Gion Komori
Location: Kyoto, Japan
“Got to try warabi mochi here—it was delicious! The staff pointed out which menu items would be safe when we explained our allergies. Warabi mochi is typically vegan and nut-free (coated in roasted soybean powder and served with brown sugar syrup, although we tried the matcha version!), but some of the other desserts had dairy.”
Tenryuji Temple Shigetsu
Location: Kyoto, Japan
“This was such a cool experience, trying Buddhist temple food at Tenryuji. Shojin ryori (the type of cuisine) is usually vegan, but some modern versions are just vegetarian—we noted our allergies in the comments when booking online, and when we got there, the staff confirmed that our meal would be safe. It was fun to try so many dishes!”
Coco Hana
Location: Kyoto, Japan
“Lovely spot near Kinkakuji temple—was also a nice meal when we were craving a break from Japanese food. The hotel called in advance for us, and the restaurant said they don’t currently use any nuts. Had both vegan and non-vegan options—the author wrote a book and mentioned wanting to make sure people with allergies or other dietary restrictions can eat together!”
AIN SOPH. Journey KYOTO
Location: Kyoto, Japan
“Really enjoyed my meal here! I tried the heavenly pancakes and vegan karaage (Japanese fried chicken), which were both amazing. The menu has allergens labeled, but we made sure to ask again since the photo of the pancakes had nuts on top. The staff made sure to leave them off and also checked in with us about cross-contamination. It’s fully vegan, so there is no dairy, egg, or seafood.”
Kyoto Yakitori Kinoshita
Location: Kyoto, Japan
“Loved dining here! It’s a small yakitori restaurant where the chef prepares the food on a grill right in front of you. Not great for cross-contamination with meat, but the skewers are all seasoned with very basic ingredients (either salt, plum sauce, ponzu sauce, or sweet soy sauce) so should be safe for dairy, egg, and nut allergies.”
KYOTO ENGINE RAMEN
Location: Kyoto, Japan
“This ramen hit the spot—and I love that they have both gluten-free and vegan options. The ‘about’ section on the menu has a story about the owner wanting to ensure that everyone can try Japanese food, even if they have allergies or other dietary restrictions!”
The Blossom Kyoto
Location: Kyoto, Japan
“We loved staying at this hotel in Kyoto! Each room has a refrigerator. Microwaves are available to use as well. There’s a small snack/drink area that has some free soda and individually wrapped snacks with ingredient labels (we could only eat the Biscoff cookies, but they also had ice cream bars and some others).”
MERCY Vegan Factory 大阪本店
Location: Osaka, Japan
“Fully vegan spot in Osaka that sells fruit sandos—my sister and I had that on our list of things to try! All the desserts in the case had allergy icons.”
Genji-soba
Location: Osaka, Japan
“Loved eating at this traditional soba restaurant in Osaka and was really happy to see vegan options. They said they don’t use any nuts or dairy. They also have a note about celiac-safe protocol for gluten-free requests, which was cool!”
Nippon Seinenkan Hotel
Location: Shinjuku City, Japan
“Had a great experience at this hotel in Tokyo! There’s a refrigerator in each room.”
