This study aims to investigate the practice of vegetarianism in Japan through informal interviews with Taiwanese vegetarians who had visited Japan on self-catering trips. The interviews reveal that, despite the difficulty and high searching cost of finding vegetarian food, travelers’ level of satisfaction was low. In addition, there is a lack of understanding of vegetarianism in Japan. Vegetarians are at times forced to behave as flexitarians at restaurants in Japan, since they cannot find vegetarian Japanese food. Vegetarians who travel with non-vegetarian friends often have to eat only desserts or cold foods to avoid animal products. Because there are no clear vegetarian labels, vegetarians often find it difficult to buy processed products because of animal-derived additives commonly used in Japan, such as gelatin and fish flakes (bonito).
