Every New Year in Japan, people eat osechi, the dishes packed into tiered boxes for the first days of the year. I started to wonder: if someone in my family were vegan, could we still enjoy osechi together? That question set me looking for vegan osechi.
When I searched, I found boxes labeled “shojin” and “vegetarian” alongside “vegan.” The names alone didn’t tell me which ones used no animal products.
If a box of osechi says shojin, there’s nothing from an animal in it. That’s the assumption, anyway. Yet some osechi include dishes named “shojin” that are made with egg or whey.
Below, I look at osechi you can order in late 2026 for New Year 2027.
First I sort out what each label leaves out. Then I introduce five boxes I chose from five angles. I’ve noted what I could confirm, and also what I couldn’t.
Quick summary: choose by what matters to you
What do you most want to know before you order? Here are the boxes grouped by what matters to you.
| What matters to you | Osechi | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Plant-based stock, too | • Kenkoshoku Kobo Takano • Midorie | Takano says it uses nothing from animals in its stock either. Midorie lists ingredients dish by dish, and the stock is “vegetable stock” or “vegetable bouillon” |
| No honey | • Kenkoshoku Kobo Takano | It names honey alongside meat, fish, eggs, and dairy as things it doesn’t use. No other seller I checked mentioned honey at all |
| Knowing how the kitchen and frying oil are handled | • Midorie • WiLLD | Midorie says it keeps separate frying oil for its vegan dishes. WiLLD says the opposite up front: its kitchen also handles animal products |
| Vegetables from farms you can name | • WiLLD • Kenkoshoku Kobo Takano | WiLLD names its partner farms and their towns. Takano says it uses mostly local vegetables |
| Less single-use stuff | • WiLLD | It doesn’t pack disposable chopsticks or paper plates. That’s less to throw away when the box arrives |
| A small household | • Midorie | It’s a two-tier box for two to three people. It’s best eaten by January 1, so ordering the right amount is how you avoid leftovers |
| You eat eggs and dairy | • Saishoku Kenbi | It’s a vegetarian box with no meat. The ingredient list shows which dishes use eggs and dairy |
Some boxes show up in more than one row. That just means they meet several of these priorities at once.
Does “shojin” or “vegetarian” on the box mean no animal products?
Not necessarily. What these labels leave out is decided by each seller, and the words alone won’t tell you.
Shojin ryori is the vegetarian cooking of Japanese Buddhist temples. Osechi sold as “shojin” borrow that name.
Dishes called “shojin” can still contain egg or dairy
Saishoku Kenbi’s two-tier box, which I introduce below, is sold on Rakuten as “vegetarian.” I went through its ingredient list dish by dish. None of the dishes use meat. Seven of them use egg, though, and some use whey protein or butter.
Among them are “shojin” swordfish rolled in kombu, “shojin” meatballs, and “shojin” tsukune. The word “shojin” in a dish name may mean no meat or fish. It doesn’t mean no egg or dairy.
Many dishes also list wafu dashi (Japanese-style stock) or Japanese-style seasoning. The ingredient list doesn’t say what goes into them.
No labeling rule in Japan defines “vegan”
Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency publishes a Q&A on labeling plant-based foods. The word “vegan” doesn’t appear on that page.
The Q&A covers how to list ingredients and how to avoid misleading claims. For example, if you want to say a product is plant-based except for its additives, it suggests wording like “The ingredients are plant-based (excluding food additives).”
If the same factory makes products with beef, the Q&A says it’s “desirable” to note that. It isn’t required.
A vegan certification doesn’t promise a separate factory
The NPO Vege Project Japan runs a vegan certification. It describes its mark as the vegan mark most used on products in Japan. Its standard goes as far as checking that sugar wasn’t whitened with bone char. It traces the ingredients of ingredients.
It does allow production in a factory that also handles animal products, on two conditions. The product must say so if cross-contact can happen, and the maker must take steps to prevent it. I couldn’t find anything about allergies in the standard.
A 2023 study in Canada tested foods labeled “vegan” or “plant-based.” Milk protein turned up in 5 of the 87 samples tested for it. None of the 64 samples tested for egg had any.
This wasn’t a study of osechi or of products sold in Japan. Still, it shows that a vegan label and allergy safety are two different things.
