Loving Hut Tokyo

Updated March 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Practical Details

Wed-Thu: 11:30-14:30, 17:00-20:30; Fri: 11:30-14:30; Sat 11:00-15:00, 17:00-20:30.
Saturday lunch buffet 11:00-15:00. 
In mid-March 2020 the buffet has been temporarily suspended to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  
A-la-carte dinner: 17:00-20:30 (reservations recommended)

Five minutes’ walk from Jimbocho Station (Toei Shinjuku Line, Toei Mita Line, Tokyo Metro Hanzomo Line) (Exit 5).
Twenty minutes’walk from Yasakuni Shrine, or one stop on the Shinjuku Line (Kudanshita Station to Jimbocho Station).

〒101-0051 東京都千代田区 神田神保町１丁目54 岡田ビル 2F
Okada Bldg 2F, 1-54, Kandajinbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101-0051

Website, Facebook, Happycow

03-5577-6880 (Staff speak English and Chinese.)

Directions

Great-value all-vegan buffet.

Update this restaurant.

Introduction

Japan's only Loving Hut has been around for well over a decade, making it one of the very few pioneer vegan restaurants in Japan to remain open today. While it's not in a prominent location, it's only a few minutes walk from Jimbocho Station and is well worth the short trip from central Tokyo; it also works very well with a day exploring Ginza and Chiyoda. I recommend that most tourists visit the Loving Hut after the Imperial Palace East Gardens and/or the (controversial) Yasakuni Shrine and its attached Yushukan (war) Museum.

Menu

The Tokyo Loving Hut serves a delicious range of Japanese, Taiwanese and other fusion favourites, with basic meals starting at under ¥1,000, including fried rice, ramen and soup dishes. Like many Loving Huts around the world, it uses fake meat, in fitting with the chain's purpose of helping omnivores switch to a plant-based diet. But while a lot of fake meat contains animal products, the Loving Hut company manufacture theirs from raw ingredients in their own factory in Taiwan, ensuring that they are not only vegan but as healthy as processed protein-rich foods can be. Also, all Loving Hut staff and owners are strictly vegan, making them among the safest places for vegans to eat around the world.

In fitting with the purpose and teachings of the chains founder, spiritual teacher Supreme Master Ching Hai, Loving Huts do not serve alcohol, due to its negative effects on society and those who consume it. This makes running a business in Japan much more difficult, because the standard restaurant business model there is to give away food with little if any profit and make money on drinks; the average person spends about as much on drinks as they do on their food, and all the restaurant needs to do for that money is to open a bottle and recycle it afterwards. As far as I am aware, there is only one other vegetarian restaurant in Japan which doesn't serve alcohol for ethical/spiritual reasons, and that is Vege Herb Saga (also in Tokyo) which is owned by a Jain (the world's oldest religion of non-violence, from which the concept of Ahimsa comes). It mostly serves Indian vegetarians who also don't consume alcohol and are willing to pay a little more for quality food cooked in a vegetarian kitchen, and eat in an environment without meat or alcohol.

These fried dumplings are the largest I've ever seen. I should have photographed them with something else in the picture for comparison.

Saturday Lunch Buffet

The Tokyo Loving Hut is the most famous for its weekly Saturday lunch buffet, which, at ¥2,000 is the best-value buffet meal in the Tokyo, if not the best-value of any meal in the city. Anyone who's familiar with Taiwan will recognise versions of the favourites from the buffets for which Taiwan has been famous for among vegetarians and vegans for decades, but the Loving Hut also offer a range of Japanese and other dishes. All are cooked to perfection, and the busy staff never seem to stop bringing out fresh plates of delicious dishes. Happycow reviewers describe this multi-course meal as the best they had in Japan. Of course, no buffet meal at this price it can't rival the expensive shojin ryori served at Buddhist temples in its exquisite presentation and fine dining experience, but for me -- and clearly many other diners -- the Loving Hut offers the most elevating dining experience in Japan, as their purpose and passion for veganism showing through into the food, the restaurant atmosphere and the whole experience.

