTIVAL was held in Kiba park on April 22nd and saw many vegan and non vegan foodies attend to taste some of the most delicious vegan food that Tokyo has to offer! Click below to read more Would you check out that crowd?! I mean come on, if there was any proof that veganism in Japan is more well known than i thought it was then this event was proof for sure. Seeing all these people and getting to talk to stall-owners was such a great experience for this vegan who sometimes feels like she's the only vegan in the whole continent (exaggeration for dramatic effect). Unlike Vegan festivals back home, this festival consisted of i'd say about 95% food stalls and the remaining 5% made up two or three clothing and make-up stalls which i guess shows the demand for vegan foods being much higher than the demand for vegan lifestyle goods in Tokyo (excuse the useless observation) The stalls consisted of many well-known vegan brands in Japan such as Alishan- a Saitama based Cafe and supplier of vegan foods such as sauces, nut butters and cakes which can be found in many if not most health-based supermarkets in Tokyo Marin Foods -supplier of vegan and plant based creams, cheeses and butters that can be found both online and in some supermarkets such as Ito Yokado T's- A Restaurant and cafe chain with locations in Ueno, Tokyo and Jiyugaoka. They make their own sauces, biscuits and the famous T's TanTan instant noodles that can be bought on store or recently in some supermarkets across Tokyo. AND so much more than if i talked about them all i'll never get this blog finished. Safe to say, I was spoiled for choice and couldn't decide where to start- curry or ice cream, burgers or beer?! Vegan problems... I ordered some vegan curry from Alishan that was absolutely delicious and tasted so similar to my grandmothers home recipe that it brought back memories of Friday curry nights with half chips and half rice. I was clearly in some kind of home-sick state after the yummy curry that we decided to order vegan fish and chips from a stall that i cant remember the name of but had a huge queue so clearly we were onto something good. The vegan fish was fantastic and actually smelled exactly like real fish and the texture seemed so meaty and juicy and yes I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. There were great sandwich and burger stands which all served soy or gluten-based meats and looked so delicious however i was so full from the curry and vish and chips that i couldn't eat anymore and decided to just people watch in the gorgeous sun. What i learned from people watching was that attendees of the event appeared to be about 60% Japanese and 40% non Japanese residents or travelers which to me proved that veganism brings in foreigners and tourists and increasing vegan options and making it easier for vegans to survive and travel in Japan is essential if Japan wants to increase tourism and its foreign image. Just my two pennies (: This vegan festival takes place once a year in the spring time in Tokyo but there is also the Osaka, Kyoto and Okinawa Vegan festivals for those of you who are travelling outside of Tokyo. This time, many stalls came from outside of Tokyo so it's likely that the same stalls will be at other festivals throughout Japan although likely not Okinawa... It's too far and has its own amazing vegan cafes and shops that are the envy of all us mainland vegans.
Thank you for reading this far and not getting bored or for at least fighting through the boredom. If you have any questions, suggestions of feedback please comment below or go to my contact page to find my on social media :) Until next time you guuuyyysssssss xox
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AuthorHi! Thank you for checking out my 'eats' page. This page is where i talk about the vegan restaurants and places i visit. I hope it can be useful for those looking for vegan options in busy Tokyo. Archives
October 2018
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