Vegan-friendly food options in Miyajima and Hatsukaichi
The number of vegan options available in Miyajima and Hatsukaichi is increasing in response to rising numbers of visitors from overseas and global food trends.
In 2024, the island of Miyajima, located within the city limits of Hatsukaichi, about 20km west of Hiroshima city, welcomed a record number of visitors. This increase was largely fuelled by overseas visitors visiting Japan in ever greater numbers since the country reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like Hiroshima, the breakdown of overseas visitors to Miyajima bucks the national trend of most visitors coming from Asia, with Western nations topping the visitor rankings, and although many of these visitors enjoy local delicacies like oysters and conger eel, the island and surrounding area have provided slim pickings for the growing number of visitors following vegetarian and vegan diets (not to mention Halal and gluten-free diets).
Thanks, in part, to a publicly funded program encouraging and supporting local eateries in Miyajima and Hatsukaichi to offer more vegan options, in 2025, vegan and vegetarian travelers will have a wider choice of culinary options than ever before.
Miyajima Island
Kiyomori Chaya (New for 2026)
Family-run Kiyomoro Chaya, located on the Nishi Matsubara sand spit to the west of Itsukushima Shrine, has long been a favorite place to escape the crowds on Miyajima for those in the know. This unpretentious restaurant tucked behind Kiyomori Shrine serves up noodle dishes, oysters, and other comfort foods inside, on its terrace, and, for those willing to fend off Miyajima’s always peckish deer, out on the picnic tables under the pine trees, looking out at the grand shrine gate.
The friendly staff have always tried to accommodate vegetarian and vegan diners, but in February 2026, they added Vegan Katsu Curry to their menu, clearly labelled to make ordering easier and avoid any confusion. This new addition, along with the vegan noodle dishes available on request and a handful of other side dishes, allows vegan and vegetarian visitors to enjoy this cosy spot to the fullest.
Vegan options at Kiyomori Chaya
・ Vegan katsu* curry (on menu)
・ Vegan udon and soba noodles with sweet fried tofu and wakame seaweed (available on request – ask for konbu seaweed dashi and remind them to leave out the kamaboko fish cake)
・ Hiyayako cold tofu (remind them to leave off the katsubushi fish flakes)
・ Edamame
・ French fries*
・ White rice
・ Zenzai sweet bean soup with sticky rice balls**
* Cooked in the same oil as animal products
* May contain refined non-vegan sugar
Google Map | <Happy Cow｜Website
Niwa Cafe Miyama (New for 2026)
Niwa Cafe is a pleasant oasis from the crowds of people that throng Miyajima’s Omotesando shopping street. Accessed from the parallel, but generally quiet, Machiya Street, a narrow pathway beyond a small gate, takes you past a welcoming tanuki statue to the lovely garden for which the cafe is named.
The cafe is in a renovated section of a townhouse, owned and run by a family that has been on Miyajima for a long time, and it has a homelike feel. The tables inside offer a lovely view of the garden, and there are also tables on a garden patio outside.
Niwa cafe is open for lunch and dinner, but currently, their vegan meal option is limited to evenings. Their vegan curry and rice dish can be combined with simple sides, and their good selection of craft beers, which are usually all vegan-friendly, giving you plenty to enjoy while sitting out on the garden terrace on a nice evening.
Vegan options at Niwa Cafe Miyama
・Vegan curry and rice
・Edamame
・Burdock chips
・Mixed nuts
・Olives
・French fries*
Lacto-ovo vegetarian options include, four-cheese pizza, and desserts
* Cooked in the same oil as animal products
Miyajima Ichiwa (New for 2026)
This unpretentious 2nd-floor eatery is best known for its hearty set meals featuring Miyajima specialities such as oysters, clams, and sea eel. They also have two simple vegan offerings – a vegan curry and rice set, and a set meal that includes a salad bowl, tofu, miso soup made with konbu dashi, rice, and pickles.
