ASIAN VEGAN CONNECT 2026 in Tokyo: a practical guide to the international vegan event

If you are looking for an international vegan event in Tokyo, ASIAN VEGAN CONNECT 2026 is scheduled for Tuesday 3 November, a national holiday in Japan, at City Hall & Gallery Gotanda. The official page lists the main event from 11:00 to 16:00 with free admission, followed by a paid party from 16:00 to 18:30. This guide gathers the organiser's published information and explains what you still need to reconfirm before building your trip.

This is not a report of a visit by our editorial team, and it does not present an evolving programme as final. We checked the official announcement, venue, stated times and described format; whenever tickets, prices or practical details are missing, we say so clearly. The cover is the official event image published by the organiser: it is directly relevant to the event and is linked with its source among the references.

What is ASIAN VEGAN CONNECT?

ASIAN VEGAN CONNECT is presented as an event for connecting vegan communities across Asia, rather than only as a food market. The official page describes a programme that brings together beauty, awards, products and conversation, with references to Japan, Taiwan, Korea, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. For travellers, its value is the chance to see several sectors in one place and understand how the plant-based movement connects across different countries.

Save Tuesday 3 November 2026. The published address is City Hall & Gallery Gotanda, Gotanda JP Building 3F, 8-4-13 Nishigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo. The main programme is listed from 11:00 to 16:00, followed by the Asia Vegan Party from 16:00 to 18:30. Do not confuse the daytime programme with the evening party: they are consecutive parts of the day, but the second one is paid.

Date, venue and access in Gotanda

The venue is described as about five minutes from JR Gotanda Station and about one minute from Tokyu Osaki-Hirokoji Station. These are useful orientation times for someone who already knows the area; luggage, crowds, lifts and finding the correct floor can require more margin. Save the full address and building name, not only the word Gotanda, so a map search does not send you to a different venue.

Free admission applies to the daytime main event; it does not mean that every connected activity is free. The official page distinguishes the Asia Vegan Party, planned after 16:00 and described as a paid event. At the time of our check, the page did not yet provide a final fee, booking process or capacity limit that we can responsibly publish. Do not buy a place based on a price shown on an unofficial page.

The announced programme: four areas

The announced programme is built around four elements: Vegan Beauty Selection, Asia Vegan Awards, Asia Vegan Market and Asia Vegan Party. This distinction helps you understand the day: you are not going only to find lunch, but to an event combining products, recognition, networking and a final social moment. Individual activities, internal times and participants may still be updated by the organiser.

Vegan Beauty Selection is the part dedicated to cosmetics, fashion, sweets and other proposals associated in the announcement with vegan beauty. For anyone following cruelty-free fashion, it may be a chance to discover brands and materials outside the usual tourist routes. Do not turn the section name into an automatic certification, though: read each exhibitor's information and ask how vegan, cruelty-free and plant-based are defined for the product and its components.

Asia Vegan Awards adds a recognition and comparison dimension for projects from across the continent. It is useful if you want to understand which companies or initiatives are highlighted, but the announcement is not by itself a complete ranking or an independent review. Before using an award as a buying criterion, check the category, year and recipient in the event's official communication. The meaning of a recognition depends on its rules and context.

Asia Vegan Market is the area closest to the idea of an international market: the page mentions participants and connections involving Japan, Taiwan, Korea, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. It may help you compare ingredients, snacks, packaged products, cosmetics or accessories, but we cannot promise a list of stalls or the availability of a particular brand. Attendance and quantities can change, and neither can be inferred from the poster. Bring a reusable bag and leave room for checks and queues.

The final party: what to know before paying

The event also includes presentation and networking moments for people in the sector, according to the organiser's format description. That matters if you want to make contacts or understand how vegan projects move across Asia, but we did not find a detailed timetable with titles, speakers, languages and times for every session. Treat the official page as a structural announcement, not as a final minute-by-minute schedule.

The Asia Vegan Party is the part that needs the most careful planning. The published time is 16:00–18:30 and it is described as paid, but at our 23 September check the page still did not list every detail needed to book: price, purchase method, menu, available places and cancellation terms. If you want to attend, check the official update before buying a flight or booking an evening restaurant. An announced event is not the same as a ticket already being available.

How to prepare for a vegan visit

The following details also need reconfirming, as they often change in the weeks before an event: final exhibitor list, internal schedule, language of talks, payment methods, rules for luggage or photography, accessibility, queue management and allergen information. This caution does not reduce the event's value; it prevents us from filling gaps with guesses. Save the official page and check it again a few days before travelling, especially if your itinerary depends on the evening party.

Vegan does not automatically mean suitable for every allergy. At an event with multiple operators, ask the individual stall about the product's composition, the meaning of the wording used and the risk of contact with other ingredients. If the answer is vague, do not order. For cosmetics, fashion and accessories, also check glues, dyes, finishes and less visible components: the main material does not always describe the whole product. Verification remains the responsibility of the exhibitor and visitor.

For a calmer visit, arrive with a little spare time, keep the Japanese address on your phone and prepare a note with any allergies or dietary requests. If you plan to buy something, bring an alternative payment method and do not assume every stall accepts the same cards. If the market is your priority, go in the first hours; if you want the party, check the entry procedure first. Also plan a backup dinner rather than relying on a menu that has not yet been published.

Practical questions

Gotanda makes it possible to build an urban day around the event without treating it as an isolated detour. You can combine it with a nearby neighbourhood or use it as the central stop before moving to a restaurant you have already checked. Our Where to eat directory and map help you compare addresses, but they do not replace checking opening hours on a public holiday. Leave time for the event, your return journey and any changes from the organiser.

Is ASIAN VEGAN CONNECT 2026 free? The main programme from 11:00 to 16:00 is listed as free; the party from 16:00 to 18:30 is paid. Its fee and purchase method need reconfirming. Where is it held? At City Hall & Gallery Gotanda, Gotanda JP Building 3F, 8-4-13 Nishigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo. Do you need to book? The page we checked does not publish a general booking process for the daytime event; for the party, do not assume anything until the organiser gives details. Which exhibitors will be there? The page presents the international format, but the final list still needs to be checked.

Editorial check and sources

Editorial check: 23 September 2026. We checked the date, venue, access, times and programme structure on the official ASIAN VEGAN CONNECT page and compared the context with the official Vegan Gourmet Festival pages. Information about tickets, exhibitors, menus, languages, capacity, payments and allergens may change. The cover is the official event image, optimised for the web without altering its content; credit and the source link appear below. Before travelling, check the organiser's website again and update your plan with a realistic alternative. To continue, explore the Where to eat guide, the Events & classes page and other Journal articles.