Living as a Vegetarian in Chiba

Hey I thought you all might be interested in hearing my experience living as a veggie in Japan. I originally wrote this for a forum that helps other English teachers as they come to Japan. It has been a challange but not one that i would say i havent enjoyed as just part of the journey...

For the most part its not difficult to be a vegetarian in Chiiba. There are plenty of daily foods eaten locally and access to foreign food that can supply the sustainence for any diet. Though there are always difficulties. The main inhibitors to this lifestyle are accessibility and information. Two things which I hope to inform you about with this post. There is also the problem of just plain communication. The most important part of living as a vegetarian in Japan is communicating that you are a vegetarian and being understood by everyone you interact with on a daily basis. I have had the most trouble with this aspect. Many times even people I have told many times will still offer me meat. This is also an issue if you get invited to any Japanese persons house. So be sure you tell everyone as soon as possible that you do not eat meat and explain exactly what you don’t eat. Once this comes across the Japanese are almost always understanding and supportive. The next difficulties you will face are going out to restaurants and eating school lunch. These challenges as well as communicating your diet can be the plague of your existence or the most enriching aspect of your life here in Japan. So the choice is yours to decide. How you will deal with this problem?
First I will run over the accessibility aspect of vegetarian life here. I recommend spending a little more time than most people and shopping around. The more ‘supas’ you go to, the more likely you are to find a variety of vegetarian foods. Every store is different here. If you don’t take the time to search around you will most likely be going to the Kobinis’ too often or relying on restaurants which can be expensive. I also recommend you find the local vegetable/fruit stands. If you live in a small town like me the chances are there are many(usually on the high trafficked roads) you just have to find them. Lastly, go to the big cities for international groceries and stock up on all the lentils, beans, spices that your heart desires.
Next is information which goes hand and hand with accessibility. To inform yourself, go through all the information you get at orientation and do a quick search online, chances are there are some vegetarian grocery stores you can order from and shipping is usually very economical. There is always a way to find the foods that aren’t usually found in ‘supas’. I even heard that amazon.co.jp has a English version where you can basically order anything. If you’re like me and don’t order stuff online, try to keep your ears open and ask around for the cheapest/most popular supa. These places always have more selection, even organic foods, more international foods, an abundance of produce.
So then comes the difficult part, how do I tell people I am a vegetarian? Well you will be told that just saying, ‘watashi wa bejitarian’ will be enough. I find that is not the case at all. First probably the most helpful saying is, ‘niku tabenai’ which means I don’t eat meat. It depends how strict you are of course and how much you want to limit your choices at a restaurant, saying ‘sakuna tabenai’ or I don’t eat fish might leave you with just a bowl of miso and some rice. Everyone should know their own limits and strictness of diet, so make that clear to yourself when you come here.
You will all have your own difficulties though when you are invited to someones house or given a steaming plate of meat and you don’t want to look disrespectful by not trying it. The only thing I can say that will help with this is tell as many people as you can about your diet. The more people you tell the easier it will be for you to explain your self in sticky situations.
The other challenges you will face are school lunches and Nomikais’. Being a teacher in a school means you take part in everything other teachers do. This does not mean that you have to force down a school lunch everyday, especially if you’re like me and your school is especially cheap with their lunches. I take my own lunch to school. I would recommend this because I tried to eat school lunches for a few months and picking out the meat in everything is extremely laborsome. Also the lunch I bring is healthier then the school lunches, not that they are exceptionally bad. Also Nomikais can be a problem because most of the time teachers order for you and if you don’t tell all of the them you are a vegetarian you will most likely end up with a plate of meat infront of you.
So with all this information might seem like a lot of work but it is your life so it is important to live the way you want to. I found telling people you’re a vegetarian adds to your appeal here and its always a conversation starter. In the end be prepared for some difficulties but if you remember to communicate effectively and inform yourself you will have a much easier and more enriching time here.