Bentos 

The Tokyo Loving Hut sells bentos (meal boxes) for ¥800. While it's great that there is now vegan food available in Tokyo Station, I would alway prioritise food from a Loving Hut over any other, because it's a completely vegan company whose purpose is to support the growth of veganism around the world. (Ts Tantan in Tokyo Station, which offers ramen and take-out sandwiches, is also a totally vegan company, but Ekiben, which also sells vegan bentos, offers one vegan option among a store full of fish products).

This is how my bento looked a decade ago, after I carried it up Mount Fuji in my backpack and kept it overnight for breakfast. Please take my word for it that the bentos look a lot better under normal circumstances! While nowadays sandwiches from T's Tantan in Tokyo Station would probably be more practical for this purpose, at that time I was very, very grateful for any take-out food which I could trust was vegan.

If you visit the Loving Hut before day trips out of Tokyo or leaving the city to travels to parts of Japan which don't yet have vegan restaurants I highly recommend taking some with you. Ask the staff how long they will keep unrefrigerated at that time of year. 

Store

The Tokyo Loving Hut is located in a pleasant, second-floor restaurant. It also features a small library of uplifting books, mostly on veganism, the environment and related issues. It also sells some take-out food. Like all food at Loving Huts, we can be totally confident it's vegan.

Festivals

Loving Hut stall at the Tokyo Veg Festa, 2010.

The Loving Hut often hold a staff selling vegan food at festivals, such as Earth Day and of course the Tokyo Veg Festa (vegetarian festival) in October, Japan's largest vegetarian event (see photo above). Their booth always has a long cue, and often runs out of main dishes early. During these times the main store closes, check their Facebook page for any announcements of closures or changes to opening hours.

Old Stuff

While I've just updated it in March 2020, this post dates back to a time before everyone carried smartphones and had data connections. I'm leaving the information here for posterity and for anyone without a smartphone, but if you do have one I suggest clicking on the 'Directions' link in the grey box at the top; this should bring up directions to the restaurant from your current location. 

Directions

Go to Jimbocho Station and take Exit A5.
Walk around the corner so you are heading north.
Walk north about 250m until you see a small yellow Loving Hut sign.

Take that alley, and the Loving Hut is on the second floor of a small building on the right, about 50m down the alley.

Old Photos

As of April 2014 this dish no longer appears to be on the menu.

The 'Loving Burger' has been a staple of the Tokyo Loving Hut for years, and is typical of Loving Hut food worldwide: simple, healthy, appealing to non-vegans and very well priced at around 1000 Yen. Maybe discontinued as of April 2014.

Vegan Travel Guide to Japan

Welcome to Vegan Travel Guides

What's In the Vegan Travel Guide to Japan?

The Vegan Travel Guide to Japan is a nine-hundred-page travel guide to Japan. It is written for non-Japanese, vegan (or vegetarian) travellers to Japan. It covers most cities which are visited by first-time visitors to the country. Unlike traditional vegan guides, which focus mostly on food and restaurants, Vegan Travel Guides are complete travel guides which cover everything a foreign traveller to a country needs to know for an easy, stress-free trip which includes the best tourist attractions and vegan restaurants. Besides vegan restaurants and tourist attractions, the Japan Vegan Travel Guide also covers public transport, discount passes and other travel practicalities, and a discussion of the history, politics and religion of Japan from a vegan perspective.

Attractions and vegan restaurants are combined into easy-to-follow outings, with step-by-step directions, so that the vegan traveller can plan their travels at a glance based on the weather and day of the week, saving hours of planning time and preventing disappointments of finding restaurants closed or unbearable crowds.

The first two publications (for Taiwan and Japan) are the world's first complete travel guides written for vegans.

Which Cities are Covered?

