teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM, located in Toyosu, Tokyo, have completed the refurbishment of their outdoor food stand, opening Vegan Ramen UZU Tokyo on October 8 2021. The new shop allows customers to eat vegan ramen from Kyoto in a new art space from teamLab. In addition, the teamLab Flower Shop & Art will be opening, a shop where customers can purchase orchids previously used in one of the group’s art pieces to take home with them. 

Menu

Vegan Ramen Flower (Cool): ¥1,980 (Tax Incl.)

Vegan Ramen Tea: ¥1,650 (Tax Incl.)

Vegan Ramen Soy Sauce: ¥1,320 (Tax Incl.)

Vegan Ramen Miso (Spicy): ¥1,320 (Tax Incl.)

Newly Released Works

Reversible Rotation – Non-Objective Space, teamLab, 2021

Table of Sky and Fire, teamLab Architects, 2021

Floating Flower Garden: Flower, Myself and Cognate, Garden and Myself as One

teamLab Planets Original Tote Bag

The menu at Vegan Ramen UZU uses no animal products like meat or fish, instead condensing the taste of vegetables into a delicious ramen that you can enjoy in a space designed by teamLab. Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto first opened in March 2020 to great popularity, with many customers queuing for over an hour to get inside the store. 

At the new Tokyo store, customers can enjoy a bowl of vegan ramen while enjoying teamLab’s latest art installations, the Non-Objective Space and the Table of Sky and Fire.

Not only that, you can also take home some of the orchids used in the Floating Flower Garden: Flower, Myself and Cognate, Garden and Myself as One exhibit that was held from July 2, along with a section of teamLab merchandise such as stickers, patches, postcards, and more, at the newly opened teamLab Flower Shop & Art store.

Look forward to tasting this healthy ramen while immersed in an artistic space!

Shibuya LOFT opened its new ‘2foods’ cafe on April 15 which serves junk food healthily.

2foods uses absolutely no eggs or milk in their menu – everything is plant based and healthy, making it a haven for vegan foodies, especially in Japan where there aren’t as many vegan places as other countries. What’s better is that everything’s reasonably priced too. There are around 60 menu items to choose from, like curry and soba as well as desserts, organic coffees and lattes, cold pressed juice, and more.

Artist’s rendition of the cafe

Curry | ¥1,023 (Tax Included)

A hearty and spicy curry served with brown rice which is better for digestion.

Tantanmen Ramen | ¥968 (Tax Included) | Shibuya LOFT exclusive

A ramen soup with 100% gluten free rice flour noodles, soy milk, sesame seeds, peanuts, soy meat, and other healthy and natural ingredients.

Egg Doughnut Sandwich | ¥528 (Tax Included)

A vegan egg sandwich that doesn’t use eggs but tastes just like them.

Gateau Chocolate | ¥528 (Tax Included)

A rich chocolate gateau made with brown rice powder and soy cream.

Ginza Mitsukoshi is welcoming a limited-time vegan dessert shop by the name of ‘the vegan marshmallooow’ which is open from April 1 to June 30. This shop is known amongst the vegan community in Japan for its vegan cakes, and due to that positive response, is now opening its first long-term promotional pop-up shop in collaboration with Mitsukoshi Isetan Group.

Online orders opened at Mitsukoshi Isetan on March 27 with a delicious line-up that includes their signature vegan chocolate cake.

A look at just some of the mouth-watering line-up

Chocolate Cake

Their number one most popular order: a gorgeously gluten-free mirror cake made with rich chocolate.

<NEW> Whole Fruit Cake

For those who like something a little more fruity and refreshing, this juicy cake is topped with assorted fruits like setoka orange, peach, kiwi, blueberry, strawberry, and more. The gluten-free sponge and soy cream give it a light texture that’s also rich.

<NEW> Special Chocolate Cake Slice

An exquisite three-layered version of the shop’s iconic chocolate make made with plant-based ingredients. Its triple tier is formed harmoniously of sponge, chocolate mousse, and cream. A single serving for a single sweet tooth.

Strawberry Shortcake

Two moist layers of gluten-free strawberry sponge with a soy milk base. Smooth, creamy, light, and delicious.