Three things to check on the order page
Decide first what you want to avoid. Then look for these three things on the seller’s page. If they aren’t there, ask the seller before the order deadline.
| What to check | Why | What I found |
|---|---|---|
| What the stock is made from | If a page only says wafu dashi, you can’t tell whether it’s made from fish | Some sellers wrote “vegetable stock” for each dish. Others only wrote wafu dashi |
| Whether it uses eggs, dairy, or honey | “Vegetarian” boxes may use eggs and dairy. Few pages mention honey | Only one seller said it doesn’t use honey |
| Whether the kitchen and frying oil are kept separate | If you have an allergy, this matters most | One seller said it keeps them separate. Another said up front that it doesn’t |
Check the amount, too. Most of the chilled boxes I looked at were best eaten by January 1 or 2. Order more than your household can eat, and the rest goes in the bin.
All of these sellers deliver within Japan. None of the pages I checked mention ordering in English or shipping overseas.
Selection criteria: what I looked at
I looked at osechi from the five angles below. My standard was whether I could confirm each point on the seller’s own website. If a box isn’t listed here, that doesn’t mean the seller isn’t doing these things.
- Cutting food waste: Is it made to order? Can you choose an amount that fits your household? Is the expiry date stated?
- Cutting waste: Does the page say whether the boxes and extras are single-use?
- Who makes it: Does the page say who makes it and where? Is that information from the maker, not just a retailer?
- Where the food comes from: Does the page say where the main ingredients are grown?
- Honest information: Does the page show how it handles stock, eggs, dairy, honey, frying oil, and shared kitchens? Does it list ingredients dish by dish?
This information is based on what I confirmed on each seller’s website and product pages between October 11 and 13, 2026.
Almost none of the pages said what the boxes are made of or whether they can be reused. Prices and order deadlines can change, so check the seller’s page before you order.
Osechi that say they use no animal ingredients
1. Kenkoshoku Kobo Takano Plant-Based Shojin Osechi
🌱 No meat, fish, eggs, dairy, or honey 🍱 About 4 servings, 20+ dishes 🚚 Chilled, arrives December 31 📍 Kanazawa, Ishikawa
This osechi comes from a small kitchen in Kanazawa, where the owner, Yasuyuki Takano, cooks alone. The page says, in my translation, “We use no animal ingredients at all, including fish, meat, eggs, butter, dairy, and honey.”
Vegetables are mostly local, and other ingredients come from the natural food suppliers Ohsawa Japan and Muso. The allergens are soy, sesame, and wheat. You order through a form on the website, and the box is best eaten by January 2.
Editor’s note: This box calls itself “shojin” and still says it uses no honey. Whether you’re looking for shojin or vegan, the page answers what you need to know.
Trade-off: One line on the page says no animal ingredients are used at all, stock included. Another line about stock adds “as a rule.”
The page doesn’t say whether the kitchen also handles animal products, or what the box is made of. It comes in one size only, about four servings. You can’t cancel once December starts. The page says it ships within Japan, to areas a parcel can reach by December 31.
Kenkoshoku Kobo Takano Plant-Based Shojin Osechi
2. Midorie Additive-Free Organic Vegan Fresh Osechi, Two Tiers
🌱 No animal products, separate frying oil 🍱 2–3 servings, two tiers 🚚 Chilled, arrives December 31 📝 Ingredients listed by dish
This chilled osechi comes from Midorie, an organic restaurant. The page says, in my translation, “It’s completely free of animal foods, and we keep separate frying oil for vegan use.” Of the boxes I looked at, it was the only one to mention frying oil.
The datemaki (a sweet rolled omelet in regular osechi) is made with organic squash and tofu. The matsukaze-yaki uses wheat-protein vegan meat. Each dish comes with its ingredients and allergens, and the stock is “vegetable stock” or “vegetable bouillon.”
It’s best eaten by January 1, 2027. On Rakuten, orders close on Thursday, November 26.
Editor’s note: You can check, dish by dish, what goes in and what doesn’t. Two to three servings suits a small New Year table.
Trade-off: The tempeh nanbanzuke (a marinated fried dish) lists only “stock,” without saying what kind. The page also mentions wild fish and free-range eggs, but that’s a description of the restaurant as a whole.
It uses onion and garlic. If you want shojin food without gokun, the five pungent vegetables like onion and garlic, this isn’t the box for you. The restaurant’s own site lists December 17 as the deadline, so it differs by seller.
The same osechi is also sold on Kodawariya’s osechi page.