 

Maps

While they can be used by the traveller to find their way around, maps are intended to offer an overview of a city or town, so that the reader can see at a glance where the train stations, vegan restaurants and main attractions are, and how to travel between them. Step-by-step walking directions, and links to Google Maps, are provided in the text of the book.
Maps include weather, budget and preparation for each outing.

Itineraries

The key attractions in Tokyo are separated into four itineraries, with optional extra for Tokyo Disneyland, Disney Sea, and the shopping island of Odaiba. Kyoto is also separated into three itineraries with a separate list of attractions around Kyoto Station which can be visited at any time. Of course, all itineraries combine attractions, vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants, preparation, costs and other necessary practicalities to make following them easy and enjoyable. 

In most smaller cities and locales, attractions and restaurants are listed separately, because they are mostly reachable on foot from each other, and most people only choose a small number of each and plan their own day accordingly. 

Chapters

Food 

Japan serves some of the best vegan food in Asia, if not the world, especially its famed Buddhist shojin ryori (literally "devotion cuisine"), and vegan macrobiotic restaurants can be found all over the country. But Japan can also be extremely difficult to travel in as a vegetarian or vegan because small amounts of fish and other animal products are used in every meal. This chapter covers the different types of Japanese cuisines, popular Japanese chain stores which serve vegan food, and of course the uniquitous convenience stores. 

Buddhist vegan restaurants like Kanga An serve some of the finest vegan cuisine in Asia, but many visitors never try it because they don't realise that they need to reserve it at least three days in advance.

Almost a hundred vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants are recommended throughout the book in the sections for each city or region.

The book also covers finding food at convenience stores and chain restaurants.

Coco Ichibanya, Japan's largest curry restaurant chain, serve these vegan curries at most of their branches, but they should not be confused with the "vegetable" curries, which contain animal products in the gravy. In March 2020 they have introduced soy cutlet to accompany their vegan curry range. 

Travel Practicalities

Japan is deservedly famous for having the most advanced but also one of the most expensive railways systems in the world, and it can be overwhelming for many first-time visitors to the country. This chapter covers the many different types of trains, discount passes other practical information needed to travel around Japan as efficiently and affordably as possible.

The book also covers the myriad of accommodation options in Japan, from high-end ryokans (traditional, high-end Japanese lodgings) to kapuseru hoteru (capsule hotels) and the affordable, efficient "business hotels" which are (despite their name) perfect for travellers.

Push the wrong button on a  Japanese toilet, and you may receive an unexpected shower from an unwanted place. 

Which Areas are Not Covered in The First Edition? 

This guidebook covers most if not all cities and attractions which are commonly visited by first-time travellers to Japan.

Every city and every suburb in Japan has something interesting to see or do, so it's difficult to specify which regions which could be of interest to a traveller aren't included, but popular areas which are not covered in the first edition include the southern island chain of Okinawa, and Kumamoto on the southern island of Kyushu. The guidebook includes climbing Mount Fuji, but not the Fuji Five Lakes area, which is very beautiful but is difficult to travel around without private transport. I hope to include these in a future edition.

Visit the Japan Vegan Travel Guides website. 

Buy the Book or Download a Free Sample on Amazon.com 

Mana Burgers

As of February 2015 Mana Burgers have sadly closed. I'll keep this page here until I find out whether or not there's any chance of them re-opening anywhere else.

I first went to Mana Burgers in 2010, when I had a day in Fukuoka on a whirlwind tour of Japan on the Japan Rail Pass. I went to Mana burgers, did a load of laundry, slept, got up and whipped around the old castle ruins, all in less than a day, and then had to jump back on the Shinkansen to get back to Tokyo before my pass ran out.

Mana Burgers, Fukuoka, 2010 (now closed)

I was delighted to recently learn that they've re-opened in Yokohama. I also learned that Island Veggie is also inspired by the same owners.

