Itadakimasu – Ehime AJET

Itadakimasssu!

One of the best ways to get to know a culture is through the food. In Japanese, いただきます literally means “I humbly recieve”. Tofugu has a whole page about it if you want to learn more but essentially, it means “ty, now, GET THIS FOOD IN MY BELLY”! So, this page is dedicated to all things food! From a grocery survival guide, to recipes from fellow JETs, you’ll (hopefully) find everything you need to help you have the best food experience while living here in Ehime.

Shopping Guides 🛒

New to living in Japan? Or even just living on your own for the first time!? Grocery shopping in a new country can be a bit daunting, this guide will help you navigate the aisles of your local supermarket so you can stock your fridge and pantry with ease. We gotchu!
(Coming Soon)

While not exactly food related (except for maybe when you underestimate the spice level at Everest or if you eat sashimi you’ve left in your fridge a little toooo long), we felt that a “Drug Store Guide” would be just as useful as a grocery guide.

Imported Goods ✈️

We know what it feels like when you’re just craving that food from home or want to duplicate your favorite dish and need that extra special ingredient. Or maybe you’ve been tasked with introducing foreign holidays to your students and need those extra sweets and supplies. Here we’ve gathered a few of the most popular stores around Ehime and websites used by mikans when they need that little bit of home (or maybe you just like a variety of foods, we don’t judge). While the list is not exhaustive we hope that you can find what you are looking for.

Stores 🏪

Gyomu Super

Gyomu Super has locations across Matsuyama and Ehime. It’s a restaurant supply store that sells foods and supplies at nice price. While it’s not solely a ‘international’ store, they do sell a nice variety of foreign foods

Kaldi

Kaldi is an international store with four branches in Ehime, one located in Fuji Grand, one in Emiful, and the other two are in the Aeon malls in Imabari and Saijo. While their main product is coffee, they also have a variety of cheeses, baking goods, sweets, American, Chinese, German, Korean, Mexican, Indian, Indonesian, Italian, Thai, and Vietnamese goods.

Aeon Supermarket

Aeon’s supermarket has a small international section. The branches in Imabari and Saijo also have a Kaldi. The Matsuyama branch has a shop called Caférrant which is similar to Kaldi as it has a nice trove of foreign ingredients.

Matsuyama Location・Niihama Location・Imabari Location

Fuji

Apart from Fuji Grand (which also has Kaldi) and is located across from JR Matsuyama Station, even your local Fuji may have a small international section.

Websites 🌐

The Meat Guy

The Meat Guy is exactly how it sounds, they sell meats! Are you craving sausages? Want to buy a turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Do you miss your mothers Kangaroo burgers? How about Crocodile? Rabbit? Camel? Do you have fond memories hunting and want to eat some deer? Or maybe you just want different cuttings of meat that your neighborhood market or butcher does not offer. The Meat Guy offers a very eclectic variety of meats and cooking accessories.

Foreign Buyer's Club

Similar to The Meat Guy, The Foreign Buyer’s Club is a website set up by expats in Japan who, while Japanese food is delicious and healthy, sometimes you just want a more international palate, so they set up a website to sell international goods in Japan. The Foreign Buyer’s Club, though they do sell meats (though not like the Meat Guy) their main focus is on other supplies ingredients, or maybe you want some deodorant, or western style toothpaste, or lotion that is not milky or full of alcohol.

Asia Superstore

Do you love spice? Does your market not have a variety of fresh herbs. Unlike the above stores, the Asia Superstore sells Asian (mostly Thai) produce and goods across Japan. If you miss Thailand but just can not take the vicious sun’s heat, this store is perfect to get those little reminders from the land of smiles.

The Flying Pig

Before Costco Came to Japan, the people from this website helped to send Costco and foreign goods to those in Japan. Now there are several Costco’s across Japan, but they are still few and far between. If you can not often make the trip to the closest Costco in Hiroshima or are tired of waiting of ‘those rumors’ that Matsuyama will be getting a Costco, to come true. You may say “Yeah, when pigs fly!” but you don’t need to because you’ve got a friend in The Flying Pig.