Midorie Additive-Free Organic Vegan Fresh Osechi, Two Tiers
3. WiLLD Vegan One-Tier Box
🌱 Vegan box 🥕 Pesticide-free vegetables from partner farms 🥢 No disposable chopsticks or plates 📍 Ships from Kanagawa
This osechi comes from WiLLD (Tula Inc.) and ships from Kanagawa. For New Year 2027, it offers three boxes. There’s a vegan one-tier box, a two-tier box with one special tier and one vegan tier, and a special one-tier box. If you only want the tier called vegan, order the one-tier box.
The vegetables are pesticide-free and come from partner farms: Noen Koeru in Chigasaki, uramichi in Oiso, Harmony Batake in Ashigara, and Nijiiro Batake in Nakai. As before, it doesn’t pack disposable chopsticks or paper plates. The vegan box contains wheat, soy, and nuts.
Editor’s note: WiLLD tells you the inconvenient part up front. Its kitchen also handles animal products, and the page warns people with severe allergies to take care.
Trade-off: The page says prices were revised for 2027 but doesn’t list them. It doesn’t say when the box arrives, whether it’s chilled or frozen, or how many it serves. Areas that take two or more days to reach can only order the vegan boxes.
Osechi labeled “shojin” or “vegetarian”
4. Saishoku Kenbi Musubi Two-Tier Osechi
🥚 Some dishes use eggs and dairy 🍱 5 servings, two tiers 🚚 Chilled, arrives December 31 📍 Made in Nakatsugawa, Gifu
This is a vegetarian osechi with no meat, sold on Rakuten by Saishoku Kenbi (菜食健美). It’s made by Daisho Kikaku in Nakatsugawa, Gifu, and the handmade dishes arrive chilled. Some dishes carry place names, like Nakatsugawa chestnuts in syrup and Tanba black beans.
The ingredients are listed for every dish. Seven dishes, including the datemaki and shumai, use egg. Whey protein or butter goes into both vegan-chicken dishes and the “shojin” swordfish.
It keeps for seven days from production. Deliveries to Hokkaido, Tohoku, and Kyushu arrive on January 1.
Editor’s note: This box isn’t vegan. It suits a New Year table for people who eat eggs and dairy but skip meat. Every dish’s ingredients are listed, so you can make that call yourself.
Trade-off: Many dishes list Japanese-style stock or seasoning. The label doesn’t tell you whether it contains fish stock or extract. If you don’t eat fish, ask the seller before you order. There’s also a one-tier box for two, “Yorokobi,” but I couldn’t confirm its ingredients.
ポチップ
5. Izusen Shojin Osechi, Two Tiers
🍱 One or two tiers, 2 or 4 servings 🚫 No meat or fish 🚚 Arrives December 31 📅 Best by January 1
This shojin osechi is sold through Izusen’s online shop. The page says, in my translation, “We’ve made an osechi that feels hearty even without meat or fish.”
The two-tier menu lists 32 dishes, including Rikyu tofu, three-color yuba rolls, glazed yuba, and mustard-stuffed lotus root. The allergens are wheat, sesame, soy, and Japanese yam. Orders on the official shop close at 5 p.m. on December 23. You can also pick it up at the main shop.
Editor’s note: The maker’s own page tells you it uses no meat or fish, and lists the menu and allergens. The earlier version of this article featured it too.
Trade-off: The page doesn’t say what the stock is made from, or whether any dish uses egg or dairy. Egg and dairy aren’t in the allergen list, but it’s safest to ask about them, along with the stock, before you order. It also doesn’t say whether the box is chilled or frozen.
Izusen’s shop offers free delivery to Kyoto, Uji, Muko, and Nagaokakyo. If you live elsewhere, it points you to a separate store, the Izusen mail-order store. The two-tier box of the same name there doesn’t list its menu or allergens, so I can’t tell whether it’s the same box.
Odakyu Department Store also sells a “Daitokuji Izusen Shojin Osechi.” The order pages don’t show whether it’s the same as the one on Izusen’s shop. If you buy from Odakyu, check before you order.
ポチップ
Izusen Shojin Osechi, Two Tiers
Final thoughts
On an osechi box, “vegan,” “shojin,” and “vegetarian” don’t tell you, on their own, what’s been left out. What I’d like you to take away is three things to check on the order page. Look at the stock, at eggs, dairy, and honey, and at the kitchen.
If there’s a box you’re considering, open its ingredient list today. If it isn’t there, you still have time to ask before the deadline.
For everyday vegan eating in Japan, see What do vegans eat?
What would you most want to leave off your own New Year table?
