Japan Vegan Activities including Attractions & Vegan Shopping
In addition to activities specifically created for us vegans like vegan surf camps, vegan yoga retreats, and vegan tours, many of the activities we vegans enjoy doing while traveling abroad, as well as in our home towns, often reflect out compassionate outlook on life. For example, most vegans would never go to a zoo or aquatic park, but we would happily visit national parks and protected conservation areas.
Attractions we vegans enjoy
What attractions do we vegans like going to when we are traveling? Most vegans would love going to protected nature conservation areas like the Galápagos Islands where we can see undisturbed nature and animals roaming freely in their natural habitats. Learn which attractions your fellow vegans enjoy going to when they are traveling and those attractions local vegans would recommend for visitors to their own hometowns. And please share the attractions you’ve most enjoyed visiting, both while traveling abroad and in the region you live. Some attractions examples include the landmarks, museums, and national parks and conservation areas you and your fellow vegans really enjoyed on your holiday travels. And for those facilities that have cafeterias or provide meals, please also review the vegan meal options they offer. With your help, and the help of our vegan community, this page can truly reflect the attractions we vegans most enjoy visiting.
Vegan Shopping
Not that long ago it was challenging trying to find quality vegan clothes, shoes, and clothing accessories. And only a handful of grocery stores had a good selection of vegan groceries. Luckily, interest in vegan groceries and ethical clothing has been growing steadily. These days, we have loads of vegan shopping options available to us. From basic vegan ware to the most elite and fashionable vegan clothing outlets and vegan shoe stores. We vegans have so many options to choose from. Almost all grocery stores now carry a wide variety of ready to serve vegan items we can easily prepare at home, and we even have completely vegan grocery stores, which well deserve our patronage. When we travel it’s fun to explore and patron vegan shopping establishments. And these days, no matter where we travel, there are amazing vegan shopping options to choose from. Some countries have lots of stores stocked with vegan wares, and many have a wealth of 100% vegan food stores and clothing outlets to choose from. This page contains some of the best vegan shopping. The vegan stores listed below were dynamically generated and sorted by your reviews and the reviews of your fellow vegans. We accept no advertising. Our goal is to provide a platform that truly respects and mirrors our collective vegan opinions and perspectives. As our global vegan community adds additional vegan and vegan-friendly listings, and as we review and rate our favorites, the resulting listings will continually, and more accurately, reflect our global vegan shopping preferences.
Vegan Activities, Attractions and Vegan Shopping in Japan
You get to try lots of tasty vegan Japanese foods (some of which you may never have heard of before), plus you’ll also get the chance to look around Senso-Ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple, and witness the Buddhist and Shinto traditions that take place in this area.
You will also learn some essential Japanese phrases for eating out (ensuring that you never have an awkward etiquette moment again) and basic Japanese phrases to help explain any dietary requirements.
All the food in this adventure is included in the price so you won’t have to spend a single Yen!
Fushimi Inari-taisha is the head shrine of the god Inari. It is located in Kyoto, Japan, Inari is the god of rice, but is also seen in Japanese culture as the patron of business, and has been worshipped by merchants and manufacturers. The orange gates, or torii, leading to the shrine are arguably the area’s most iconic structures.
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The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) was the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on 6 August 1945. Through the efforts of many people, including those of the city of Hiroshima, it has been preserved in the same state as immediately after the bombing. Not only is it a stark and powerful symbol of the most destructive force ever created by humankind; it also expresses the hope for world peace and the ultimate elimination of all nuclear weapons.
Shinjuku Gyoen was constructed on the site of a private mansion belonging to Lord Naito, a “daimyo”(feudal lord) of the Edo era. Completed in 1906 as an imperial garden, it was re-designated as a national garden after the Second World War and opened to the public. With 58.3 ha(144 acres) in size and a circumference of 3.5 km, it blends three distinct styles, French Formal Garden, English Landscape Garden and Japanese Traditional Garden, and is considered to be one of the most important gardens from the Meiji era.
Tokyo Tower is the second tallest building in Japan, reaching 332.9 metres (1,092 ft) in height. Visitors can view Tokyo from one of the tower’s observations decks, for a fee. The lattice structure of the tower resembles that of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, though the Tokyo Tower is painted white and orange. The tower supports an antenna that sends out television and radio broadcast signals. A four-story building called FootTown sits directly underneath Tokyo Tower, and houses museums, restaurants, and shops.