"Natural junk" in a nutshell!

My burger was delicious, and it's always nice to find a fresh soy smoothie!

Mana Burgers meal (Yokohama, 2014)

They also serve steamed buns from the Loving Hut.

Steamed Bun from the Loving Hut

While they're officially the only vegetarian restaurant in Yokohama (disappointing for a city the size of New Zealand) they're a long way from Yokohama Station or tourist areas, and it's faster to reach them from Tokyo (25 minutes from Shibuya Station on the Den-en Toshi Line) than from Yokohama. But when you're feeling like a healthy (??) junk-food meal they're well worth a visit from either city.

The interior is large and pleasant, with indoor and outdoor seating.

It's not easy to find Mana Burgers, and as of August 2014 they aren't on Google Maps (and only the owner can add them, and I can't find an email address to suggest it). But his location should be correct, and their own map is here.

View Mana Burgers in a larger map

Vespera's Falafel

Unfortunately Vespera's Falafel has permanently closed. I will leave this page open for posterity, and in case the owner hopefully reopens (he has closed and re-opened in the past). 

An advertisement for vegan food is always a good sign!

The original Vespera's Falafel closed down at its previous location after the owner was unfortunately hit by a car, but he's now recovered and re-opened his store in Koenji. I found it on Happycow, and decided to make the half-hour trip from where I was staying in search of Tokyo's newest falafel eatery, and it was my best find in months (thanks Happycow!). Unfortunately it'll be a while before I make it back since I'm leaving Japan soon, but Vespera's Falafel should top any travellers list, and if you live in or around Tokyo, I recommend it as a great place to go for delicious, affordable meals and a pleasant and interesting place to hang out. I was amazed to find myself the only customer on a Saturday night, though I guess that's to be expected for a newly-opened restaurant in a quiet suburban location.

Not just falafel: This Pad Thai was the best I've had outside Thailand.

While Vespera's namesake falafel was fresh, crispy and delicious as falafel should be, it turns out that this restaurant isn't just about falafel. While the menu is predominantly Middle-Eastern, it offers an expanding range of other international cuisines. I enjoyed a falafel wrap, fried potatoes (chips) with a delicious chilli seasonings and the best Pad Thai I've had outside of Thailand. They serve a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including organic ginger beer. They have an English menu and the friendly and helpful waitress spoke fluent English.

Not the most healthy, I still occasionally enjoy fried potatoes (as they are known in
Japan) and these were the best I've had anywhere, owing to their fresh, spicy seasoning. 

The vegetarian owner, Eiji, is passionate about serving healthy vegetarian food at affordable prices, and that he certainly is: At 650 Yen for a falafel wrap or 500 Yen for a Pad Thai - both prepared cooked perfection - prices are incredibly low for Tokyo, especially for such quality vegan food. Two dishes, fried potatoes and a drink came to 2000 Yen.

Vespera's Falafel has a very pleasant dining interior.

Vespera's Falafel has a very pleasant, spacious dining area, which includes western-style tables and traditional Japanese low tables on a raised platform (for which shoes should be removed). There's also a table selling a few local and imported vegan groceries, most of which I haven't seen for sale anywhere else in Japan. I bought some vegetable crackers to snack on when I can't make it to vegan eateries.

The vegetable crackers are delicious, and make a great on-the-go snack. They remind
me of similar crackers available in convenience stores all over Taiwan.

The inspiration for Vespera's Falafel comes from Eiji's visits to Inforshops in Europe, while touring with his band. Infoshops are centres for the distribution of information and social and political ideas, including alternatives to capitalism and the current consumer-oriented society, and often animal rights. While anyone with any background in grassroots activism, punk culture or anarchism will undoubtedly appreciate some of the posters and books tucked away on a corner bookshelf, Eiji is quick to point out that his restaurant is first and foremost a vegan restaurant, and for anyone not interested in this subculture it will appear to be no more than a light, pleasant touch of alternative decor. The balance is struck perfectly, with alternative information available for anyone interested in it, but a stylish vegan restaurant with delicious, healthy, affordable food for everyone else.

