Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto, Japan
Credit teamLab, Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto
Enhancing the MICHELIN Green Star experience with teamLab artwork – Vegan Ramen UZU was awarded a MICHELIN Green Star for the second consecutive year and a Bib Gourmand for the fifth year running in the MICHELIN Guide Kyoto Osaka 2026.
The award recognizes restaurants that actively practice sustainable gastronomy and set an example in environmental protection and social responsibility. In 2025, Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto became the first ramen restaurant in the world to receive the Green Star. It has also received the Bib Gourmand for the fifth consecutive year, an award given to restaurants that serve refined cuisine at a reasonable price.
Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto, Japan
Credit teamLab, Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto
teamLab Reversible Rotation – Black in White – Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto, Japan
Credit teamLab Reversible Rotation – Black in White
Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto opened in 2020 in Gosho-Minami, Kyoto. teamLab’s artwork, Reversible Rotation – Black in White, is displayed on the wall, and a polished black table surrounds it, allowing customers to enjoy vegan food while being surrounded by art not only on the walls but also on the table. This space was created to encourage reflection on the acts of eating and living.
Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto, Japan
Credit teamLab, Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto
Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto, Japan
Credit teamLab, Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto
Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto offers the “UZU Signature Course,” a complete vegan meal that begins with a welcome drink and ends with dessert. The ramen broth is cold-brewed for 12 hours with Rausu Kombu, domestic shiitake mushrooms, and vegetables. The noodles are made with Hokkaido wheat flour and pesticide-free whole wheat flour from Aya, Miyazaki Prefecture. They also offer a menu designed to create almost no food waste, featuring “Nut and Miso Cheese with Yatsuhashi,” made with 10 different ingredients, and “Hand-rolled Sushi” with kombu, pickled shiitake, fresh sansho, shiso, and more.
Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto, Japan
Credit teamLab, Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto
“‘Earth-friendly dining’ is the mission of Vegan Ramen UZU. The interior artwork, created by the art collective teamLab and based on their theme of ‘Interconnection between humans and nature and each other,’ is a perfect fit for the cuisine. Digital art that reverses left and right on the black tables, and India-ink writing on the walls, speak to harmony between nature and food, and the beauty of all creation. Guests dine at the same table, underscoring the message that we must live and prosper together.”
Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto, Japan
Credit teamLab, Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto
Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto, Japan
Credit teamLab, Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto
Ryo Kataoka, the Vegan Ramen UZU Kyoto Representative, comments, “We are truly honored to have been recognized for the fifth consecutive year. For us, the choice to abstain from animal products is not a restriction. Instead, it is an act of listening to what plants and grains have to tell us when they are given the leading role. Here in Kyoto, where Buddhist contemplation and the tradition of Shojin Ryori are deeply rooted, this practice returns us to the essence of things. We will continue our search—not for what is merely new, but for what is true.”
