I popped into Tokyo Edo Street for a flabbergasting carrot cake gooey cookie 🥕 and yuzu jasmine cookie 🍋 The staff were smiley. Fine for breaks or takeaways, the shop is luminous, quiet, and cashless. I'll be back for a sakura-mochi cookie, piña colada scokie (scone/cookie hybrid)… 🍪 #VeganTokyo
Ovgo Baker has 4 locations in Tokyo. You can also find its never-seen-before cookies across Japan, from Hokkaido shops to Oita guesthouses (or order online) 🗾 This company is dedicated to doing good; it even donates food to the Japan Association For Refugees 🫶🏻 #VeganJapan
I discovered Ovgo Baker, a creative B Corp #VeganBakery, in Tokyo. Yuki Mizobuchi founded & named it with "Organic, Vegan, and Gluten-free as Options" in mind. Her team focused on sustainability and inclusion from the start 👍🏻 sebastien-duval.com/ovgo-baker/
Vegan carrot cake gooey cookie with the interior of Ovgo Baker Edo Street bakery in the background. This 3D dessert has a brown crinkled exterior and a white creamy top.
I savoured a flabbergasting vegan carrot cake gooey cookie at Ovgo Baker Edo Street in Tokyo, just after fasting for my free annual health check 🥕 This big 3D dessert with crinkled exterior was delicately crisp and surprisingly spicy 🍪 Go test if you can identify its hidden ingredients! #VeganTokyo
Golden vegan yuzu jasmine cookie on a plate at my home, beside my finger to understand its size.
I just savoured a seasonal gluten-free vegan "yuzu jasmine cookie" takeaway from Ovgo Baker Edo Street in Tokyo 🍋 This large golden snack blending yuzu peels and jasmine tea leaves has a botanical whiff and is delicately crispy 🍪 Wholesome & unique! #VeganJapan #VeganTokyo
Plant-based mentaiko cream pasta at Komeda Is Higashi-Ginza. The yellow creamy pasta is topped with red vegan mentaiko and dark-green stripes of nori seaweed. A tree is visible in the background.
Empty plate: my first vegan mentaiko cream pasta was delicious!
Never eaten before: vegan mentaiko (明太子)! Komeda Is Higashi-Ginza's rare plant-based mentaiko cream pasta was delicious 🍝 Go taste this Japanese savoury spicy red dish with a unique popping texture (originally fish eggs)… 🌶️ Creative & surprising #VeganTokyo #VeganJapan 👍
This forest-like restaurant levels up sustainability with its Reduce/Reuse/Recycle design, walls made from volcanic ashes and coffee, Eco Mark certified discarded-glass floors… ♻️ Certified by the Japan Vegan Society and VegeProject Japan, it's a clean and relaxing space 🌿 #VeganTokyo
The menu at Komeda Is Higashi-Ginza is creative, featuring delicious plant-based mentaiko (🤯) cream pasta 🍝 burgers (miso, teriyaki…) 🍔 pancakes… Even the seasonings are traditionally brewed & aged for deep flavour. #VeganJapan
Looking for a 100% vegan spot in Tokyo? Komeda Is Higashi-Ginza is open from 07:00 to 22:00 near the Kabuki-za theatre 🎭 It's super convenient for any meal, from breakfast to dinner 🌿 Check it out! #VeganRestaurant sebastien-duval.com/komeda-is-hi...
Noodles held by chopsticks above an orange broth with a floating slice of vegan meat.
Empty bowl after eating.
Menu describing the dish in Japanese & English.
Policy of the restaurant: separate cookware for vegan dishes, etc.
A real treat after guiding 11 days, transferring from KIX to Tokyo home: my usual Vegan Paitan Spicy Ramen at Ramen Kiou under Shin-Osaka Station 🍜 You'd love its sumptuous soup 🌶️🌶️! Bowl emptied; no better proof 🙂 Appeasing & energising, quick slurpers, 1680 yen… #VeganOsaka #VeganJapan
Group making maki-zushi, with rice on nori on a bamboo tray.
Traveller making inari-zushi, stuffing fried thin tofu with vinegared rice.
Traveller showing the plate she prepared: maki-zushi (bottom), pickles (top left), and inari-zushi (top right).
Local hoto noodles (top), yuba (middle right), natto with crispy yuba (middle left), tofu (bottom right).
🧵19/ At Kakurinbo on Mount #Minobu for a hands-on #VeganJapan cooking lesson (bento: inari-zushi, maki-zushi, pickles, yuba) then lunch on our work + natto + yuba crisps + amazake ice cream. National award-winner for yuba & pasta, the chef uses Akebono soybeans protected by the Japanese government 👩🍳
🧵18/ Gorgeous weeping cherry tree in full bloom at Kuon-ji temple on Mount #Minobu. Such silence; just a few footsteps on gravel… Local temple stays with English-speaking staff are available (enjoy the morning prayer/chants and Buddhist cuisine) 💡 #CherryBlossoms #Yamanashi #JapanTravel
View of Minobu town in full bloom from Kuon-ji temple.
