Krish's Veggie Travels

Category: Uncategorized

  • Visiting an onsen in Kyoto, Japan (Dec 24)

    After coming across some YouTube videos about onsens (hot springs and bathing facilities found around Japan) prior to my trip to Japan in December 2023, visiting an onsen was on my list of things to do. However, I never ended up actually going. I guess this was because the idea of being completely naked around strangers in a public setting was a bit out of my comfort zone and wasn’t something I’d ever done before!

    On my second trip to Japan, I was keen to visit an onsen and overcome my fears, which I knew were just inside of my head. Whilst in Osaka, I was suggested a tattoo-friendly onsen located in Kyoto by another solo traveller I met. Many onsens are known to not be tattoo-friendly, as in Japan there’s an association between tattoos and the Yakuza. Therefore, locals and visitors that have tattoos, such as this friend, usually have to seek out an onsen that is tattoo-friendly. Although, I do not have any tattoos, I liked the idea of going to a onsen that was tattoo friendly. 

    My next stop after Osaka was Kyoto, and at this point I still wasn’t too sure if I’d go ahead with my plan to visit an onsen. However, on my first night in Kyoto I met someone who on the previous night had visited the same tattoo-friendly onsen that I was suggested back in Osaka, and he was planning on going again tonight. Before I knew it, we made a plan to visit together, and I felt a lot more comfortable with the idea of visiting with another foreigner who already knew the protocol for using the onsen. 

    Umeyu Onsen, Kyoto

    Thanks to my friend Ren for sharing the above photo with me as I didn’t manage to take any!

    The name of the onsen is Umeyu, and is located in the Shimogyo Ward of Kyoto, very close to the hostel where I was staying. Once entering, I paid the cost of 510 yen to use the onsen, before leaving my shoes in the locker. I was also given laminated instructions on how to use the onsen. I used this, along with the guidance of the French guy I was visiting with, to follow the protocol.

    After placing my shoes in the locker, we entered the male section of the onsen into a room where we got undressed and placed our belongings into another locker. Following this, we moved on to the next section – the onsen. The onsen was a large room, with around 3-4 baths on the left side, with a row of taps and cleaning tools along the right-hand side wall. On the rear end was a sauna on the left, with another bath on the right. 

    The first step was to find a stool, sit down and have a thorough wash with the shower gel, shampoo etc that was provided – and when I say “thorough” I mean “THOROUGH”! Once finished, we proceeded to enjoy the hot baths. The last time I’d done something similar was in Budapest, Hungary back in 2019, which was a very different experience as we were not fully naked and the location we visited was full of tourists, whereas this felt like more of a “local” experience. 

    The hot baths obviously were very hot and I initially found it difficult to submerge myself to shoulder level, but as the water in the different baths were of different temperatures, I would spend a few minutes in one before switching to another. 

    A picture I took of a Christmas decoration right outside the onsen

    Electric Bath and Cold Bath

    The friend that had suggested this onsen, also talked about it having an “electric bath.” At the time I wasn’t too sure what this was, naively thinking it might refer to the fact that the bath has stylish LED lights or something along those lines. This electric bath was situated near the entrance in a small corner, and I learnt from the French guy explained to me that “electric bath” actually refers to the tiny electric shocks that the water gives you!! Yes, you heard that right! After seeing the look on my face, he assured me that it “feels good” and I had nothing to be scared about. And he was right! I stepped into the tiny bath, and immediately felt pleasurable electric shocks pulsate through my body. I’ve always had a strong fear of electrocution, but this was a lot of fun, and I returned to the electric bath at least 3-4 times during my evening at the onsen. 

    The bath on the far end of the onsen next to the sauna is actually a cold bath. Well, more like freezing cold bath. I was hesitant about this, and initially only dipped my leg in, but as the evening went on, I gradually became more open to submerging myself in the cold bath. By the end of the night, I’d entered the cold bath multiple times, staying in for approximately 10 minutes at a time. There was an unfamiliar but nice feeling of transitioning from the initially uncomfortable few seconds after first entering the cold bath, to eventually experiencing a sense of peacefulness, and wanting to keep still as to not disrupt the stability and calmness I’d found in the freezing cold water – its a difficult feeling to describe! 

    Sauna

    The sauna, although a fun experience, was definitely difficult for me to tolerate for long periods. The first time I entered I sat down on the wooden bench but within a few seconds I realised that everyone else was sat on a blue pad. Once noticing this, I exited the sauna, found the basket of blue pads and washed one with the water from the cold bath like I saw others doing – I guess this was to help make sitting on the bench a little more tolerable, and possibly also for hygiene reasons (bum sweat, ew). Whilst others in the sauna looked like they were spending 5, 10 and even 15 minutes plus in the sauna, I could only tolerate it for a few minutes at a time. I’d also like to think that as this was my first time in an onsen, and I’d only visited a sauna maybe 2-3 times in my lifetime, I’d be able to build a tolerance (for lack of a better word) and have a more enjoyable experience if I was visiting more frequently. 