Le Comptoir

A Store & Subscription service for CHEESE

If you miss cheese check out Le Comptoir! This company was founded by Alex 🇫🇷 & Masumi 🇯🇵, a couple determined to bring French products 🧀🍷to Japan－ directly from the source! The best way to get your hands on some tasty cheese is through their subscription service. It's a fun way to try out some new cheese varieties and satisfy your cravings. You can also just order your preferred cheese, directly. If you're eve in the area, there's also a physical store & restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo. You can even sign up for some of their experiences like cheese & wine tastings.

Amazon

If all else fails, it doesn’t hurt to try a search on Amazon too. Like their logo shows, from A to Z they have it.

Vegetarian & Vegan🌿

Being vegetarian in Japan can be a daily challenge. The concept is not commonplace and some people may not understand your restrictions or convictions. Even seemingly innocuous veggie dishes may contain dashi (a type of fish stock) or meat-based roux, and the Japanese person you are asking may not consider this meat. As a general rule, even if meat is an invisible ingredient and not a feature, the Japanese will probably call it “vegetarian”. However, with careful diligence and patient explanation, it is possible to remain a successful vegetarian or vegan in Japan.

General Tips

Bring your own dashi (soup stock/dipping sauce for noodles) to restaurants.
Local farmer’s markets are a great source of organic or low-pesticide produce. And the farmers selling them are a good source of information about how to cook what you’ve bought.
Onigiri (rice balls) are sold at the local convenience stores(conbini) and come in vegetarian flavours, such as ume (pickled plum).
“Kanten” is a natural jelly made from seaweed used in sweets. But be careful not to mix it up with gelatin, which is an animal product.
Rennet-less cheeses are mostly only available through Tengu.

School Lunch (ES/JHS)

School lunch in Japan is a fixed meal prepared in bulk for the entire school. Meat will be a daily, unavoidable staple and the menu cannot be altered to accommodate your diet. Establish as soon as you arrive that you will be bringing a bento (lunch box) to school instead, and start curating a selection of recipes you can prepare in the mornings or the evening before. Please note that some schools may not allow you to eat with your students if you bring in your own lunch.

Restaurants & Shopping

Restaurants

Matsuyama
- Fumikaden
- Kanjirushi
- Vegrecar
Ozu
- Sosaku Italian Restaurant
Imabari
- Magnolia
Yoshida
- Tandoor Indian Restaurant (Tandoru)

Online Shopping

iHerb
Yoyo Market
Tengu Natural Food
FBC
The Flying Pig
Warabe Mura – Located in Gifu-ken, this company specialises in natural whole foods without artificial additives, colourings or flavourings. All their products are completely dairy, egg, fish, and meat free. They also carry other products such as aromatherapy oils, toiletries, books, etc.

Useful Resources

Japan Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide – a good guide to eating out as a vegan in the larger cities of Japan. When you are traveling this is well worth the money. It can be used it in Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Tokyo, and even the one listing in Shikoku for Magnolia. Great recommendations and the maps are actually useable.
VegJET – an AJET Special Interest Group of vegan, vegetarian, and veg-curious JETs. They support one another by sharing helpful resources, advice, recipe ideas, event postings, and more on their Facebook page.
Happy Cow – A good way to search for vegetarian and vegan friendly restaurants, they also have an app for when you are on the go. They include restaurant opening times, contact information, locations and reviews. Here’s the Matsuyama page.

Useful Phrases

“I am a vegetarian. I do not eat pork, beef, or chicken.”
- Watashi wa bejitarian desu. Butaniku ya gyuniku ya toriniku o taberaremasen.
  (To add more, ‘sakana’ means fish, ‘ebi’ means shrimp, etc etc…)
“What do you recommend from this menu?”
- Kono menyu de o-susume wa nan desu ka?
“Does this have X meat in it?”
- Kore wa X niku ga haite imasu ka?
“Can you make it without meat?”
- Niku o irenai de tsukuremasu ka?
“Can I substitute X for Y?”
- X no kawari ni Y o koukan dekimasu ka?
“Without X”
- X nashi de