Koenji Station area would be very pleasant if it wasn't used primarily as a smokers lounge.

Vespera's Falafel is a 10 minute walk from Koenji Station, which is itself 10 minutes from Shinjuku Station on the Chuo Rapid train. Koenji (Wikipedia) is considered to be the centre for underground or alternative youth culture and music in Japan, and in particular it is said to be the birthplace of punk culture in Japan. It also boasts parks, temples and interesting shopping arcades, including a large number of second hand music and clothes stores. Also within walking distance are Meunota (also good, and I intend to post on it soon) and Poleyale (vegetarian) which I haven't tried (links to Happycow). I recommend visiting Vespera's and another cafe for lunch and dinner, and in between times exploring this interesting suburb of Tokyo.

Hours (from Happycow): Wednesday - Sunday 11AM - 11PM.
Address: 杉並区高円寺南２－１５－１８　汐沢ビル２F
Phone: 03 - 59298998 (owner/chef and waitress both speak English)

View Koenji Vegan Restaurants in a larger map

Cafe Rappa

Unfortunately Cafe Rappa has closed permanently closed. Please let me know if it updates. Thank you.

Cafe Rappa, Nakano, Tokyo

 Cafe Rappa is a charming little vegan cafe in Nakano, about 20 minutes by train from Shinjuku Station. It features a pleasant, relaxing interior and delicious vegan food, at very reasonable prices.

I arrived quite late, and the helpful English-speaking owner suggested I get the curry plate, which was a delicious meal and a great deal at only 900 Yen. The menu is only in Japanese, but the owner was happy to explain it to me in English.

This two-curry set was delicious, and a great deal at only 900 Yen.

Cafe Rappa serves a variety of hot, cold and alcoholic drinks. I had a coffee alternative (I think it was Inca) made with hot soymilk, cappuccino style. It was delicious.  The owner is clearly passionate about healthy food.

coffee alternative, cappucino style

If you're in or around Nakano or Shinjuku I highly recommend Cafe Rappa for dinner, or an evening hangout. It's also a good option for a meal if you're in Tokyo late (other options include Vege Herb Saga, Nagi Shokudo and Pure Cafe). 

Opening Hours:
Tue - Sat: 11:30AM - 10:00PM.
Closed Sun - Mon

It's about a five minute walk from Araiyakushimae Station on the Seibu Shinjuku line. You'll probably need to take (at least) two trains, but it's worth the effort.

View Cafe Rappa in a larger map

Skiing in Hokkaido

Niseko is a Meka for snow sports, boasting what some would call the best powder snow in the world (though Hakuba is also excellent). I visited three ski fields: Niseko, Kokusai and Mt Moiwa. Whereever you go, if you take just one piece of advice from this blog, bring plenty of snack food with you. Due to my late order and the Xmas backlog, my veganessentials order didn't arrive before I left, and I could really have done with all those snack bars I'd ordered, especially while travelling and on the slopes!

Getting There
The best way to get to Hokkaido for the environment is of course the train, and it's an interesting day's journey (or more if you stop off along the way) to take the shinkansen to Aomori and then an interesting trip through the world's longest undersea tunnel to Hokkaido, the Seikan Tunnel. (The Channel Tunnel has a longer undersea portion, however the the Seikan Tunnel is the longest and also the deepest rail tunnel). If you have a Japan Rail Pass (almost an essential for tourists who plan on leaving the Greater Tokyo are) it's all covered by the JR Pass, unless you want an expensive sleeper berth.