The Rainbow Bridge is a suspension bridge crossing northern Tokyo Bay between Shibaura Pier and the Odaiba waterfront development in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
It was built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, with construction starting in 1987 and completed in 1993. The bridge is 798 metres (2,618 ft) long with a main span of 580 metres (1,903 ft). Officially called the “Shuto Expressway No. 11 Daiba Route – Port of Tokyo Connector Bridge,” the name “‘Rainbow Bridge” was decided by the public.
The stores in this neighborhood sell kitchen equipment and paper supplies to the city’s restaurants. Of note are the specialty plastic food items, which are placed in restaurant windows to show passersby what goodies are being served inside.
Mount Fuji, located in Fujinomiya is 3776 meters and Japan’s highest mountain. It is not surprising that the nearly perfectly shaped volcano has been worshiped as a sacred mountain and experienced big popularity among artists and common people throughout the centuries.
Mount Fuji is an active volcano, which most recently erupted in 1708. It stands on the border between Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures and can be seen from Tokyo and Yokohama on clear days.
The Golden Pavillion, or Kinkaku-ji, is one of the most well-known sights in Japan. The building’s first purpose was to serve the retiring Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1409) as a residence. The gold-leaf-adorned building was converted into a Zen temple shortly after his death. In an event that was later fictionalized by the renowned author Yukio Mishima, a 21-year-old monk burned Kinkaku-ji Temple down in 1950. The temple was rebuilt in 1955 and continues to function as a storehouse of sacred relics.
Located in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto, Chion-in is connected to Hōnen (1133-1212), the founder of the Jōdo Shū (Pure Land Sect) of Buddhism. It was here at Chion-in that Hōnen taught chanting the name of Amida (Sanskrit: Amitabha) to attain salvation, and it was here that he spent his final years. Today, with over 7,000 temples, the teachings of Hōnen have spread throughout Japan. Since 1523, Chion-in has been the head temple of the Jōdo Shū.
Also, Chion-in is highly appealing from a cultural standpoint, since it received donations from the Tokugawa shogun (supreme military commander) during the early Edo (1600-1867) period, and was built by the master artisans of the day.
This bamboo grove in Arashiyama is a popular destination. The entrance is right in the middle of town, and it will take about 2 minutes before you are completely surrounded by bamboos, listening to the creaking that they make along with the wind. There is a path that takes you up and back around, leading you to where you started from.
The Imperial Palace, where their Majesties the Emperor and Empress reside, is situated in the center of Tokyo. The palace is surrounded by a water-filled moat and tree-covered grounds – a precious taste of nature within the bustling metropolitan city. Kokyo Gaien (Imperial Palace Outer Garden), Kokyo Higashi Gyoen (Imperial Palace East Garden) and Kita-no-maru-koen Park are all open to the public free of charge. If you wish to visit the area around the palace itself, you need to make reservations in advance. Reservations may be made over the Internet.
A popular photo spot is located in front of the beautiful Niju-bashi Bridge that stretches over the moat in the outer gardens near Tokyo Station. In the vast Imperial Palace East Garden stands a stone wall that has been there since the time when the Imperial Palace was known as Edo Castle, a place where samurai warriors lived from the 17th to 19th centuries. A great favorite among tourists is the viewing of the garden’s seasonal flowers, such as azaleas and hydrangeas. In the Sannomaru-Shozo-kan (Museum of the Imperial Collections) where Emperor Hirohito’s art collection is exhibited, you will see beautiful kimonos and Japanese paintings. In Kita-no-maru-koen Park, on the north side, is the Nippon Budo-kan, famous for concerts by foreign artists, the Science Museum and the National Museum of Modern Art.
The moat situated near this park is called Chidori-ga-fuchi, and it is a classic spot for viewing the glorious cherry blossoms. This is the area in Tokyo that boasts of having the largest number of people coming to view the cherry blossoms during the beginning of April. The National Theater, which presents Japanese classical performing arts such as Kabuki and Noh plays, and Kyogen (traditional short comedies), is within easy walking distance from Chidori-ga-fuchi.