Vegan options at Miyajima Ichiwa
・Vegan curry and rice
・Vegan salad set meal
・Edamame
・French fries*
Google Map | Instagram | Website
Yamaichi Bekkan
Yamaichi Bekkan has been a beacon of food diversity for over a decade. Driven by a desire to provide a place where people can enjoy a meal at the same table regardless of dietary restrictions, Yamaichi Bekkan has developed a comprehensive menu that offers authentic Japanese cuisine to vegans and vegetarians, as well as accommodating Muslim diners and people with gluten allergies.
Overnight guests can enjoy full-service traditional kaiseki seasonal dinners and sumptuous breakfasts. The restaurant opens to all comers at lunch, with vegan favorites including satisfying assorted vegetable tempura sets, agedashi deep-fried tofu and salad sets, makizushi sushi rolls, and (with reservation) vegetable nigiri sushi plates.
Yamaichi Bekkan is very popular, so we recommend calling ahead to reserve your lunch spot to avoid disappointment.
Website | Happy Cow | Google Maps
Tachibana
With a history of almost 80 years. Tachibana is one of the longest-running businesses on Miyajima’s bustling Omotesando Shopping Street. Low-key and down-to-earth, serving hearty meals, with its retro decor inside and out (look out for the smiling deer that watches over the goldfish that swim in a giant urn in front of the shop), Tachibana evokes the vibe of Miyajima before the recent overseas tourist boom.
Choose to sit at low tables on chairs or kick off your shoes and enjoy your meal zashiki-style, sat on tatami mats. On the menu, packed with Miyajima specialties like oysters, conger eel, and Japanese comfort foods, is a vegetable tendon (rice bowl topped with tempura) served with kelp soup made with vegan konbu dashi.
Tachibana has made great efforts to make their menu more vegetarian and vegan-friendly, switching from white sugar to cane sugar and sourcing egg-free tempura flour. Tempura and fried potatoes are, however, not fried in separate oil. For a 100% vegan option, go for their hot or cold udon noodles, made with konbu dashi (their soba noodles contain egg white) and a side of eda mame.
Cuillere Miyajima
Cuillere is a rare bird on Miyajima – a restaurant open after dark!
Cuillere is a modern, bright, airy dining space on a narrow side street in one of the more residential areas of Miyajima’s historical district, serving Western food, good wine, and craft beers.
Although starting focused on sandwiches and cakes, Cuillere has recently been serving evening meals to grateful visitors who find that dinner options are few and far between once they arrive on the island. Along with two kinds of pasta (soy bolognese and peperoncino), vegan dinner options include hearty baked curry doria with soy mince and country-style bean soup. We look forward to the arrival of a vegan brownie in development to complete the dining experience.
Website | Happy Cow | Google Maps
Sonoma
When the young couple who run this sunny little store, packed with cool niknaks and products, many of them created by up-and-coming artists and craftspeople, and drink stand, noticed that their vegan customers were struggling to find things to eat on Miyajima, they decided to do something about it.
As well as delicious vegan, organic soy gelato and an amazake malted rice drink, Sonoma offers two ready-made vegan curries (three-bean curry and spinach curry) served with rice. A range of delicious and healthy beverages, made with carefully selected ingredients, are also on the menu. Some of these include honey, but the staff will guide you to their vegan options.
Sonoma is also a great place to stock up on vegan instant noodles, as they have the full range of T’s noodles, which you can eat in the cafe or take away. Be sure to check out what other vegan snacks they have out on the counter.
Sonoma can be found on the street from behind Itsukushima Shrine towards Momijidani Park just before the shuttle bus stop that runs to the ropeway that goes up Mt. Misen.
Instagram | Happy Cow | Google Maps
Rokkaku Saburo (Hexagon Cafe)
Situated just inside the main gate to Daishoin Temple (Instagram famous for its Buddhist statues wearing colorful knit hats made by regular temple-goers), this lovely hexagonal tea house is the perfect place for vegan visitors to take a break after exploring the expansive temple grounds or climbing down from Mt. Misen.
Owner-chef Okita-san has been keen to provide her customers with vegan options since she took over the cafe, and her beautifully presented vegan curry made with chickpeas, soy meat, nuts, vegetables, and spices has proved very popular. A new addition is an equally delicious soy milk-based vegan ramen dish topped with locally sourced maitake mushrooms.
