Vegan & Vegetarian Meals

At Urokoro, we prepare vegan and vegetarian meals upon request.
When making a reservation, please let us know your dietary needs through our Reservation Request Form, and specify what you do not eat (e.g. meat, fish, eggs, dairy, or bonito-based dashi).
We will create a meal that is fully plant-based and tailored for you.

Convenience stores and supermarkets are within walking distance, and there are also a few chain restaurants with vegan-friendly menus:

🍛 CoCo Ichibanya – Japanese curry chain with a vegan menu available upon request.
🍔 MOS BURGER – Plant-based “Green Burger” (note: possible cross-contamination, suitable for flexitarians)

Many accommodations in Japan can prepare vegetarian meals if requested, but true vegan options are still rare. Please keep in mind:

🥢 Japanese dashi (broth) is often made from a combination of bonito (fish) and kombu (seaweed). If you inform the accommodation that you do not eat bonito dashi, some places may decline your request because traditional Japanese meals rely heavily on this broth.

🍙 Even when meals are labeled vegetarian, they may contain hidden animal-based ingredients (e.g. seasoned seaweed with fish extract).

At Urokoro, we prepare meals without bonito dashi or animal products. Many vegan pilgrims have told us they felt truly safe and welcome here.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The meals were spectacular! … It set the bar very high for the rest of our pilgrimage.”
— Carissa, vegan pilgrim (Google Review, 2024)
🔗 Carissa’s full review on Google Maps

To provide more helpful information, we would like to share the experiences of Carissa, a vegan pilgrim who stayed at Urokoro in the spring of 2024.

During her pilgrimage, Carissa shared advice that has helped many future pilgrims:

🍙 Convenience Stores & Supermarkets

• Salted onigiri (shio onigiri) is the safest vegan option. Seasoned seaweed onigiri often contains fish extract, so check the ingredients carefully.
• Hashbrowns and roasted sweet potatoes (yaki-imo) are often available at major convenience stores, usually near the register.
• MUJI (無印良品) has some vegetarian and vegan-friendly packaged foods. If you find a MUJI store during your pilgrimage, it’s worth checking out!
• For more details on vegan-friendly convenience store food in Japan, check this guide:
  🔗 isitveganjapan.com – Vegan Convenience Store Guide

📍 Apps & Resources

• Happy Cow app for vegan-friendly spots
• Is it Vegan Japan for packaged food info (urban-focused)

🏡 Lodgings

• Anraku-ji (Temple 6) – Vegan meals available if requested in advance. We stayed in the Shoin Room, but not sure if vegan meals are possible with smaller rooms.
• Farm House Kurousagi (Kochi) – Delicious vegan meals available if requested in advance.
• Ohenro Guest House Ririan – The host, Lilian, made an amazing Japanese-style vegan dinner for us, including a fantastic tomato soup. Must request in advance. (Website)
• Hotel Bokkaiso – Must request a vegan dinner in advance. They prepared a fantastic hot pot dinner for us. The views from this hotel were the best of our entire trip! (Website)
• Nishiyugyo Minshuku (Uwajima, Ehime) – Must request in advance. They prepared a multi-course vegan Japanese dinner, and it was outstanding!

🍽 Restaurants & Cafes

• Gekko Vegan Cafe (Ehime) – A special macrobiotic vegan meal.
• CoCo Ichibanya (various locations in Shikoku) – Ask for the vegan menu to order vegan Japanese curry.
• MOS BURGER (nationwide, including Shikoku) – A Japanese burger chain offering plant-based “Green Burger”. However, due to possible cross-contamination, it is not strictly vegan/vegetarian but suitable for flexitarians.