For a fairly large city (300K+), it’s taken me awhile to find vege-centric restaurants in Yokosuka. Though I’m not vegetarian at the moment, I definitely crave just vegetables sometimes. Japan is two things. 1) sprawling metropolises, 2) farm land. One thing they do well, locally source a lot of things. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, and looking for some local options, I hope this compilation of vegetarian restaurants in Yokosuka will help you!
First, my vegetarian story…
My senior year of college, I took a Literature and Ecology class…I want to say to meet a requirement but it may have just been for fun. I tested out of all my English classes being in engineering and wanted to get a literature course in, but I digress. We were reading a book by John Miur, the “father of national parks”. This delved farther into the Sierra Club and what it means to conserve the earth. (Honestly, I’m surprised I remember all of this in detail, it was a long time ago).
Our professor challenged us to change one thing we were doing to help the environment, just for a week. Most of us turned off our computers instead of leaving them on all the time (yeah, I realize that doesn’t do much). But when we reported back, one of the guys said he’d given up meat. Which turned into a joke since he’s one of those that “looks” vegetarian, you know? Not to be mean. He countered “yes, but I went vegan for the week”. Our professor let it slide but I had a moment of “huh, I could do that”. So I did.
For one month, I was ovo-lacto vegetarian. After that I was moving to our beach house for the summer and couldn’t give up crabs (I’m sorry, they are too yummy), so I became pescatarian. That lasted a year or so, I decided I missed bacon, and now I still don’t generally “crave” meat but will eat it. Here in Japan, I tend to be more pescatarian by default. Hello, sushi!
Vegetarian Restaurants in Yokosuka
Each of these I have written about separately, so for more information, head to their specific posts. Sometimes, having everything in one place is much easier! In addition to these, Indian Curry is a dime or dozen in Japan and all have vegetarian options. They all are also amazing and speak like 4 languages so you can ask for specifics if need be.
One Drop
My favorite lunch spot in Yokosuka is One Drop. Doesn’t hurt that its a quick walk from my office! But the food is always fresh and locally sourced. They do also have meat served here but I always go for the vege-plate daily special. Comes with a small smoothie and drink. Located in “the honch”, it’s easy to find.
Cotonoha+
Don’t let the original post name confuse you, こ, can be romanized “Ko” or “Co” so I went with how it would be found on google with the more natural “ko”. Cotonoha+ is a truly vegan restaurant and open for lunch into early evening. Serving a vege plate or veggie curry as your options. Delicious! Just up the road from Yokosuka Chuo Station.
Coco Ichibanya
If you didn’t know Coco’s had a vegetarian option, now you do. There are a couple of locations around town. They have curry with vegetables with no animal-derived products in it. Just look out for the vegetarian menu or use the Japanese help below!
Other Options
Though I haven’t written it up yet, Beach Muffin in Zushi is an awesome vegan option. I’ll be adding as I find more and more places :).
Japanese 101 for Vegetarians or those with Allergies
Here’s some useful words you should probably put in your repertoire. These first you just need to make sure your pronouncing the Japanese way!
- ビーガン, bi-gan, Vegan
- ベジタリアン, be-ji-ta-ri-a-n, Vegetarian
- グルテンフリー, gu-ru-te-n-fu-ri-, Gluten Free
- ソイミルク, so-i-,mi-ru-ku, Soy Milk
These are kanji to look out for on the menu if you are trying to avoid any (or just need tips for deciphering!).
- 肉, にく, niku, meat
- 魚, さかな, sakana, fish. Though for fish, there are LOTS of kanji.
- 牛乳, ぎゅうにゅう, gyuu-nyuu, milk. Literally, cow breast.
- 玉子, or 卵, たまご, tamago, egg. Two ways of writing.
- 豆乳, とうにゅう, tou-nyuu, soy milk. But you can use the one above too.
- 大豆, だいず, daizu, soy.
- 枝豆, えだまめ、edamame. You probably know this one!
- 豆腐, とうふ, toufu (long “o” sound in Japanese), Tofu.
- 小麦, こむぎ, ko-mu-gi, wheat. Literally, small wheat.
Help me out
Do you know of a place I haven’t mentioned? Let me know in the comments and I’ll go check it out and add it to the list!
Your vegetarian backstory was very enjoyable to read. I particularly loved the Japanese translations that you included! I’ve heard of a vegan/vegetarian friendly cafe called monstyle.
Nicole
Texicole.com
I just saw that one the other day!! I’ll go check it out and add it to the list. Are you local?
No but a friend of mine lived in Japan for 2 years working as an English teacher. She explored often and was constantly sharing her foodie experiences! So yummy.
Awesome! I’ll put that on my list of places to check out!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing the wealth :D. I’ll go check that place out!