– Ruins of Castle Where Maeda Family of Kaga Clan Resided
In 1583, Lord Maeda Toshiie, who was Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s first retainer, moved to Kanazawa. The Maeda family resided in Kanazawa Castle and governed the Kaga Clan (the present Ishikawa and Toyama areas) for more than 280 years henceforth. The castle tower was burned down by a fire in the past and has not been rebuilt, but other fortress buildings were reconstructed repeatedly. The Ishikawamon Gate, which was rebuilt in 1788, and the Sanjikken Nagaya (50-yard-long warehouse), which was rebuilt in 1858, still remain. Both of them have been designated as Japan’s important cultural assets.
The place was used as a base of the Japanese army. Later, Kanazawa University used it as a campus. The place was repaired in 1996, and the Hishiyagura (diamond-shaped turret), Gojikken Nagaya (90-yard-long warehouse), and Hashizumemon Tsuzuki Yagura (turret protecting the nearby gate) were restored and the park opened.
In the time of the Maeda family, moats surrounded Kanazawa Castle. The castle had a fort function with loopholes for matchlocks on the outer wall to defend the castle from enemies. The beautiful white tiles that grace the roof are weathered lead and the wall is made of white mortar with flat tiles attached to it.
The stone walls vary in type with each place, and it is apparent that the stonewalls were built in separate periods. The stone walls include those built more than 400 years ago.
Kenrokuen Garden is a beautiful Japanese garden with an area of 11.4 hectares located on the heights of the central part of Kanazawa and next to Kanazawa Castle. The Maeda family, who ruled the Kaga Clan (the present Ishikawa and Toyama areas) in feudal times, maintained the garden from generation to generation. From its scale and beauty, it is regarded as one of the most beautiful feudal lords’ gardens in Japan.
Kenrokuen Garden has a big artificial pond, and hills and houses are dotted in the garden. Visitors can appreciate the whole, dropping in at them. The big pond called “Kasumigaike” was compared to an open sea, and an island, on which an ageless hermit with miraculous power was believed to live, was constructed in the pond in hope of the long life and eternal prosperity of the lord. Kenrokuen, which means “having six factors”, was given the name because of the six attributes that bring out the perfect landscape of the garden: spaciousness, tranquility, artifice, antiquity, water cources, and magnificent view from the garden.
There is a stone lantern designed in the image of the Japanese koto (harp) by the pond, which becomes the symbol of Kenrokuen Garden. There is a fountain created using the natural pressure of water flowing from the higher pond.
Visitors can enjoy the beauty of the flowers and trees, such as plum and cherry blossoms in spring, azaleas and irises early in summer, and colorful red and yellow leaves in autumn. Besides, visitors will have a glorious view of seasonal natural beauty including the snow-covered landscape with yukitsuri (literally means snow hanging), which is performed for approximately one month from November 1 every year. This is a method of protecting the branches of the pine trees in the garden with ropes attached in a conical array to the trees in order to prevent the branches from breaking.
The Omi-cho Market was established about the middle of the 18th century. Since then, it has been supporting the gastronomic culture of Kanazawa for more than 280 years. There are as many as 170 stores including vegetable stores that sell unique Kaga vegetables, fruit stores, dried food and marine product stores, grocery stores, and clothing stores besides restaurants.
More than 10 tenants including restaurants and drugstores are in operation in the redevelopment building named Omi-cho Ichibakan.
This is a food market, so be mentally prepared to see a lot of dead animals, as well as fruits and veggies. The fruits and veggies generally have their own sections though, so it’s possible walking around the market without seeing that many animals.
Higashiyama Ginkaku-ji is one of the Tatchu temples of Shokoku. Ginkakuji in the name derived from the Edo era, and it was built with Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Palace, in mind. Ginkaku-ji is called the Silver Pavillion, because like the Golden Palace, the intention was to coat the temple in silver. Howerver, that never came to be, but the name remains.
The mountain villa Higashiyama hall that was built by Yoshimasa Ashikaga of Muromachi shogunate Yashiro Shogun and origin, after the death of Yoshimasa, was named Ginkaku-ji after the Hogo慈照Institute of Yoshimasa become a temple of the Rinzai sect.
Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto was first built in 778.
Since then, it has been supported by huge public devotion as one of the biggest religious symbols. In other words, it has been a spiritual hometown for all Japanese people, which is really unique unlike most other temples in Japan.
The name of Kiyomizu means clear and holy water which has never stoped in the waterfall named Otowa.
Fortunately, the temple is now such a famous tourist spot that there are many visitors not only from Japan but also from all over the world. Hopefully, they have a moment to feel peaceful in their minds and hearts.
