Two new spots for vegan travelers to check out in Fukuyama and Tomonoura
Town of roses, Fukuyama is the jumping off point for the charming harbor town of Tomonoura, which inspired the location of the Ghibli anime Ponyo, and home to one of Japan’s most conveniently located castles. Only a short hop by local train to Onomichi, it is also an alternative place to stay for those planning to ride the Shimanami Kaido when Onomichi’s limited accommodation is full.
However, vegan food options in Fukuyama and Tomonoura have been hard to come by. Here, we introduce a couple of new initiatives that we hope will prove the beginning of a drive to offer more diverse food options alongside meat and seafood.
Cafe & Rest Montrose Breakfast Buffet (Fukuyama)
Cafe Rest Montrose’s breakfast buffet has won several awards for its sustainable practices, such as supporting local food producers and utilizing byproducts from food production. In late 2024, the manager and her staff made a concerted effort to expand the number of vegan options offered.
The result is the best breakfast offering for vegan diners I have yet to experience in a Japanese hotel. Cafe Rest Montrose is in the Oriental Hotel near Fukuyama Station and Fukuyama Castle. It is open to everyone, so you don’t have to stay there to take advantage of it.
As well as committing to include at least 3 or 4 vegan dishes among the handmade Japanese homestyle dishes on offer each day (separate from salad), you can make your own vegan miso soup and there are multiple vegan toppings to pop on your onigiri rice balls.
Salad dressings are also vegan (made using veggies that would otherwise be thrown away.) The local bakery they work with has also started to provide cute, little vegan bread rolls – a nice example of how their new service may create vegan-friendly ripples beyond their own restaurant.
A few meters away from the Oriental Hotel, the Anchor Hotel offers a free vegan sandwich for breakfast, which you can choose to eat in or take to go. If you are staying in Fukuyama, why not stay at the Anchor (which has very nice rooms), but pop over to Cafe & Rest Montrose for the buffet and take your sandwich for a mid-day snack?
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Ofutei (Tomonoura)
Ofutei is an onsen hotel located right on the seafront of the historic port town of Tomonoura. It offers incredible views of Benten and Sansui Island, once described by an 18th-century Korean envoy as the most beautiful view between the island of Tsushima and Tokyo.
Many of Ofutei’s mostly Japanese guests come for the food as much as the views. The depth of the experience possessed by the hotel’s cooking staff is formidable. Ofutei and the other locations in the area that are part of the same group have an equally formidable reputation for high-quality Japanese cuisine in general, and the local seafood in particular.
However, understanding that culinary culture is ever-evolving and recognizing that demand for vegan and plant-based alternatives is growing, in 2024, led by the hotel group’s head chef, Ofutei embraced the challenge of developing vegan kaiseki (multi-course seasonal meals) courses that could hold their own against their standard offerings.
In a team effort that involved chefs from across the group working together for several months, Ofutei will offer vegan kaiseki dinners and breakfasts to overnight guests starting this spring.
Those guests are in for a treat. The meals are an exquisite journey through traditional Japanese cuisine, utilizing the freshest local produce in elegantly creative, and, sometimes, surprising ways. As well as allowing the flavors of the ingredients to take center stage, while offering a delightful range of textures, the dishes are also a feast for the eyes.
If you are searching for a place to enjoy exceptional Japanese vegan cuisine in a beautiful and fascinating location in western Japan, we highly recommend a stay at Ofutei in Tomonoura.
Fukuyama and Tomonoura Vegan Map