Hexagon is also a registered My Mizu refill station, and anyone is welcome to pop in and refill their water bottles to help cut down on the wasteful use of disposable PET bottles.
Instagram | Happy Cow | Google Maps
Miyajima Mori no Yado
Located beyond Itsukuashima Shine, next to the ancient Omoto Shrine, opposite the aquarium, few visitors make it as far as Mori-no-yado hotel. In particular, however, vegan diners will find it well worth their while to seek out this hotel as it offers an excellent all-vegan traditional Japanese lunch available without reservation to guests and non-guests alike.
Taking cues from shojin Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, the inventive vegan dishes presented in this set lunch change with the seasons, but we were particularly impressed by the hashed renkon (lotus root) and yuba sashimi (tofu beancurd skin).
Mori-no-yado also serves full vegan course meals in the evening, available to guests staying overnight. This makes Mori-no-yado an excellent option for vegans staying in Miyajima. The evening meal also allows one to sample a broader range of delicacies, such as their vegan “grilled eel.”
Mori-no-yado is still off the radar for visitors from overseas. However, as well as an inclusive food policy (they offer gluten-free meals as well as vegan meals), located next to tranquil Omoto Park, and with an impressive carp pond viewable from the lobby and onsen hot spring bath open to all, Mori-no-yado is well worth seeking out when visiting Miyajima.
Miyajima Mori no Yado: Website | Google Maps
Momiji-so
This rustic cafe with outdoor seating in pretty Momijidani Park offers tasty vegan kitsune udon (hot udon noodles topped with fried tofu) and matcha tea. They also serve a vegan curry and rice dish. Momiji-so is a lovely place to relax in the open air, and the food goes down particularly well after hiking up and down Mt. Misen.
Other vegan options on Miyajima Island Akushu Restaurant | Starbucks Coffee
Miyajima-guchi Area
The Etto commercial facility in the Miyajima-guchi ferry terminal building is becoming a bit of a vegan food hub. In 2026, two more places joined Chinchikurin Okonomiyaki and Hiroshima Ramen Momiji in adding vegan options to their menus. Both are great to take away to eat on the ferry or over on the island.
Organic Matcha Miyajima (New for 2026)
Vegan matcha fans should make a beeline for Organic Matcha Miyajima on the ground floor of Etto. The matcha they use isn’t only organically grown, as the name suggests; it is sourced from a tea supplier that has been in business since 1751!
Here, you can pick up an oat milk matcha latte to go, and, for those who REALLY love matcha, don’t miss their boxed warabi mochi. Be prepared to do some digging, as the slightly sweet mochi is submerged below a thick layer of rich matcha powder.
Vegan options at Organic Matcha Miyajima
・ Oatmilk matcha latte (hot)
・ Oatmilk matcha latte (iced)
・ Matcha warabi mochi
Google Map | Instagram | Website
Ryoko no Tomo Honpo (New for 2026)
Ryoko no Tomo, roughly translated as “travel buddy,” is the catchphrase of Tanaka Shokuhin, one of the first companies in Japan to develop furikake. The company, established in 1901, was asked by the Imperial Navy to develop a nutritious, easy-to-carry, long-shelf-life food. In response, it created furikake – a savory seasoning that is sprinkled on plain rice.
While the now ubiquitous furikake usually contains ingredients such as fish or egg (wakame and Akashiso red perilla varieties don’t contain any animal ingredients, but the sugar used is not guaranteed to be vegan-friendly), they have recently developed animal-free flavored Maku-furikake rice ball wraps, two of which do not contain animal ingredients.
Rice balls wrapped in these furikake wraps are available for purchase at the store on the ground floor of Etto. Order a set of three, and the staff will serve them in a cute Miyajima-themed box, which makes it easy to carry them over to the island.
You can also purchase your own packs of “travel buddy” furikake to spice up bowls of white rice during your travels, as well as some unique souvenirs.