If you do fly, you won't be alone, as the Tokyo to Sapporo is the world's busiest air route. New Chitose Airport is about an hour and a half's flight from Tokyo, and flights leave from both Haneda and Narita airports. There is a Starbucks on the third floor. (Starbucks is usually the only place one can find soymilk, with an exception being Niseko, thanks to all the Australians - edit: and Tulley's Coffee). Also, the conveyor-belt sushi restaurant nearby has a few vegan options, including pickled plum, cucumber and gourd; these three can be found in sushi restaurants all over Japan, and are usually vegan. There are small dipping bowls for soy sauce under the conveyor belt for sushi, and ginger is in a box on the table. The powdered green tea is free (help yourself). Just don't be tempted by the deep fried squid legs or the  crab intestine sushi, quite a bargain at only 200 and 300 Yen respectively. The Tokyo-Sapporo route is reportedly the busiest air route in the world, and is flown by several carriers. Beware that while Air Asia (soon to close) and Jetstar offer some amazingly low fares for the route, they cancel planes regularly and when they do offer no compensation or even a refund, leaving the only option to take their next available flight, and if this isn't possible (ie if they want you to return two days later, but you can't due to work) then you just lose your money. I recommend booking early on a good Japanese airline (or taking the train).
2015 Update: Be very careful with Low Cost Carriers in Japan, and don't even think about flying Vanilla Air. Please see my LCCs in Japan website for more info. 

Whichever way you're getting there, consider using Takuhaibin to send your skis/snowboard (and luggage) to your hotel. It's probably cheaper than checking it in on your flight, and saves lugging them on and off trains. It's surprisingly cheap and simple, and can be done through convenience stores.

sushi from the conveyor belt restaurant near Starbucks, 3rd floor New Chitose Airport

Niseko
Niseko is almost a 'little Australia', and during the Xmas period I'd guess three quarters of people there, including many working in the restaurants, are Aussies, and most of the rest also foreigners, including many from Hong Kong and Singapore.

On the slopes themselves, food is mostly a matter of survival. Most places will serve white rice and "fried potatoes". King Bell on the Hirafu Slopes serve pizzas with dairy-free bases, and a pizza base with tomato sauce and basil was better than it sounded, even by the fourth one.
The Grand Hirafu Area was also the best area for night skiing, largely because the Gondola runs until late.

Best on the Niseko slopes: a vegan pizza base, chips and rice from King Bell in the Grand Hirafu  ski area.

At Annupuri, my favourite of the four ski areas, the Nook do a green salad, rice and "friend potatoes" - usual vegan fare. Beware that the last bus back to Hirafu leaves just after 8PM - I found out the hard way that it's a long taxi ride around the mountain, as easy as it seems to ski over it.

Best of Annupuri: a vegan lunch at the Nook, Annupuri ski area.

The Niseko Village Area area was the worst, with the restaurants (including the Lookout Cafe on the slopes) seemingly dominated by the Hilton Hotel, with food and prices to match. I couldn't find anything vegan, and prices for drinks were ridiculous. I don't recommend this area.

I never made it to the Hanozono Resort Area, so if there's a vegan cafe there I missed it.

For dinner, or a break during lunch, walk or take the shuttle bus to the Taj Mahal restaurant, about half a kilometre from the Grand Hirafu area. They were happy to make food vegan (and clearly made the effort to check ingredients) and the food, while the typical North Indian fare found all over Japan, was excellent.

On Sunday they have a buffet. Needless to say, little of it (basically Pappadoms and one curry) was vegan, but they cooked me roti, an additional Channa Masala and offered alternatives to other items not vegan. All up, it was a great deal at 1950 Yen (my other meals there were about the same price). The owner, originally from Bombay, has lived in Japan for fourty years, and he also has branches in Chitose (near the airport) and Sapporo. The Taj Mahal is the obvious choice for dinners or a good satisfying lunch while at Niseko.

A vegan modification of the Sunday buffet meal at the Taj Mahal - a great deal at 1950 Yen!

