One of our favourite spots in Japan last summer was Vegan Ramen by Playpen Friends, where we had ramen with tomato broth, which we hadn’t seen anywhere else before (or since). You can read more about that here. We didn’t have chance to go back to the Osaka branch, but we were pleased to see that the same people run a vegan-friendly (but not fully vegan) branch in Nara called Vegan Friendly Ramen by Playpen Friends, so we decided to stop there on our day trip. There are quite a few vegan ramen options, though unfortunately none with the beloved tomato broth.

I got the syoyu tonkotsu, which had a really flavoursome and creamy broth that I loved. There were lots of toppings, most of which worked – I could live without the broccoli, but I was delighted that they chopped the pak choi into manageable chunks.

Dr HH and Mother HH both chose the regular tonkotsu and also enjoyed the broth. Dr HH particularly loved the tofu and the nori, which packed more flavour than we’re used to from seaweed.

We’ve been to Nara several times now, but still think it’s worth a visit for a pleasant and convenient day trip from Kyoto. The vegan options have really increased and improved since our first visit in 2019. It was Mother HH’s first time at Nara, and she was very impressed. We never feed the deer there – they look like they are being well fed by other tourists, and we find the dynamic between entitled tourists and hungry deer a bit unpleasant. I think it’s still an enjoyable day out for vegans, but there are always some people harrassing the deer.

The temples are definitely worth a visit though. Our favourite is always Kasuga Taisha, which has an incredible array of lanterns on display, each one with a different pattern. Really beautiful stuff!

This post wraps up another successful trip to Japan, full of beautiful sights and sensational meals. I hope it won’t be too long until my next trip!