Vegan-Friendly Snacks For Hiking In Japan

As a vegan in Japan, the prospect of planning a hike and what snacks to take with you can be daunting.

While a largely mountainous country like Japan has plenty of great hiking spots, the vegan options are admittedly scarce. There are some restaurants and shops on certain hikes, but they are not always the most vegan-friendly.

Thus, it’s better to come prepared so as to avoid (mild) starvation.

Below are cheap, easy to find, and delicious vegan snacks to bring with you on your next hike.

Portable Vegan Snacks to Keep You Fueled

Roasted Sweet Potato (Yakiimo)

Yakiimo can be found at pretty much any large grocery store and some convenience stores. It’s a great whole-food snack with lots of carbs and is easy on the stomach.

It is quite cheap as well, costing about 100 to 150 JPY per potato.

Although it is delicious plain, you can amp up the flavor with a bit of soy sauce (save the small packets!). Personally, I love hot sauce so I would bring some of that with me to drizzle on.

Ume Onigiri (rice ball)

Onigiri is the quintessential hiking snack for many Japanese people. It’s portable, stays fresh, and doesn’t require any utensils. Unfortunately, however, only the ume (pickled plum) flavored one is vegan. All other seemingly vegan flavors, such as kombu seaweed or inari zushi, use katsuo dashi (fish stock).

Please note that most, but not all, convenience stores carry vegan ume onigiri. The 7 Eleven brand is reportedly not vegan, so consider buying from others like Family Mart or Lawson.

Roasted Chestnuts

You can find these at any convenience store throughout Japan.

It’s a common snack, usually eaten in the fall but can be found year-round. Chestnuts are starchy with a bit of a nutty flavor, and are easy to eat as they are bite-sized and don’t need any additional seasoning.

Simple, practical, and satiating, chestnuts make for a fantastic snack to munch on as you make your way up the mountain.

Veggie Chips

Japan does veggie chips right. They actually resemble vegetables, and are crispy yet not too oily.
I love the kabocha and sweet potato chips, but you can also find lotus root, carrot, even garlic chips.

A small bag is usually around 150-200 calories, providing you with a decent amount of energy as you catch your breath.

Soyjoy Crispy Bars

Soyjoy, manufactured by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, is a brand of nutrition bars. Most of their flavors contain milk and eggs, but they do have a couple vegan flavors under their Crispy line. There are four Soyjoy Crispy flavors– banana, mixed berry, peach, and white macadamia. There is also a seasonal sakura flavor that can be found in the spring.

Be sure to take a couple with you, as they are quite light and one will probably not be enough to satisfy you.

Nuts

Japanese convenience stores have ample nut options. I particularly like Lawson’s nut selection, as they come in fun flavors like brown sugar and kinako (soy bean flour).

Some common nuts that are sold are almonds, pistachio, peanuts, walnuts, and cashews. You can also find small bags of trail mix that have dried fruit and a variety of nuts.

Karinto

Karinto is a traditional Japanese snack that is basically deep fried flour and sugar. They are sweet, crispy, and oh-so addicting. The normal ones are a dark brown color, but you can also find vegetable-flavored karinto that are made with kabocha squash, sweet potato, onion, carrots, etc.

Related to karinto is kenpi, candied sweet potato that look like french fries. They are hard and crispy, and quite sweet. You can find both kenpi and karinto at any convenience or grocery store.

Both are also quite high in calories (about 300-400 calories for a small bag) so it’s a great snack to share with a group or to take on a longer trip.

It is so important to stay energized while hiking. I hope these vegan snacks help make your next hiking adventure here in Japan a bit more enjoyable!

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