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Hi Everyone.
I’m new here and I couldn’t figure out how to search the forums, so I apologize if this has been asked already. I’m vegan and am interested in the proper way to explain this in Japan. I’ve seen some conflicting things out there like: “bigan” or “bejitarian” or “Watashi wa kanzen saishoku shugisha desu” or “shojin ryori.” And I’m not sure how well any of these concepts translate in Japan anyway. Most people in the states don’t really know what vegan or vegetarian means.
I think ultimately I would like to be able to clearly say the following:
“I’m vegan.”
“I don’t eat meat, dairy, eggs, fish, fish sauce, or fish flakes.”
“Does this contain fish?”
“Only vegetables, rice, and tofu please.”Any help would be appreciated!!!
私は完全菜食主義者です。When they give a strange or dismissive look…
私は野菜と穀物しかたべません。
魚は好きじゃない。肉は好きじゃない。乳製品は好きじゃない。（said with sad face, eyes widening with each sentence)Oh, and maybe you’ll find one of the links here helpful.
As well as meals that are obviously fishy or meaty or whatever, one other thing you’re going have to watch for is dashi (in kanji, that’s 出し or 出汁) – it’s pretty common soup stock and/or flavour base that’s made from fish. Probably your best bet is aiming for vegetarian/vegan restaurants – the thread Ian linked to above has a link to a Japanese vegan blog.
Thanks Guys!
Ian: is there any way you can post those phrases in romanji? I’ve only just gotten through memorizing hiragana and I read it like a pre-schooler!! I haven’t tackled katakana or kanji at all yet.
Joel: Funny you mention Dashi because I just went out and bought some! Kombu Dashi is made from seaweed and (at least the one I have) is completely vegan :D There are actually WAY better resources than those listed on that thread. The restaurant guides will be helpful for the days when I’m in major cities. But when traveling to smaller towns I’m going to need to be able to say what I mean clearly and concisely. Like I said, I sometimes have issues with this in the US even, so I need to practice saying: no meat, no fish, no fish sauce, no fish flakes, no fish broth, no milk, no cheese, no eggs, no honey. Yes seaweed, yes tofu, yes veggies, yes rice.
As for the resources Happy Cow is the best: http://www.happycow.net/asia/japan/
The Vegan Passport is essential (though I would like to go more in depth and confirm the Japanese section) :
http://shop.vegansociety.com/product_info.php?products_id=231
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:udtGifzFDv0J:vege-navi.jp
http://vegansociety.jp/Just for future reference and others who might be interested here’s some more links:
http://pjchmiel.com/study/saishoku.html
http://www.veggywood.com/2010/11/16/vegan-in-japan-part-i-tokyo/
http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/eat/get-your-soy-joy-tokyos-best-vegan-restaurants-736004
http://www.vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=612&catId=4
http://vegan.wikia.com/wiki/Japan
http://vegan–japan.blogspot.com/Ian: I translated what you wrote using Google and the first sentence “Watashi wa kanzen saishoku shugi-shadesu” seems to jive with other things I’ve heard / learned.
But the second sentence: “Watashi wa yasai to kokumotsu shika tabemasen” is a bit confusing. It translates properly to “I only eat vegetables and grains” in Google, but doesn’t the “sen” part on the end of the word “tabemas” make it a negative statement? As in “I don’t eat”?
Sorry if that’s a dumb question. I’m learning!!
Basically, I don’t eat anything except vegetables or grains. しか (shika) is the only / except for part. For now it’s just a phrase but once you start tackling particles you’ll see it in a snap.
この料理に魚はつかわれていますか。
Kono ryouri ni sakana wa tsukawarete imasuka?
Is fish used in this dish?
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