Vegan options at Ryoko no Tomo Honpo
・ Akashiso red perilla Maku-furikake rice ball
・ Hiroshima-na mustard greens Maku-furikake rice ball**
・ Salted riceball
・ Wakame furikake**
・ Akashiso red perilla furikake
**Contains refined non-vegan sugar
Google Map | Instagram | Website
Douze Miyajima
A short distance from Miyajima-guchi ferry port, just off the main approach from Miyajima-guchi Station, Douze Miyajima is a small bistro that serves French-influenced cuisine, using the finest ingredients, many sourced locally.
Head chef Mukai-san has developed several creative dishes that will please vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike.
The star is the miso-grilled vegetable platter, served on fragrant magnolia leaves. For a dish that appears so simple, the depth of flavor and smoky aroma delight the senses, and it serves well as a main that can be supplemented by salad, sides, and vegan pasta dishes. In addition to the vegan dishes, several more can be considered vegetarian.
Although the number of vegan dishes available at Douze Miyajima is limited, with local craft beer, locally made spirits, and a great selection of carefully selected wines and sake to accompany your meal, it is an excellent place for a treat after your visit to Miyajima Island.
Other vegan options at Miyajima-guchi: Hiroshima Ramen Momiji | Chinchikurin
Wider Hatsukaichi Area
Cafe & Gallery Kakiozaka (New for 2026)
Housed in a tastefully renovated traditional Japanese house, in a residential area just a short walk from Hatsukaichi Station, Cafe & Gallery Kakiozaka is a convenient place to stop if you are in the mood for a healthy vegan meal in a lovely setting.
The staff has extensive experience preparing meals for people with all kinds of food allergies, so vegan customers can be very confident that what they get will be truly animal-free. Kakiozaka’s vegan offerings are relatively simple but very tasty.
Pictured above is their Seiromushi Steamed Vegetable Set Meal. The vegetables change with the season, and the vegan option comes with some chunks of lightly fried tofu. The vegetables were all deliciously sweet, and the ponzu, soy sauce koji, and setocuhi lemon dipping sauces added a nice kick and a variety of flavors. The white rice, lightly seasoned with sesame salt, was also steamed and was delicious. Along with the light konbu seaweed-based soup, the entire meal was very satisfying.
Their Obanzai Obento meals are served in stacked lacquerware bento boxes of traditional design. These are filled with a variety of small dishes that change weekly. Let them know you are vegan, and the staff will prepare one with larger portions of the week’s plant-based dishes. If you can reserve in advance (up to the day before), you can enjoy the full experience, which includes 6-8 vegan dishes.
Room for dessert? Round off your meal with their vegan Black Sesame Soup with Mochi, or sweet bean zenzai soup (hot or cold).
All vegan options at Kakiozaka are clearly labeled, and the menu features great, easy-to-understand photographs and pictograms (including the elusive fish-dashi pictogram!). You can choose to sit at a western table or in the tatami room, at either a sunken horigotastu table, or crossed-legged, zashiki-style, with a lovely view of the Japanese garden.
Vegan options at Kakiozaka
・ Seiromuchi steamed seasonal vegetable lunch & fried tofu set (pictured) 1,980 yen
・ Obanzai Obento 1,820 yen
・ Seiromushi Steamed Vegetable & Bagel Set 935 yen
・ Hot zenzai dessert
・ Matcha affogato (ask for without ice cream for VGN option)
Google Map | Instagram | Website
Cafe-Bar Nico (New for 2026)
Cafe-Bar Nico is a hidden gem of a local spot, about 10 minutes walk from Hatsukaichi JR Station. If you like retro vibes, books, music, and classic cinema, you will love this place. Oh, and they have a great pool table and darts too!
In February 2026, they added several vegan options to their popular food menu. With two kinds of pasta (Italian-style tomato sauce and Japanese-style natto, mushroom, and green shiso leaf), a tofu salad with a homemade dressing, and nibbles like mixed nuts and dried fruit. There is plenty to get your teeth into.
Beer lovers will also be happy to hear that their bar menu is also very vegan-friendly, with Kirin Ichiban Shibori and several craft beers on tap.
Cafe Bar Nico is at the end of Hatsukaichi’s main shotengai high street that runs between the station and Route 2, and makes it a convenient place to drop in at when visiting Kendama Shop Yume or Sakurao Distillery.