Pink weeping cherry trees in full bloom, red religious building, and carefully-shaped pine trees at Kuon-ji Buddhist temple.
Me before a gorgeous light-pink weeping cherry tree and a smaller vibrant pink one under a big blue sky that cleared just before our departure from Kuon-ji Buddhist temple.
🧵17/ Dense hour at Kuon-ji (Nichiren Buddhism head temple) on Mount #Minobu: weeping cherry trees in full bloom, #Japan 4th-tallest wooden pagoda, 287 steps (for those motivated), a painted dragon watching you from the ceiling wherever you stand in the main hall, monk chants… #Yamanashi #JapanTravel
🧵16/ Hello #Yamanashi! Arriving on Mount #Minobu as all weeping cherry trees reach full bloom. While Japan is famous for #CherryBlossoms, these cascading branches are a rare ethereal sight 🌸 I've been 20+ years in Japan, yet it's my first time seeing this beauty 🙂 #JapanTravel #sakura
🧵15/ Bye #Shizuoka! Highlight for American vegans, this #wasabi birthplace yields 40% of Japan's #tea 🍵 Japan unifier Tokugawa Ieyasu was both a hostage then retiree in Shizuoka, and the #USA established their first consulate in Japan here in 1856 following gunboat diplomacy with famous black ships.
My feet & legs inside Kyoboku, with water flowing in from stone on the right, with a wooden roof above, and with trees beyond in front of me. Photo taken with special authorization from Shirakabe's manager.
My left foot & leg inside Kyoboku, showing wooden textures and bumps. Photo taken with special authorization from Shirakabe's manager.
Kyoboku bath, with water flowing in from stone at the centre. Photo taken with special authorization from Shirakabe's manager.
Kyoboku bath, with water flowing in from stone at the centre, wooden steps on both sides, and the (pre-)washing area on the left. Photo taken with special authorization from Shirakabe's manager.
🧵14/ Next at #Shizuoka Shirakabe: faeric Kyoboku #rotemburo carved from a 1,200 y.o. African rosewood tree that you can't import anymore. After smooth stone, this bumpy wood felt alive, remarkably warm under my feet. Even the steps are wood! This unique open-air experience combo rejuvenated me ♨️
My legs & feet inside Kyoseki bath, alone, with trees in view, and misty mountains beyond. Photo taken with special authorization from Shirakabe's manager.
Kyoseki bath: water flowing in from a wooden canal on the left, bathing area at the centre, rocky perimeter around, and stone steps leading back to the entrance on the right. Photo taken with special authorization from Shirakabe's manager.
Kyoseki bath area, with green trees and pink flowers on the left, and the 3-ton rock that you'd climb to bath on the right. Photo taken with special authorization from Shirakabe's manager.
Wooden path of the building leading back to the entrance hall, with a garden on the left and water featuring carps in between.
🧵13/ Early morning inside Kyoseki #rotemburo at #Shizuoka Shirakabe. This unique 3-ton bath was carved from a 20-million-year-old volcanic rock polished by river waters. Soaking at 43℃ while watching misty mountains felt exactly like I wanted to be. Perfect silence, just water flowing ♨️ #JapanTravel
Beautiful assortment on a golden plate.
Cherry blossom tofu.
Yellow furofuki-daikon topped by a pink cherry blossom decoration.
Amagi watercress.
🧵12/ Final dinner at #Shizuoka Shirakabe. I'm grateful to the chef for this vegan seasonal dream! Highlights: cherry blossom tofu, Amagi watercress, slowly simmered furofuki-daikon (@miyokoschinner.bsky.social's favourite Japanese dish?), beautiful assortment… Some were flabbergasted ✨ #VeganJapan
Gyokuro tea field.
Teacher during matcha calligraphy.
🧵11/ At #Shizuoka Gyokuro-no-sato, rare #matcha calligraphy met a premium Gyokuro #tea ceremony 🍵 The ink browns over months, making the art feel alive 🖌️ I loved the duo of traditional master in kimono + modern USA-experienced teacher. Great inspiration for the 2027 Green Expo! #JapanTravel
Lunch set with a hot pot (top left) for the udon noodles (centre left).
Menu in English.
Mount Fuji seen from our bus.