Mont Blanc

This mont blanc is specially made with Japanese chestnuts. The addition of soy cream elevates the nutty flavour throughout. A crunchy tart and fluffy sponge also makes for a textural sensation.

the vegan marshmallooow’s vegan cake now available online at Mitsukoshi Isetan

Vegan Chocolate Cake Set (3 Pieces)

Japanese aromatic raw chocolate brand MAISON CACAO is launching a new Kamakura-based brand called Shiki to Maison (“Four Seasons & Maison”) which will feature chocolates that capture the events and culture found throughout the four seasons in Japan.

The first entries to the series are cherry blossom chocolates which are available from March 26 to April 4, as well as cherry blossom drink which can be enjoyed on March 27 and 28.

Aroma Raw Chocolate SAKURA ¥2,200 / Cacao Vinegar Soda SAKURA ¥550 (Before Tax)

Aroma Raw Chocolate SAKURA

Indulge in a box of these luxury cherry blossom chocolates which are made with 100% cacao powder which have a refreshing white chocolate aftertaste. The chocolates are made with cherry blossom as well as a fresh cream laced with salt-pickled cherry blossom. They also include a paste made from liquid drawn from cherry blossom petals. It’s a taste of Japanese spring with every bite.

Cacao Vinegar Soda SAKURA

This springtime beverage includes a cacao vinegar made from cacao pulp and is coupled with fragrant cherry blossom. This one is available at the Komachi and Cacao Hanare branches as well as at CHOCOLATE BANK.

The beloved takeout bakery The Little BAKERY Tokyo, which is just down the road from another of Harajuku’s popular eateries THE GREAT BURGER, has undergone refurbishment to add a brand new eat-in space. The site reopened on March 22 as a bakery and cafe.

A tasty new eat-in menu

Crushed Avocado Toast | ¥1,250 (Before Tax)

Homemade Maple Granola | ¥1,350 (Before Tax)

New York Pizza (Pepperoni Slice) | ¥1,000 (Before Tax)

Classic Ham, Egg, & Cheddar Cheese Sandwich | ¥1,500 (Before Tax)

Apple Gorgonzola Cheddar Cheese Sandwich | ¥1,450 (Before Tax)

Bread loaves and takeout goodies

Red Bean Paste & Butter Ball | ¥420

Hokkaido Yotsuha Butter Croissaint | ¥260

Custard Pudding | ¥550

Hokkaido Brioche Loaf – Whole ¥580, Half ¥320 / Hokkaido Whole Wheat Loaf – Whole ¥560, Half ¥300 / Hokkaido Milk Loaf – Whole ¥580, Half ¥320 (Before Tax)

The new eat-in menu features a range of irresistibles like vegan-friendly avocado toast, homemade granola topped with fresh fruits and Greek yogurt, a selection of sandwiches made with homemade brioche toast, New York-style, pizza, and more.

Takeout options includes all the classics like bread loaves, sweet custard pudding, soft and crispy croissants, and so on.

There are around 30 baked delights to pick from at The Little BAKERY Tokyo all of which are made using flour from Hokkaido and natural yeast. All items on the menu are made fresh in-house every day, all ingredients from the salt and sugar to the eggs and more are domestic, and all ingredients are sourced sustainably and locally. The bakery also caters to all needs from those with food restrictions and allergies as well as a fantastic vegan menu which replaces animal products like eggs and butter with soy milk and grapeseed oil.

They even sell American-style doughnuts from the doughnut brand GOOD TOWN DOUGHNUTS who are inspired by doughnuts from Brooklyn. There’s around 20-30 to choose from, all colourful and all used with natural ingredients like fruit – none of the bad additives. Of course, there’s vegan doughnuts too, so if you’re struggling to find vegan food in Tokyo, you know where to go.

One worry in the bakery industry is that of leftover stock. But The Little BAKERY Tokyo has a solution for that: by wrapping up their pastries and baked foods and selling them as ‘DAY OLD BREAD’ on their online shop so nothing goes to waste, something which has received huge praise from people across Japan.