Vegan options at Cafe Bar Nico
・Italian-style tomato sauce spaghetti
・Japanese-style spaghetti
・Tofu salad with homemade dressing
・Mixed dried fruits
・Mixed nuts
Google Map | Instagram | Website
Okonomi House Wakamiya (New for 2026)
Okonomi House Wakamiya is an okonomiyaki restaurant in a neighborhood, very close to the Jigozen Hiroden streetcar stop, and a great local dining option if you are staying at Omotenashi Hostel, which is about 10 minutes away on foot.
While they do not offer a vegan onomiyaki, plant-based diners can choose from vegan fried noodles (yaki-soba) and vegan fried rice (yaki-meshi). Both dishes are enhanced by the addition of fried tofu pieces. The fried noodle sauce is vegan, and the garlic chips enhance the flavor. In contrast, the fried rice has a more peppery flavor.
Vegan options at Okonomi House Wakamiya
・Vegan fried noodles (yaki-soba)
・Vegan fried rice (yaki-meshi)
Miyajima Resort Hauoli (New for 2026)
As you might guess from the name, Hauoli is a Hawaii-inspired spot (hauʻoli means joy and happiness in Hawaiian). Located west of Miyajima-guchi, on a grassy plot sandwiched between the sea and the busy coastal road, Hauoli offers great views of the water and the island of Miyajima.
The eye-catching food truck currently doesn’t offer anything for vegans other than French fries, but if you head inside to their well-appointed restaurant, vegans can enjoy a very tasty, homemade vegetable curry with colorful grilled vegetables on the side.
Lacto-ovo vegetarians may also enjoy their margherita and four-cheese pizzas.
Vegan options at Miyajima Resort Hauoli
・Vegan vegetable curry
・French fries*
*Cooked in the same oil as animal products
Google Map | Website｜Instagram
Felderchef
Located in the hills above Hatsukaichi, this German bakery is appropriately named “Chief of the Fields”. Along with its recently opened sister store Mehl near Itsukaichi’s cruise ship terminal, these little Europen oases have produced authentic German bread and Europen pastries for a decade.
Now, in addition to its satisfyingly robust rye loaves, Felderchef has begun experimenting with a series of bread products and cookies that are vegan and gluten-free. From March 1, you can enjoy a vegan and gluten-free lunch plate with a half-and-half pizza made with vegan cheese, vegan cookies, and a drink at the cafe attached to the bakery in Hatsukaichi.
Tonkatsu Taiichi (Temporarily Closed)
Admittedly, we were surprised when we heard that the Hatsukaichi tonkatsu restaurant Tonkatsu Taiichi was interested in developing a vegan menu, especially as it prides itself on the quality of its pork cutlets. But it soon became clear that the owner was highly motivated and determined to make their menu more inclusive.
Tonkatsu Taiichi now not only offers a vegan fu-katsu (deep-fried wheat gluten) set, which comes with homemade pickles, rice, and vegan miso soup. Having never been to a tonkatsu restaurant before, it was fun to grind our own sesame seeds and mix them with the vegan-certified sauce.
In addition to their fu-katsu Tonkatsu Taichi now also offers a delicious grilled vegetable plate and a hearty tofu steak, topped with a glazed shimeji mushroom sauce – both completely vegan.
Tonkatsu Taiichi is an 8-minute walk from the Sanyo-jogakuen-mae streetcar stop on the Hiroden Line, an approximately 15-minute ride from Miyajima-guchi Streetcar Station.
More vegan options in the wider Hatsukaichi area Big Apple Cafe
Miyajima and Hatsukaichi Vegan Dining Map
A note about vegan and vegan-friendly
While we understand the desire of the vegan community to have access to more 100% vegan restaurants, given the current lack of options, GetHiroshima and our parent company JizoHat takes a flexible and pragmatic approach. Our aim is to encourage restaurant owners and chefs along the path to providing more vegan options, and at times, that includes introducing food options that may use condiments that contain additives of unknown provenance or are cooked in the same oil as animal products. Where this is the case, we do our utmost to make it clear to our readers that this is the case.
