I was both challenged and surprised as a vegan in Japan. Challenged for several reasons, such as; the fruits and vegetables are a lot more expensive there than here in the UK; the language differences makes it incredibly difficult to read ingredients to know if it’s suitable; and some of vegan-friendly foods that we find in the UK that are available in Japan, are not vegan there because they add milk in them. I was lucky to be staying with a friend, who wrote down some useful Kanji characters for me, to try to help me find suitable products, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack most of the time.
There’s also the challenge of the attitude towards animals in Japan. I noticed a lot of things I didn’t like, which ranged from the huge consumption of fish — it’s everywhere — to the blatant disregard for animal welfare.