Hello, everyone!

[dork]

I've been a vegetarian for a couple years now, and a vegan for about 6 months. I'm American, but my wife is Japanese and we live in Japan. My wife is a certified Macrobiotics instructor/advisor, and I am working on my PhD in applied linguistics and looking at online-user discourse and media framing about vegetarianism and meat consumption. I hope to contribute a lot to this forum in the future! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

 

[Amy SF]

Hi dork! (Now there's an interesting user name). Welcome to Veggie Views!

 

[Mikkel]

Welcome!

 

[yakherder]

Welcome.

May I ask what part of Japan? Spent some time in Misawa 15ish years ago. Also dabbled in linguistics, and computational linguistics, before coming to the conclusion that I'm way too restless by nature to make a career out of it . Still find it interesting though.

 

[Second Summer]

Welcome! Japan must be an interesting place to live for a westerner. It has such an influence on popular culture through comics, movies, martial arts and other things, so it must be fascinating to be right in the middle of it.

 

[Clueless Git]

Welcome Mr Dork

Hitotsu Jinkaku Kansei ni Tsutomoru Koto!, and all that ...

Not that I can speak Jap, mind.

It just happens to be one of 5 lines that I am currently obliged to memorise.

 

[Ann Chovie]

Hi Mr Dork welcome to the forum

 

[beancounter]

Welcome to VV!

 

[shyvas]

to our forum.

 

[dork]

Thanks everyone for your kind welcome! Looking forward to browsing and contributing to the forums!

Welcome.

May I ask what part of Japan? Spent some time in Misawa 15ish years ago. Also dabbled in linguistics, and computational linguistics, before coming to the conclusion that I'm way too restless by nature to make a career out of it . Still find it interesting though.

I'm in the Kanto area, north of Tokyo in Ibaraki. Where is Misawa?

Welcome Mr Dork

Hitotsu Jinkaku Kansei ni Tsutomoru Koto!, and all that ...

Not that I can speak Jap, mind.

It just happens to be one of 5 lines that I am currently obliged to memorise.

That is certainly an odd thing to memorize. By the way, that should be "tsutomEru".

Hi Mr Dork welcome to the forum

MISTER Dork? Ha! Shall we call that a kind of oxymoron?

 

[yakherder]

Misawa is in Aomori, which is on the northern tip of Honshu.

Japanese air base with a little NSA/CSS facility tucked in.

Fairly rural place compared to most of the main island, but I loved my stay there.

 

[Amy SF]

May I ask, how easy or difficult it is for you to be a vegan in Japan? From what I've read from others, it's very difficult to be vegetarian, so vegan must be next to impossible. Do you order a lot of vegan foods online?

 

[Tom L.]

Welcome! I also find languages interesting, but I have to work at them- I don't find them easy. I haven't studied Japanese.

 

[dork]

May I ask, how easy or difficult it is for you to be a vegan in Japan? From what I've read from others, it's very difficult to be vegetarian, so vegan must be next to impossible. Do you order a lot of vegan foods online?

Hi, Amy. That's a good question. For me personally it's rather easy, but my wife and I cook a lot at home. We almost never go out to eat. For people who don't or can't cook, I imagine it's pretty tough, or at least unhealthy. We also belong to a couple food clubs that deliver raw organic materials to our door weekly, but we don't order vegan foods because that option is really not available in Japan and because we don't eat processed food. Our diet is a Macro-vegan fusion, if that means anything to you.

 

[yakherder]

When I was there 15 years ago I couldn't imagine it. When my girlfriend was there 2 years ago, however, she found plenty of options in Tokyo. Probably not as convenient away from touristy destinations though.