Spring has arrived at TREE by NAKED Yoyogi Park, a cafe run by NAKED that’s located in Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo. On Monday, the cafe launched a seasonal menu which incorporates a variety of spring flowers like cherry blossoms, showy’s baby breath from Kumamoto, keiou-zakura from Yamagata, and more.

TREE by NAKED Yoyogi Park first opened in July 2017. It’s an experience-based art restaurant where customers can enjoy Japan’s latest cutting edge technology and next-generation gastronomy. Its popularity has risen rapidly, earning itself a reputation for offering an experience that stimulates all five of the senses, as well as for its photogenic interior decor.

With the pandemic restricting travel in Japan, people are unable to visit places far away across the country, and so the cafe is bringing a little bit of different places around Japan, namely their flowers, in collaboration with JA Kumamoto Uki and JA Yamagata.

Kumamoto is the only place in Japan that grows show’s baby breath. They are raised with the prefecture’s rich water and soil to blossom beautiful white and pink. These flowers can not only be enjoyed at TREE by NAKED Yoyogi Park as decorations, but customers can actually buy a bouquet of them too. Thanks to the skills of producers, the flowers can be grown out of season over a long period running from December to April, allowing people to enjoy their gorgeous springtime hues even if it’s not spring.

Açaí Lemonade – Eat In ¥825 / Takeout ¥810

Cherry Blossom & Strawberry Nicecream – Eat In ¥770 / Takeout ¥756

“Power & Healthly” are the concepts for the lunch and cafe-time menu which includes both food and drink. The cafe’s popular homemade açaí lemonade has been turned into a springtime version with fresh cherry blossom petals. There’s also a vegan-friendly ice cream made with banana, avocado, soy milk, and a blend of strawberry and cherry blossom. It has a slight salt tang to it.

Vegan Cherry Blossom Latte – Eat In ¥770 / Takeout ¥756

Vegan Avocado & Sprout Sandwich – Eat In ¥1,100 / Takeout ¥1,080

The cafe’s popular cherry blossom latte from last year returns with a soy milk base. There’s also sandwiches, including a vegan one fried in coconut oil.

Strawberry Mille-Feuille – Eat In ¥1,650

The cafe’s strawberry mille-feuille is so popular that they have to make a limited batch each day. It’s even been featured on Instagram. With the strawberry season here, customers can enjoy fresh whole strawberries topping their dessert.

The cafe will also be running an evening cafe and bar experience with a range of desserts, food, and alcohol.

FRUITS IN LIFE is a new fruit juice bar and deli set to open in Tokyo Midtown on March 2, 2021. The eatery will serve up a fruity vegan menu.

Slow Juice (6 Flavours) | ¥850 Each (Before Tax)

Smoothies (11 Flavours) | Medium ¥550, Large ¥700 (Before Tax)

Fruful 200 Set | ¥1,250 (Before Tax)

Smoothie Parfaits: Avocado & Banana ¥1,000 (Before Tax) / Amaou Strawberry ¥1,250 (Before Tax)

FRUITS IN LIFE opens its first branch in Tokyo Midtown

Enjoy 200g of fresh fruits with Fruful 200

The menu is entirely plant-based ranging from smoothies and cold press slow juices to avocado toast made with a 100% whole wheat focaccia, the rice paper-wrapped salad baton filled with fruit and veg, and more. The lunch menu also includes the one plate Fruful 200 Set which contains 200g of fruits, and more. There’s also fruit desserts like jelly and smoothie parfaits. The Avocado Banana Parfait is packed with vitamins and over 200g of fruits, is only 438ml, and is low in calories.

BOTANIST’s flagship shop BOTANIST Tokyo will be serving up a special Northern European-themed holiday season menu at its second floor BOTANIST Cafe from October 31, 2020. The line-up is made with the wish in mind that everyone can live with hope in mind as we draw closer to the end of 2020 and ready for the start of the New Year.

Holiday Menu

All food on the seasonal holiday menu is vegan and promised to be filling, delicious, and healthy.

White Mushroom & Meatball Pasta | ¥1,250 (Tax Included)

A vegan pasta with must-have meatballs covered in a lip-smacking tomato sauce. The pasta is made from rice flour.