    Some of the guys in the sauna were sat in a typical meditating position/pose, and I could see why. Although at times I’d be glancing at the timer in the corner so I could get to the 5 minute mark and exit the sauna, at other times I’d also get lost in the moment and find myself in a meditation mind space.

    Reflection

    After approximately 2 hours in the onsen, we dried off, retrieved our belongings and exited. Overall this was a really fun experience that I’m glad I threw myself into. The first 5-10 minutes, especially whilst sat down butt-naked on the stool cleaning myself, felt the strangest, but very soon after I became at ease. I quickly realised that in the same way I don’t care about the fact that there other naked guys around me, they probably also don’t care about me. There were still moments where I felt slightly conscious, especially because I was the only South-Asian person in the onsen (until towards the end of my time there when another South Asian guy entered) and everyone else was Caucasian or Asian. However, this isn’t a comment on the rest of the people at the onsen, but rather something in my own head. I also feel like after visiting an onsen a few times, I’d probably become less conscious, and be able to be present in and enjoy the moment more.

    Unfortunately I wasn’t able to visit another onsen on this brief trip, but I would definitely like to check out other onsens, including at a ryokan, on my next trip to Japan. 

    PS: if you end up visiting an onsen, make sure to bring some cold drinking water – I forgot to!

  • Tokyo (Dec 2024)

    Tokyo was my last stop at the end of the 1.5 month Asia trip and I surprised myself by falling in love with Tokyo despite it being my least favourite of the 3 big cities on my previous Japan trip!

    Sadly I didn’t have a lot of time in Tokyo, but I’m even more excited to return to this exciting city in the near future. As with Kyoto and Osaka, I also had a great experience with food, being able to try a couple of new dishes, as well as return to some familiar favourites.

    A5 Wagyu Yakiniku Panga (Vegetarian & vegan options)

    One of the downsides being a vegetarian or vegan in a place like Japan is having to find restaurants that cater specifically to vegans/vegetarians, as many Japanese restaurants won’t have any or many suitable options on their menus. This means that when travelling with meat eaters, I often have to find somewhere different to eat lunch/dinner. As well as this, it makes it hard or impossible to experience Japanese experiences such as eating at a Yakiniku restaurant.

    Therefore, I was ecstatic to find that the menu of A5 Wagyu Yakiniku Panga had vegetarian options available! This meant that I was able to see how a yakiniku style restaurant works, but still enjoy vegetarian dishes on the side. At this restaurant, there were a few Korean dishes that are vegetarian and/or vegan – I had bibimbap and Korean pancakes. I also appreciated that the servers understood the concept of vegetarianism, as after ordering they asked me if I was okay with seafood, and when I said I wasn’t, they said they would have the pancakes made without fish. The Korean pancakes in particular were delicious!

    Izakaya Masaka 

    You can’t talk about vegan and vegetarian food in Tokyo without mentioning this plant based heaven, situated in Shibuya Parco Mall! This was the first restaurant I visited in Tokyo on my last trip, and the vegan karaage easily stood out as one of the best things I ate on my 6 week East Asia trip. So obviously I had to return on my second trip to Tokyo.

    There is a huge variety of plant based dishes that you can order from the tablet you’re provided once being seated. There’s also a few variations of the vegan karaage, each one having a different sauce drizzled over them. From my memory, there’s a teriyaki option, one with a spicy mayo which is what I think I ordered and is pictured, as well as a tartar sauce one. The karaage are perfectly crispy on the outside, with a juicy and soft texture on the inside. I also ordered the mapo tofu, which I wasn’t a huge fan of, as well as crispy mushrooms. I definitely ordered too much food – the plates look small but every dish is extremely filling!

    I actually returned to Izakaya Masaka for a second time on this trip on my final evening in Tokyo. This time I ordered just the karaage, and also tried some of the “shrimp” that a friend of mine that I met at the restaurant had ordered. The texture of the “shrimp” reminded me of Korean teokbokki, but I have to say I wasn’t a fan.

    I only ordered the karaage as I wanted to have it as an appetiser before checking out a vegan ramen restaurant also situated in the basement food court of Shibuya Parco. My friend had reccomended this spot to me on my last trip to Tokyo, and even as a meat eater, he couldn’t stop praising the vegan ramen, so I knew I had to check it out.

    Jisakei Mensho (vegan options).

    My friend and I headed straight from Izakaya Masaka to Jisakei Mensho, where we ordered a bowl of vegan tantanmen ramen each from the screen, before queuing up with out ticket. We both absolutely LOVED the ramen. Each spoonful of the rich and flavoursome broth was a treat, complemented by minced soy meat.

    This restaurant also serves meat options too, but I think even meat eaters should try the vegan tantanmen – I’m fairly certain it could open people’s eyes into what vegan Japanese food has to offer!

