Vegetarians

[brainsteww]

Hi there, glad to see this forum!

My entire family is vegetarian and we are so for religious/ethical reasons. Although I'm not a picky eater, my vegetarian diet is something that I can't compromise.

Do you guys think something along the lines of "doubutsu ga tsukau ryourui ga taberaremasen" (let me know if that's a failed attempt to say "I can't eat cuisine that use animal products" ) would work?

The other thing is I'm placed in a small village of 6,000 people in Kochi-ken where the fishing industry appears to be a dominant industry in the area. I'm a little worried about finding vegetarian options in the inaka village restaurants/supermarkets...does anyone have experiences being a vegetarian in the far countryside?

Thanks!

Hello! I'm not in Japan yet. Just wondering what religion you are of you don't mind. My boyfriend was also raised in a vegetarian family and he's Hare Krishna.

[natalielphie]

Hi there, glad to see this forum!

My entire family is vegetarian and we are so for religious/ethical reasons. Although I'm not a picky eater, my vegetarian diet is something that I can't compromise.

Do you guys think something along the lines of "doubutsu ga tsukau ryourui ga taberaremasen" (let me know if that's a failed attempt to say "I can't eat cuisine that use animal products" ) would work?

The other thing is I'm placed in a small village of 6,000 people in Kochi-ken where the fishing industry appears to be a dominant industry in the area. I'm a little worried about finding vegetarian options in the inaka village restaurants/supermarkets...does anyone have experiences being a vegetarian in the far countryside?

Thanks!

Hi Jasmine! Your Japanese is very close, and I think someone could get the general idea. I don't know if this is the perfect way to say it, but for what you're trying to say, doubutsu seihin ga haitte iru ryouri ga taberaremasen, might be better. It just says that you can't eat any cuisine in which there are animal products.

Hope this helps with the translation--I don't have much experience living in the countryside as a vegetarian. I spent the summer in a small village in Japan last year, but since I was living with a host family and all my meals were prepared for me, I decided being vegetarian would cause them more trouble. This time, however, I am hoping to refrain as much as possible, since I am in control of my own meals.

[adiosToreador]

One of the food blogs I follow recently posted a bunch of printable cards explaining one's dietary restrictions in Japanese, I thought they may be helpful to you guys:

http://www.justhungry.com/japan-dining-out-cards

She has ones for vegetarians, vegans, and pescetarians!

[jasmine.ubc]

Hello! I'm not in Japan yet. Just wondering what religion you are of you don't mind. My boyfriend was also raised in a vegetarian family and he's Hare Krishna.

Hi, nice to meet you! My family is Buddhist ...but not the Japanese type of Buddhist that eats meat.

Hi Jasmine! Your Japanese is very close, and I think someone could get the general idea. I don't know if this is the perfect way to say it, but for what you're trying to say, doubutsu seihin ga haitte iru ryouri ga taberaremasen, might be better. It just says that you can't eat any cuisine in which there are animal products.

Hope this helps with the translation--I don't have much experience living in the countryside as a vegetarian. I spent the summer in a small village in Japan last year, but since I was living with a host family and all my meals were prepared for me, I decided being vegetarian would cause them more trouble. This time, however, I am hoping to refrain as much as possible, since I am in control of my own meals.

Thanks for the help with the Japanese translation!

And yeah, I will feel SO bad for causing trouble to people and I wish I could just fit in by eating whatever everyone else is eating...but at the same time I also really don't want to ingest animals again in my life So hopefully I will be able to overcome the inconvenience and socially uncomfortable situations.

One of the food blogs I follow recently posted a bunch of printable cards explaining one's dietary restrictions in Japanese, I thought they may be helpful to you guys:

http://www.justhungry.com/japan-dining-out-cards

She has ones for vegetarians, vegans, and pescetarians!

Thanks for sharing! The cards are very cool

[Mordoc]

When I got to Japan I went to the grocery store and thought "what is most of this stuff" I bought a book called Washoku by Elizabeth Andoh. I found it was really great and illustrated explaining what things were. I also discovered she has a vegan/vegetarian book about Japanese cooking, called Kansha, that could help for you home cooks who are puzzling out what to buy at the grocery store. Here's a link on amazon. I haven't actually flipped through this book but I do enjoy Washoku. Also, if you're going to buy it, it's big, get it in Japan, leave it in Japan, shipping could cost as much as the book itself and amazon.co.jp has free shipping!

http://www.amazon.co.jp/Kansha-Celebrat ... 536&sr=8-1

[mothsafterglow]

When I got to Japan I went to the grocery store and thought "what is most of this stuff" I bought a book called Washoku by Elizabeth Andoh. I found it was really great and illustrated explaining what things were. I also discovered she has a vegan/vegetarian book about Japanese cooking, called Kansha, that could help for you home cooks who are puzzling out what to buy at the grocery store. Here's a link on amazon. I haven't actually flipped through this book but I do enjoy Washoku. Also, if you're going to buy it, it's big, get it in Japan, leave it in Japan, shipping could cost as much as the book itself and amazon.co.jp has free shipping!

http://www.amazon.co.jp/Kansha-Celebrat ... 536&sr=8-1

This is going on my wish list! It looks fantastic, thanks Mordoc!!

[happytofu]

So... that dreaded moment arrived; my BoE asked about allergies. I stressed over my reply for an hour before going with:

I have no allergies, but I am a strict vegetarian. I do not eat meat, including chicken, beef, pork, duck, lamb, etc. When possible, I also avoid seafood, dairy, and eggs, but I have been to Japan and know that some foods are too ingrained in culture to avoid, such as dashi.