Shiitake Patty & Shimeji Sauce Hamburger | ¥1,500 (Tax Included)

A vegan burger with a patty made from shiitake mushrooms and doused in an aromatic shimeji mushroom sauce. It’s served with hot hasselback potatoes which are seen in the cuisine of North Europe as well as cauliflower.

Five Mushroom Soy Potage | ¥510 (Tax Included)

A rich potage made from five varieties of mushroom including shiitake, eryngii, shimeji, and hen-of-the-wood. It has a full-bodied flavour and is nothing short of delicious.

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Vegan Doughnut Holiday Cake | ¥600 (Tax Included)

A Christmas cake where you can pick two vegan doughnuts from a selection of flavours. It’s filled with soy cream which goes perfectly with the chewy rice flour doughnuts.

Christmas Set To Go

Christmas Set To Go: ¥2,200 (Tax Included) / Uber Eats: ¥2,600 (Tax Included)

A Christmas set that can be ordered to go or via Uber Eats. Perfect for get-togethers with friends and families.

BOTANIST Botanical Winter Coffret

BOTANIST Botanical Winter Coffret (Premium Hair Care Set) | ¥8,690 (Tax Included)

At BOTANIST Tokyo’s first floor shop, they have announced the release of a new hair care collection called BOTANIST Botanical Winter Coffret which will hit shelves on October 31, 2020.

BOTANIST Tokyo’s vegan winter menu will arrive on October 31, 2020 which is the final day of their vegan autumn menu. Check out their autumn food line-up here.

BOTANIST Tokyo, the flagship shop of BOTANIST in Harajuku/Omotesando, has revealed a new limited-time autumn vegan menu which will be served on the 2nd floor BOTANIST Café from September 5 to October 30.

BOTANIST Café has been serving vegan food since September 2018, with meals and desserts made healthy and delicious. Vegan food is hard to come by in Japan, but restaurants and new establishments are beginning to cater to the vegan lifestyle.

This year’s limited-time autumn menu is being served to promote the launch of BOTANIST’s new vegan line of hair care products. There are two hot soups to choose from as well as three desserts—the sweet treats being the “Banana & Chamomile Pound Cake” made without butter, the rich-tasting “Melt-In-The-Mouth Tiramisu,” and the “Sweet Potato Mont Blanc” which is made with whole sweet potatoes.

VEGAN MENU – AUTUMN

Banana & Chamomile Pound Cake | ¥1,000 (Tax Inclusive) *Drink included

Made with sweet ripe bananas and laced with chamomile, this pound cake brings the autumn vibes with the mix of walnuts and finished with smooth soy cream.

Sweet Potato Mont Blanc | ¥500 (Tax Inclusive)

This velvety mont blanc is like you’re eating a sweet potato as it is. It’s spread with lumps of adzuki beans for added texture.

Melt-In-The-Mouth Tiramisu | ¥650 (Tax Inclusive)

The name of this dessert speaks for itself. It’s made with fairtrade coffee beans – and cream cheese which perfectly balances out the bitterness of the coffee flavour.

Sweet Potato Soy Potage | ¥510 (Tax Inclusive)

A rich, melty potage with a smooth texture and subtle sweet after taste. The black pepper adds a delicious bite.

Pumpkin Soy Potage | | ¥510 (Tax Inclusive)

Made using a whole pumpkin, this hearty potage is a perfect combination of bitterness from the pumpkin skin and the natural sweetness from the pumpkin itself. For an extra ¥160 you can order some bread for dipping.

Japanese cafe Komachi Chaya and bakery, cafe and restaurant Dear Bread Kamakura have collaborated to release 10 cool shaved ice flavours at i-ZA Kamakura, a shopping centre that’s just a 1-minute walk from Komachi Street in Kamakura.

10 Tasty Shaved Ice Recipes Combining Japanese & Western Flavours

Komachi Chaya, which is located on the 2nd floor of i-ZA Kamakura, has a diverse line-up including a hydrangea-inspired shaved ice. All of their options are made using in-house made syrup. Dear Bread Kamakura, which is located on the 1st floor of i-ZA Kamakura, is introducing a rich new shaved ice made using specially-made foam.