    CoCo Curry Ichibanya

    After having a fun time at TeamLabs BorderIess, I stopped at CoCo Curry, which I talk about in a little bit more depth in my Osaka Dec 2024 post, for a delicious dinner. I love the familiarity and customisability of CoCo Curry, and all the branches I’ve been to have had a vegan/vegetarian curry option.

    At this branch, there was even garlic naan and cheese naan available, which is something I’d not seen at any of the many branches of CoCo curry that I’ve visited in Japan! Unfortunately they were sold out, but I’m looking forward to hopefully trying it in the future. Also, I mixed the spicy garlic I ordered with my French fries, which created a delicious dish similar to chilli chips, which is common in Indo Chinese restaurants in the UK.

    Overall, I had a really fantastic time in Tokyo, and I can’t wait to return to try some more vegan/vegetarian spots, as well as return to my favourites. See you soon Japan 🙂

  • Osaka (Dec 2024)

    Clearly I fell in love with Japan that I had to return so soon after my first visit, but I didn’t realise how much I missed small things such as the aroma of Japanese cuisine and the sounds of the doors to Family Mart opening, until I was walking the streets of Osaka to get to my hostel.

    Curry House CoCo Ichibanya (Vegetarian)

    One place I could rely on for great Japanese curry is Coco Curry Ichibanya – a chain of casual restaurants serving Japanese curries including a dedicated vegetarian curry. At least in the 3 big cities, I’ve usually been able to find a branch no further than 20 mins away from me wherever I am, and many of these branches stay open till pretty late, making it a reliable spot for all times of the day, even after a night out.

    The great thing about Coco Curry is how customisable it is. From the spice level to the sweetness to the toppings – you can choose your curry to be exactly how you like it. You can choose from level 1 to level 20 for the spice, and after my visit I realised that even as an Indian person who prides myself on being able to tolerate the spiciest of foods, a spice level of around 5 is probably the max I could go without shedding a tear or two. I usually go for spice level 3 because I like to get a portion of spicy garlic with my curry which provides its own garlicky kick. I’m a HUGE cheese lover, so I also love being able to add not just a single, but a DOUBLE portion of cheese to my curry! 

    Vegan Ramen by Playpen Friends

    I have to be honest and say that on my last trip to Japan, I didn’t exactly love the ramen I had. I thought this may be a combination of the fact that I prefer dishes that are more rich in flavour, and the bowls of ramen I’d had definitely lacked that, and also the fact that maybe ramen is a dish that is meant to be enjoyed by meat eaters. This was until I had a bowl of vegan ramen at Wagamama’s at Gatwick Airport before my departure to Vietnam in Nov ’24. And I know chain restaurants get a lot of flack for not being authentic, but it was a really tasty and hearty bowl of ramen, which I think made me more open to trying some more ramen on this second Japan trip.

    I came across this restaurant on Happy Cow, which seemed highly popular for vegans. There were maybe 3 vegan ramen options on the menu and I chose Syoyu Tonkotsu Ramen. It was absolutely delicious – oishi katta des! It was creamy, rich in flavour and loaded with both tofu and minced soy meat. I really appreciate when there’s soy meat or something similar in a vegan/veg alternative of not just Japanese dishes, but any dish that is typically not vegetarian or vegan friendly, as it feels like effort has gone into actually creating a dish with a good level of protein and something a bit more filling. It also helps to make me feel like I’m eating something closer to the traditional cuisine. Like most places I’ve visited in Japan, customer service was also excellent here, and I’ll be sure to return on my next trip!

    Yabar – Chiangmai Curry Ramen

    One of my all time favourite dishes is Chiang Mai Khao Soi – I fell in love with the dish when I first had it in Chiang Mai, Thailand a couple of years ago, and since then, its a dish I actively seek out wherever I’m travelling. On this occasion, I did not seek it out and I stumbled across a sign for a Japanese take on Chiang Mai Khao Soi – it’s like the heavens were calling out to me!! Of course I had to go inside and check out this bar/cafe. I was greeted by the friendly chef/bartender who was happy to make me a bowl of vegetarian Chiangmai Curry Ramen – which just meant without chicken/meat. In a Thai restaurant that serves Khao Soi, occasionally you can have it with tofu, but even when you can’t, the dish is still delicious.

    In this case, the difference between Chiangmai Curry Ramen and typical Khao Soi was that the egg noodles were replaced with ramen noodles. The broth was still very creamy and rich, which is what makes Khao Soi so yummy to me, and of course complemented by a garnish of crispy noodles. This was unexpected and a real treat – my favourite dish in my favourite city!

    Khao Soi is typically vegan like many Thai dishes, but I’m not sure if at this specific place it was vegan or just vegetarian.

    Osaka is famous for its street food, which you’ll find plenty of in Dotonbori. I didn’t get to try much street food on this trip, but I did on my last, as well as a few more vegan/vegetarian restaurants and cafes. I’ll try to write about that at some point too. Overall, Osaka is a vibrant and friendly city with a very edgy vibe and a fun shopping district. I had great culinary experiences on both of my trips to Osaka, and I can imagine it would only get better for vegans and vegetarians in the future!