2020 Games: Halal, vegan food fair underway in Japan

Halal and vegan foods are served at GRAN-EAT GINZA in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward on Monday.

TOKYO — With only about a year left until the opening of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, an event promoting vegan and halal foods has begun at a Tokyo restaurant.

The event at Gran-Eat Ginza in Chuo Ward was organized to prepare for the arrival of people with various dietary habits and religious backgrounds, who are expected to come to Japan from various countries to see the Games.

Meals served during the event include halal-certified baked and seasoned chicken breast for Muslim visitors and Szechuan sesame hot noodles for vegans with soybean-based ingredients in place of meat.

The meals were proposed by Shintaro Ikeda, 38, a former Olympic badminton player who is also a member of the Food Strategy Advisory Group established for the Tokyo Games.

Gran-Eat Ginza representative Yasuaki Takeda, 42, said, “We’re hoping that people from around the world will enjoy their meals free from anxiety [while staying in Japan].”

The event will run through Aug. 4.