🧵10/ Had a lovely local lunch at #Shizuoka Gyokuro-no-sato roadside station! Highlights included matcha buckwheat noodles, matcha warabi-mochi for dessert, and even #matcha salt for the tempura. The hot pot cover looked like Mount Fuji, spotted on the way! Such a #VeganJapan treat 🍵
🧵9/ Soul-stirring Suruga Take-sensuji-zaiku #craft at #Shizuoka Takumishuku 🎋 Watch Master (only 4 worldwide!) Shigeyasu Sugiyama in action. I loved interpreting as he guided our group's hands through delicate bamboo work. "Safe" knife that splits (no cuts); then quite some shopping! #JapanTravel
Shizuoka wasabi on a metallic grater.
Fried tofu with toppings such as ginger.
Entrance of Shirakabe inn, welcoming, relaxing, and warm.
🧵8/ What does your #breakfast look like? Our experience was regional at Shirakabe inn: we grated fresh local #Shizuoka #wasabi to top fried tofu and seasonal sides. As surprising & fun as delicious! Plus, plenty of local green tea (coffee OK too) 🍵 #VeganJapan
Colourful assortment with pickled ginger, shiitake wasabi sake lees, bamboo-leaf-wrapped rice cake, and more.
Konjac (mixed with green laver) sashimi, topped by a radish slice, yellow petals, and pink shiso flowers in the background. Brownish vinegar-miso sauce in the foreground.
Hot pot featuring tokiiro-hiratake pink oyster mushroom on the right.
Ganmodoki fried tofu fritter, topped by a cherry blossom decoration.
🧵7/ Try-wasabi-on-all #vegan spring dinner at #Shizuoka Shirakabe: pickled ginger, shiitake #wasabi sake lees, rice cake in bamboo leaf, konjac/aonori mix sashimi with vinegar-miso sauce, tokiiro-hiratake pink oyster mushroom hot pot, firm/fluffy/savoury ganmodoki fried tofu fritter… #JapanTravel
Whisky-flavoured tea in a cup plus package.
Chopsticks holding brewed tea leaves, dipped in salt, near red pickled plum and dark-orange ponzu alternatives.
Tea field.
English-speaking staff with local guide at the tea factory.
🧵6/ From #whisky flavour #tea to eating brewed leaves with pickled plum, salt or ponzu (delicious & no waste!), #Shizuoka Tea Farm Hajimari-no-kocha was a first for me in several ways. They overcame record summer heat to harvest in 5 weeks. Lovely English-speaking staff too! #JapanTravel
Smoky eggplant with pink shiso flowers, with a paired tea.
Steamed farm-fresh lotus and other veggies with salt & kombu mix, with another paired tea.
Hot pot containing tofu above a flame.
Crunchy vegetables: green cucumber, white radish, orange carrot… in piled ice.
🧵5/ Tasty seasonal #vegan lunch at #Shizuoka Nasu-no-hana Muan! Highlights: smoky eggplant with pink shiso flowers, steamed farm-fresh lotus and other veggies with salt & kombu mix (my first time!). Hot pot, crunchy raw, sushi, and Japanese tea pairings hit all senses… You’d love this #VeganJapan 🍆
Tea master with 4 teas of different colours.
Tiny cup containing green tea leaves and one ice cube.
Tiny cup containing green tea leaves and one ice cube, with my pressing thumb melting it.
Tea master roasting tea.
🧵4/ Fascinating lunch in #Shizuoka at Nasu-no-hana Muan! 7 vegan courses with tea pairings + tea master seminar 🍵 After 20 years in Japan, 15 as guide, I lived a first: #tea served with one ice cube but no water! Pressing to melt it yields amazing, evolving flavours… A true hidden #JapanTravel gem 👍🏻
Miyoko Schinner speaking on the bus.
🧵3/ Just hours (night + breakfast) in Tokyo… then chartered bus to #Shizuoka countryside, with everyone's self-introduction, my intro of Japan's history and international relationships, and #vegan leader @miyokoschinner.bsky.social's fascinating life summary beside Mount Fuji 🙂
Sébastien Duval beside a Super Mario wall at Narita Airport.
🧵2/ After welcoming travellers at Narita Airport, we crossed #Chiba to reach their hotel 🚌 Japan's top producer of #vegetables, this prefecture fed distant Kyoto a millennium ago, avoided post-WW2 food shortages & starvation, and is famous for #peanuts (as butter, mixed with miso…) 🥜
🧵1/ 20~30 March: I'm guiding & storytelling for 21 #vegan gourmets from France, Mexico & USA across blooming Japanese countryside 🌸 Suruga, Minobu, Kaga-onsen… A community concept with ZERO metropolis visits 🗾 Proud to make #JapanTravel more inclusive, revitalising and transformational 💚 #VeganJapan
🧵5/ The organizers will invite in 2026 (1) #TravelAgents from EU & USA to develop historical trail walking and stays for high-end travelers and (2) #Writers, #Journalists & #Influencers to test Edo Shogun Roads & Green tours. For a feel, watch www.youtube.com/@aroundtokyo... #JapanTravel