Hydrangea: ¥1,420 / With Rice Flour Dumpling Ice Cream ¥1,630 (Tax Included)

This vivid blue shaved ice is inspired by Kamakura’s famous hydrangea flowers. It comes with lemon syrup which changes the shaved ice into a beautiful purple. You can pick two syrups from six to combine and create new and tasty flavours.

Whole Strawberry Sagahonoka: ¥1,100 / With Rice Flour Dumpling Ice Cream ¥1,310 (Tax Included)

The Sagahonoka has a super sweet taste and is made with an unheated strawberry syrup. It’s topped with fat and juicy strawberries and served with condensed milk.

Komachi Chaya is serving a total of 7 flavours. As well as the ones above, there’s an Uji matcha flavour, a plum pick made from two types of plums, and more.

Strawberry Milk Foam: ¥1,200 (Before Tax)

Dear Bread Kamakura’s shaved ices are made using foam. The strawberry one is made using in-house strawberry syrup and is topped with milk foam, giving it a cute appearance like light snowfall. The combination of strawberry and cream also gives it a taste similar to shortcake.

Brown Sugar Syrup Matcha: ¥1,200 (Before Tax)

Doused in a rich and sweet brown sugar syrup and covered in a matcha flavoured foam made with Uji matcha from Kyoto, this fluffy shaved ice has a slight bitter bite from the matcha which is balanced against the sweet syrup and red bean paste.

Dear Bread Kamakura will also serve a mango flavour made with two different homemade syrups instead of foam.

i-ZA Kamakura is maintaining social distancing measures as a precaution against COVID-19. The shopping complex has expanded its wooden deck terrace seating area as well as its eating-in space so customers can feel at ease.

TOKYO BANANA WORLD released a new vegan-friendly almond caramel flavour of its popular Tokyo Banana sponge cakeーthe official souvenir sweet of Tokyoーat the TOKYO BANANA store on the JR side of Tokyo Station on March 15, 2020.

This is TOKYO BANANA’s first vegan-friendly sweet. It’s made from 100% plant-based ingredients while keeping 100% of the product’s delicious flavour. That includes almond milk, which is promoted for its health and beauty benefits, and delicious caramel.

TOKYO BANANA Almond Caramel Sandwiches – Box of 4: ¥680 (Tax Included) / Box of 8: ¥1,200 (Tax Included)

Other ingredients include beat sugar, which is made from beetroot, a subtle banana flavour, and crunchy roasted almonds, all wrapped together in a bite-size sponge cake.

The product is both vegan and vegetarian friendly, containing no eggs or dairy products.

This tasty snack is available only at TOKYO BANANA in Tokyo Station, so be sure to pop buy and pick some up if you’re travelling through there.

HealthyTOKYO is set to open as the first shop in Japan specialising in the selling of CBD oil, and it’s doing so in Harajukuーone of Tokyo’s most famous towns that’s at the forefront of trends and pop culture. It is both a shop and a cafe.

CBD oil has seen a spike in sales over the past year. Made from hemp, research shows that there are many health benefits to using CBD. The main gains are from helping reduce stress, relieving pain, improving sleep, and helping prevent skin inflammation.

CBD is used by mixing it with food or drink. It’s also been recognised as having an effect as an ingredient in cosmetics and creams. While CBD oil is legal in Japan, the country’s law is strict when it comes to traces of THC, and so only allows oils with 0%.

As well as the oil itself, HealthyTOKYO will also stock a variety of vegan sweets and drinks containing CBD. The food line-up includes vegan-friendly cheesecake, mont blanc, and gateau chocolate, as well as gluten-free lasagne, amongst many other things. For drinks, there’s a variety of organic matcha, coffee, and more. A lot of these foods and drinks can be ordered with CBD oil too.

HealthyTOKYO brand CBD products all use naturally derived CBD oil, and the shop offers degrees of strength and different flavours too. They sell cosmetics, creams, and other products too.

If you’ve been looking for CBD while in Japan, or even vegan-friendly or gluten-free foods, then make sure you pay a visit to the country’s first CBD shop and cafe in Harajuku.