They also have two buses/vans in the area, one by Seicomart, offering hot food on the go. I found the quality (not surprisingly) much lower than the restaurant, so it's well worth the walk to get the food fresh from the kitchen rather than from the microwave.

Kokusai
Kokusai, which literally translates to 'international' (though I only saw one other foreigner there, among several hundred Japanese - quite the opposite of Niseko) is about a two hour bus ride from Sapporo Station. Compared to Niseko, I found its runs to be longer and wider, and I enjoyed skiing there a lot.

the view from outside the gondola at Kokusai Ski Resort

It also has two Gondolas to near the top of the mountain, so this and the wide, long runs meant that a greater proportion of my time was spent skiing than on chairlifts or in cues than at other skifields.

Kokusai base

once the sun came out, the views from the gondola were spectacular

Don't expect much for lunch though. The only thing I could find at all (other than french fries) was freshly baked sweet potato (that's kumara for any kiwis reading this) from the dining area to the far right in this photo.

enter at the far right of this building (as seen from this direction) and sweet potato are sold at the first counter.

morning tea, lunch (and dinner if you stay long enough) at Kokusai Ski Resort

Mt Moiwa Ski Resort
For a more family affair, head to Mt Moiwa Ski field, near Sapporo. This is where families come for a day skiing, and where working folk duck by for a quick night ski after work. Facilities here are very simple, and food very basic. I found nothing vegan except fries and rice.

Mt Moiwa Ski area, close to Sapporo

Note: I am writing about the Mt Moiwa near central Sapporo. There is a much larger Mt Moiwa Ski resort close to Niseko, which I didn't go to. Also note that this is a skier only area (no snowboarding).

The views of Sapporo were amazing!

To get there, take the subway to Makomanai Station, and then there is a shuttle bus (or a taxi) from there.

my favourite run at Mt Moiwa

SAPPORO

If you're in Hokkaido, chances are you'll go to Sapporo. I found it to be a very pleasant, liveable city. Being a planned city, it has straight, wide streets, and a central park-like avenue (Oodori) running right through the centre. It reminded me very much of Christchurch (especially with the hills in the distance) and of Kaohsiung, which was probably planned and built by Japanese at around the same time.

Oodori, central Sapporo

2014 Update: There are now several vegan and vegetarian options on Happycow. I have removed Jyoti and instead also recommend Lohas Rawfood and Itadakizen (details to come soon). I didn't get to try Heureuse Vie, Cafe Chienoki or Natural Food Holo.

 I recommend three places to eat in Sapporo, all from Happycow.

Aoi Sora Organic Cafe
Being Sapporo's only vegetarian cafe (it's actually vegan and organic) this should be top of the list. The meal was fresh and delicious (such a change from days of rice and French fries) and the friendly owner speaks good English. It's well worth the effort to get there.

a set lunch from Ao Sora Organic Cafe, Sapporo

Iki Laboratory
Iki Laboratory (it's really a restaurant) labels many items on its menu 'vegan' and 'oriental vegetarian' (全素 - no garlic or onion). Portions were small (as normal in Japan) but for such excellent food, it was still good value. 

potato salad from Iki Laboratory

I think these were made from gluten, but I can't remember what they were called.

parfait - Iki Laboratory

Jyoto
2014 edit
I previously recommended Jyoti for Indian food (written Dec 2012, removing it now Feb 2014). However on this visit the owner wasn't offering to make the vegetarian set vegan any more, so ordering dishes separately meant that my meal of dahl, lacha paratha (bread), samosas and "spicy potatoes" (essentially a potato curry, made with about one potato) came to about 2000 Yen. The dahl was also the only dish he suggested could be made vegan. And it was also very cold inside. So with these changes and the extra places added to Happycow, I no longer recommend Jyoti.
That said it is centrally located, and the staff clearly still understand veganism, so if you're craving an Indian meal it's still a possibility. But I'd highly recommend giving your patronage to one of the half dozen or so vegan or vegetarian restaurants in Sapporo.