Shojin Ryori

In Japan, it’s not rare to see a street attendant working past retirement, or a kind 80-year-old woman still running her family soba restaurant. It’s a widely known fact that this country has some of the oldest people in the world, falling only behind Hong Kong in life expectancy. Why is this? Could it be the fantastic healthcare system, the high regard that seniors receive, or the fact that many of them remain active, getting up at 6 AM for their daily exercises? Of course these are all contributing factors, but we are missing a pretty important one: food.

Until the18th century, plant-based agriculture was preferred to livestock rearing. This combined with the influence of Buddhism and Shintoism meant that most of the country harboured a vegetarian friendly diet. Emperors regularly issued meat bans and for a while, plant-based diets thrived. A version of this historic cuisine is still available today…