Tokyo Vegan Tour : Miso Making, Tea Ceremony, Rickshaw Ride

This isn't a tour that happens to be vegan — it's built around the plant-based heart of Japanese cuisine. Every tasting and hands-on activity is designed to be vegan-friendly and plant-based, so you can explore Japan's food culture with confidence.

Start your day with a cooking experience. Learn the centuries-old craft of miso-making using premium rice koji from a fermentation shop with over 150 years of history — or shape your own onigiri (rice balls) with Tokyo-grown rice and freshly harvested nori seaweed. Whichever you choose, you'll taste your creation alongside five distinct varieties of traditional amazake, Japan's naturally sweet fermented rice drink.

Visit a historic temple or shrine in Minato City, Tokyo, recommended by your guide. In this peaceful setting, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, you'll take part in a traditional matcha tea experience and learn about the philosophy and history behind Japan's tea culture.

Head to Minato Shuzo — the only functioning sake brewery within Tokyo's 23 special wards. Taste carefully crafted, premium local sake and hear the story of how one of Japan's most iconic drinks is made, right in the middle of the capital.

Round off the experience with a traditional jinrikisha (rickshaw) ride, pulled by a local guide-driver through the historic streets around Zojoji Temple. The standard ride runs about 10 minutes, tracing a scenic route past the temple's main gate and lantern-lined paths, with the iconic Tokyo Tower rising above the rooftops — a uniquely photogenic way to take in the neighborhood at a slower pace.

Prefer to linger? Extended routes of 20 or 30 minutes are available for an additional fee, taking you further through the surrounding streets and offering more time for photos and commentary along the way.

All food and ingredients are vegan-friendly and plant-based. The tour is led entirely in English by a knowledgeable local guide who will walk you through the stories, traditions, and techniques behind everything you taste, make, and see — right down to the rickshaw ride, which turns a simple transfer between stops into a memorable, only-in-Japan moment. It's an ideal choice for vegan and plant-based travelers who want a genuine, immersive taste of Japanese culture — not a workaround.