The Fish are laughing at me

In the February interviews for the JET Program, I was not at all surprised when one of the first questions I was asked was regarding how I would handle being a vegetarian in Japan. I have knowledge of Japanese foods and I had visited Japan briefly once before so I thought I knew what to expect and believed I was fairly well prepared. Besides, if all else fails I can cook. I have been in Japan for five months now and, while my expectations appear to have been correct, I believe I was a bit over-optimistic as to how well I could handle things. Even the best laid plans have flaws.

The last time I was in Japan I learned the Japanese definition of being vegetarian. I gleaned this bit of information through many conversations that went something like this:

Me: "I'm vegetarian."

Japanese person: "Oh. But you eat fish, right?"

Me: "Er . . . no."

Japanese person: "Ehhhh?!"

You are not a vegetarian if you eat fish, you are a pescatarian. I am in the ovo-lacto category of vegetarians, meaning I will eat chicken eggs and dairy products. I'm weak, I know. Just couldn't give up those eggs. Anyway, I do not eat beef, chicken, pork, fish, seafood, or of products made with these items, for example, chicken stock. Now, what surprised me this time around is that after Japanese folks got over the shock of my not eating fish, they never followed the next step to my not eating things like "dashi" (a Japanese fish broth used in most Japanese dishes). That surprised folks over here even more, once I explained it to them.

I was also surprised at how many dishes here use pork. Now, pork is a meat, isn't it? I thought it was, but apparently is isn't if you're in Japan. There have been several times where I've asked: "Is there any meat in this?" and the waiter said "No." Next thing I know I have a dish of pasta with large chunks of pork in it. Since when did pork and bacon secede from the realm of meats?

I'm not certain as to why, but instead of being frustrated by these situations, most days I find them to be amusing. You never understand what you take for granted until it is gone. Even though it is challenging, I have been learning to adapt. I am now very specific when I eat out. The only downside to being a vegetarian here is when I want to hang out with people. I sometimes feel like I'm a burden because there are so few places I can eat out at (if you are going into Tōkyō, VegieTōkyō has a good list of restaurants). But, people have been very cool about it so far, so I'm grateful for all of their understanding.

Out of all of my experiences, the most challenging has been visiting Japanese grocery stores.

Step 1: Figure out what the fruits and vegetables are (just because I knew them at home, doesn't mean I can tell the difference here). It took me ages to figure out what spinach was, let alone discovering that the large root thing with all the holes in it was lotus root.

Step 2: Learning to read the labels. Do you know the kanji for "anchovy heads?" I sure didn't.

Step 3: Know that the fish are laughing at you, get over it, and keep walking so that the pork and beef can have their turns to laugh, too.

The "Osakana Tengoku" song

Now, what I mean by this is when you are near the fish aisle, many stores play the "fish song" (called "Osakana Tengoku"). This song roughly translates to: eat fish, you will become smart, eat fish, you body will be strong, hey, everyone let's eat fish, oh, we're all waiting for fish. The song sticks in your head in the most annoying way possible. Somehow, I always thought this song was directed at me. "Why don't you eat fish?" it always asked. "You'll never be strong and smart if you don't eat fish." Well, maybe that's why I have so much trouble remembering my kanji. And here I thought it was because I never practice enough. Silly me, it's because I don't eat fish. So yeah, the fish are laughing at me. One store had a song about beef, so when I go grocery shopping I figure that all of the meats should have equal opportunities to mock me. It's only fair.

Now, for any incoming vegetarians who may be reading this, fear not, for there are many resources available to you. There's a vegetarian JET mail serve, there are online import stores that carry lots of vegetarian friendly foods and will deliver to your door (try Tengu Foods）, and there are many books, websites, and dictionaries that can help you understand the food labels and get by in restaurants. You can survive as a vegetarian in Japan. All you need is a little patience and a good pocket dictionary.

Some useful words

Kanji	Pronunciation	Meaning
肉	Niku	Meat (but usually only refers to beef)
牛	Ushi	Cow
牛肉	Gyū-niku	Beef
豚	Buta	Pig
豚肉	Buta-niku	Pork
鶏	Tori	Chicken (the bird, not the meat)
鶏肉	Tori-niku	Chicken
鴨	Kamo	Duck
魚	Sakana	Fish
蟹	Kani	Crab
海老	Ebi	Shrimp
貝	Kai	Shellfish
イカ	Ika	Squid
蛸	Tako	Octopus
卵	Tamago	Egg
牛乳	Gyūnyū	Milk
乳製品	Nyū-seihin	Dairy products
貝類エキス	Kairui ekisu	Shellfish extract
肝エキス	Kimo ekisu	Liver extract
牛肉エキス	Gyūniku ekisu	Beef extract
魚のエキス	Sakana ekisu	Fish extract
食肉エキス	Shokuniku ekisu	Meat extract
エキステンダー	Ekisutendā	Extender
野菜	Yasai	Vegetables
大豆	Daizu	Soy bean
豆乳	Tōnyū	Soy milk
豆腐	Tōfu	Tofu

Some useful phrases

Japanese	Pronunciation	Meaning
肉は食べません。	Niku wa tabemasen	I don't eat meat
私はベジタリアンです。	Watashi wa bejitarian desu	I'm a vegetarian
菜食主義者です。	Saishokushugisha desu	I'm a vegetarian
肉と魚とハムと鶏肉は食べません。	Niku to sakana to hamu to toriniku wa tabemasen	I don't eat meat or fish or ham or chicken
ベジタリアンの料理がありますか。	Bejitarian no ryori ga arimasu ka	Do you have any vegetarian dishes?
この料理に肉が入っていますか。	Kono ryori ni niku ga haitte imasu ka	Does this dish contain meat?

Useful Links

• Japanese Vegan Foods
• The Vegetarian Resource Group article on Japanese noodles
• Vegie Tōkyō
• Happy Cow Guide to Restaurants
• Japan Vegetarian Society

Words to the Osakana Tengoku song 「おさかな天国」

サカナ サカナ サカナ サカナを食べると
アタマ アタマ アタマ アタマが良くなる
サカナ サカナ サカナ サカナを食べると
カラダ カラダ カラダ カラダにいいのさ
さあさ みんなでさサカナを食べよう
サカナはぼくらを待っている Oh!

sakana sakana sakana sakana wo taberu to
atama atama atama atama ga yoku naru
sakana sakana sakana sakana wo taberu to
karada karada karada karada ni ii no sa
saasa minna de sa sakana wo tabeyou
sakana wa bokura wo matteiru Oh!

Fish, fish, fish, if you eat fish,
Head, head, head, it will make you smart.
Fish, fish, fish, if you eat fish,
Body, body, body, it's good for your body.
So let's all eat fish together.
The fish is waiting for us! Oh!