I was afraid of coming off too strict (feared reply: "we changed our minds; don't come!") and too lenient (feared reply: "oh, you just need to get used to the taste! We'll give you lots of seafood and eggs!").

[Gizmotech]

You failed at question answering. The correct answer is : I have no allergies OR I am allergic to meat.

Extra details and stuff are irrelevant. When they want to know your dietary requirements, you say "Vegan". Don't explain and keep it simple. VERY simple.

[happytofu]

You failed at question answering. The correct answer is : I have no allergies OR I am allergic to meat.

Extra details and stuff are irrelevant. When they want to know your dietary requirements, you say "Vegan". Don't explain and keep it simple. VERY simple.

Baaah. I figured. Hopefully being a wishywashy foreigner isn't disqualifing.

On the other hand, they asked for hobbies and I listed cooking first. So hopefully they'll say, "so cook your own goddamn food!" Which is what I want in the end.

[Jen_KyotoPA]

You failed at question answering. The correct answer is : I have no allergies OR I am allergic to meat.

Extra details and stuff are irrelevant. When they want to know your dietary requirements, you say "Vegan". Don't explain and keep it simple. VERY simple.

No, I think you handled this totally fine. A lot of people don't even really know what "vegan" means, so I think giving some explanation is good.

If you mentioned this on your application form, they should already know, though.

[DjinnWired]

And yeah, I will feel SO bad for causing trouble to people and I wish I could just fit in by eating whatever everyone else is eating...

You're stressing about this way too much The whole point of bringing foreigners over is that we don't "just fit in" (unless you subscribe to the weird rouge theory that it has something to do with English teaching, haha)!

There have been a couple of occasions where I couldn't organise a special meal, so I just ate plain rice. No big deal for me, no big deal for anyone else. Most of the time I am graciously accommodated. I say this having lived in Japan for four years, in two different prefectures, and having taught at around forty different schools. It's very unlikely that anyone will be fussed by you not eating some things.

[Jitensha12]

Hi again! I'm so happy to see this thread has been staying informative and positive!

If anyone is moving to the Kansai region, I highly recommend joining the "Vegan Kansai Meetup Group" (as vegbobi suggested)! http://www.meetup.com/vegan-kansai/ The group is a mix of native Japanese and expats that are vegan/vegetarian/just interested in vegan food, and so far everyone seems really friendly and extremely passionate about veg-living! I was even contacted by a man (who also saw me on the Osaka AJET facebook page) that teaches Japanese to JETs--turns out he will be teaching my Japanese language course in Osaka and he is vegan! He will even be at my welcome party in August when I first get to town... what an amazing coincidence!

I also joined "Animal Lovers Kansai" (which organizes trips to vegan restaurants, among other things) and cannot wait to get involved with them once I'm there: http://www.meetup.com/Animal-Lovers-Kansai/

If you're not in the Kansai region, don't worry! There are definitely resources out there for you to stay connected and supported by other veg people in Japan. You are not alone.

[marbotic]

A few people noted that you should say you eat what a Buddhist eats, and others stated that most Buddhists in Japan eat meat. If you specifically say you eat only shojin ryori, http://www.hachinoki.co.jp/origin/shojin1.html ("Shojin Ryori prohibits eating meat and it is considered virtue to make the most of vegetables and beans."), the idea might get across better. It's a vegetarian diet that entered Japan along with Buddhism.

I've never tried using the term in Japan, though, so I'm not sure how many people would be familiar with it. Anyone have any experience?

[Eigen]

A few people noted that you should say you eat what a Buddhist eats, and others stated that most Buddhists in Japan eat meat. If you specifically say you eat only shojin ryori, http://www.hachinoki.co.jp/origin/shojin1.html ("Shojin Ryori prohibits eating meat and it is considered virtue to make the most of vegetables and beans."), the idea might get across better. It's a vegetarian diet that entered Japan along with Buddhism.

I've never tried using the term in Japan, though, so I'm not sure how many people would be familiar with it. Anyone have any experience?

That could be a fun game plan! Though if you use it in a light-hearted sense it would come across better.

If you were serious in your statement your coworkers might go out of their ways to hook you up with specifically that style of cuisine (which might be excessively expensive if catered to you!). Going out to a temple or course dinner catered by the buddhist monks can set you back 13,000-18,000 yen sometimes, and you have to book weeks in advance. Shojin ryori isn't vegetarianism as a whole, but it is exclusively vegetarian. A helpful hint that reminded me of that you might love too: a couple restaurants I've seen that cater to shojin ryori styles also have attached organic grocery stores FULL of great vegetarian goods.

Also, just saying "I eat what a Buddhist eats" might not float, the teachers at my school joke that many modern monks do in fact eat meat!

[Jen_KyotoPA]

Yeah, saying "I eat like a Buddhist" or saying "I only eat shojin ryori" would not make much sense to anyone. Shojin ryori is a specific Japanese cuisine after all. You could probably say "Like shojin ryori, I don't eat meat, fish etc."　(Shojin ryori mitai ni, oniku ya sakana nado taberaremasen.)

Keep in mind, your mileage will probably vary depending on where you are. With my food-obsessed coworkers in Kyoto, they all know about shojin ryori, but I'd bet there are some areas where they don't have much of it and where some people, especially young ones, aren't all that familiar with it.