Vegetarian Cuisine
Shojin Ryori
This is a vegetarian diet specially designed for monks at the temples who are forbidden to eat meat, fish or eggs. No meat or fish is used and it is widely available in the temple-town of Koyasan. The style varies according to the temple but in every case creativity and exquisite flavor combine to form the ultimate vegetarian food for the soul and body.
If you are interested in trying take part in the monks´ lifestyle of enlightenment, or if you are a vegetarian, or even better, vegan, then “Shojin Ryori” (vegetarian cuisine) is a sure shot for you during your stay in Japan.
If for you, like the author of the article, a good steak at lunch is the highlight of the day, then the idea of eating a pure vegetarian meal might not be very appealing. But you will be really be surprised by the flavor and richness that can be found in a Shojin Ryori meal. It will really alter your preconceptions of the usual dull taste of “healthy and benefical foods,” which are frequently synomyms for “no flavor.”By Francisco Alcantara