I like the snow monkey park they are free to come and go as they please

Yes, I already avoid animal-related attractions - I meant places that don't even mention animals.

However I am also working on an Osaka guide for vegan-friendly non-food activities, maybe will expand this in the future too :)

Thank you! Planning to go this year so this is really helpful!

Okinawa world absolutely horrified me. The live show with the snake/ hamster looking animal and the zoo where very unpleasant to see …better save your bucks and enjoy the beach instead !

If you’re an ethical vegan (as opposed to a plant based dieter or a vegetarian), you want to avoid supporting any animal abuse or exploitation (at least as much as possible). This includes facilities that use animals for entertainment or decoration. If you pay entry to such a place, you’re also technically paying to support the exploitation of that animal. For example, I’ve been to a lot of facilities that have a random pet animal… it just makes me feel bad and not want to go there anymore.

Well, this is just something I'd like to avoid supporting where possible, so I asked for help here...

Thanks for sharing! Awareness is always good while we can't do much else 💜

Yes, every urban area involves environmental destruction. Yes, crop agriculture causes harm. Most vegans I know already acknowledge this.

IMHO jumping from “harm exists” to “therefore all choices are morally equivalent” is lazy reasoning.

By that logic, trying to reduce harm is pointless, because some harm will always exist? Intentional exploitation is fine, because no system is pure? Our efforts aren't meaningless just because perfection is impossible.

Let's get back to the basics since this thread seems to be shown to more non-vegans than it should ben... veganism doesn’t claim to eliminate all harm. It is a moral stance against exploitation and killing as far as is practicable and possible. There’s a massive moral difference between simply unavoidable systemic harm and direct, unnecessary, intentional violence. Pretending otherwise is just flattening moral distinctions to avoid responsibility.

Your hunter-gatherer line is also a false dilemma. The options are not perfect zero-impact existence vs “Guess I’ll fund animal agriculture then”...

Reducing harm within modern constraints is how every ethical framework works. We don’t abolish labour rights because global supply chains are imperfect. We don’t legalize murder because death exists. We don’t say “well slavery existed historically so ethics are fake.”

As a consequence of our moral stance, we aim to choose the option that avoids directly breeding, confining, and killing animals for pleasure or convenience (which btw also demonstrably uses less land, less water, and causes fewer deaths than animal agriculture).

If your conclusion from “the world isn’t perfect” is “nothing matters unless we return to the Stone Age,” that says more about your unwillingness to engage with nuance than it does about veganism.

It’s just a long way of saying “I don’t like ethical pressure, so I’m going to pretend reduction is meaningless.” And again, this sub and thread aren't here to debate basic philosophy that’s been answered a thousand times elsewhere. I am simply a vegan who has adjusted their lifestyle choices as much as possible, and will continue to adjust with new information I learn, while also brining awareness to attractions as I mentioned above.

For me and the animals, this impact matters.

...did you read my post?

This is a subreddit about veganism in Japan. We’re not here to debate. If you want to ask for general opinions about veganism, take it to /r/debateavegan

Hi Felix!

I get that this post probably just landed on your timeline, and I do appreciate that you’re clearly trying to think critically about how to make the world better. That intention matters.

That said, this question has been discussed extensively already, and you were even pointed to a more appropriate sub. At some point, making a conscious effort also includes doing a bit of research yourself rather than continuing to debate people in a space that isn’t meant for it.

From a vegan perspective: veganism isn’t about personal purity, it’s a philosophy opposed to animal exploitation. In a non-vegan world, it’s impossible to opt out of all indirect harm. We acknowledge that openly. But that doesn’t make the stance meaningless.

Saying “by buying vegetables you support animal farming” is a bit like saying “you use products that involve forced labour, so I’m going to pay someone to whip people for fun.” The fact that harm exists systemically doesn’t invalidate efforts to reduce direct, avoidable exploitation where it’s realistically possible. It’s far easier to exclude animal products from our diets than it is to guarantee completely manure-free supply chains under current agricultural systems.

There are farming methods that don’t rely on animal inputs (veganic / stock-free agriculture), which you probably know more about than most people here, and I’m happy to link resourcess ,but educating on very basic vegan questions isn’t really what this sub is for. People here want to share experiences about veganism in Japan, not constantly re-litigate foundational philosophy.

Reddit conversations derail easily, but if you’re genuinely interested in debating or exploring the topic further, going to the appropriate channels will get you better, more engaged answers.

The schools are pretty awful too, keeping unfixed rabbits in outdoor pens where the children view them as a chore and often scream around them.

The schools insist that it’s teaching children to love animals, while admitting that the rabbits die young and also teaching children to eat animals at lunch.