Kyoto is a wonderful place to eat, and the diversity of food is incredible. It’s probably one of the best places in Japan to be vegetarian, owing to the good number of vegetarian restaurants. Most regular restaurants still don’t have may vegetarian choices, however.
Outside the specialist vegetarian restaurants, the general understanding of what it is to be vegetarian is limited. They make think you can eat chicken and fish, and often do not take into account that many dishes in Japan are made with sauces combining fish with other ingredients, or pork. It’s odd, since eating vegetarian food was actually very common, based on Buddhist beliefs. If you visit a shukubo (temple lodging) today, you will normally be given vegetarian shojin cuisine. Indeed, beef has only been eaten in Japan since the middle of the 19th century.
A very well-known vegetarian restaurant in Kyoto is Café Proverbs 15:17.
Cafe Proverb 1517
Café Proverbs 15:17 is a very modern café restaurant located near Demachiyanagi station on the Keihan Railway. From the centre of the city (the Kawaramachi area), walking from Sanjo station along the Kamo River to Demachiyanagi takes about a 15-20 minutes and can be very relaxing.
The unusual name of the café derives from the Book of Proverbs Chapter 15 Verse 17 stating ‘Better a small serving of vegetables with love, than a fattened calf with hatred’. This passage is the motto of their restaurant. The restaurant uses only organic ingredients. Their menu consists of various fusion dishes combining Mexican, Chinese, Asian and Italian. The Soy Milk Ramen (Chinese noodles in soy milk soup) is a very popular menu and a must try dish at Proverbs. Some of their recent menus include cow’s milk, honey and cheese but vegan dishes are also available. During lunch time there is usually a line of people waiting so if you do decide to go an early lunch is recommended.
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