Eating in Japan with a special diet

Japanese food looks light and vegetable-rich, but much of it is built on fish stock, and many dishes mix in small amounts of meat, seafood or wheat. Restaurant staff are polite and keen to help, though the idea of "no fish stock at all" can be new to them. A little preparation makes a big difference.

Hidden ingredients to know

Vegetarian and vegan

• Try shojin ryori. Buddhist temple cuisine is plant-based and dashi-free by tradition. Kyoto's temple restaurants and the temple lodgings of Koyasan are the best places to try it.
• Look for vegan ramen. Tokyo and Kyoto have several ramen shops with plant-based broth, including T's Tantan inside Tokyo Station.
• Safe-ish everyday food: plain onigiri (pickled plum or seaweed), inari sushi, edamame, vegetable sushi (cucumber or pickle rolls), grilled sweet potato and tofu dishes, but always ask about dashi.
• Convenience stores label products in Japanese only. A translation app's camera mode helps a lot.
• Use HappyCow to find vegetarian and vegan restaurants near you, with recent reviews from other travellers.

Halal and Muslim-friendly travel

• Halal restaurants are easiest to find in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. The Halal Gourmet Japan website and app list certified and Muslim-friendly places.
• Seafood and vegetable dishes avoid pork, but sauces may contain mirin or sake, so ask.
• Prayer rooms are available at Narita, Haneda and Kansai airports, and at some large stations, department stores and tourist sites.
• Pork is common in ramen, gyoza and curry, and pork extract appears in many snacks and instant foods. Look for the kanji 豚 (pork) on labels.

Gluten-free and coeliac

• Soy sauce is the main problem. Ask for tamari, a soy sauce often made without wheat, or carry a small bottle of gluten-free soy sauce.
• Soba is not always safe. Most soba noodles mix buckwheat with wheat. Juwari soba is 100% buckwheat, but it is often cooked in shared water.
• Safer choices: sashimi without soy sauce, plain rice, yakitori with salt (shio) instead of sauce (tare), and grilled fish.
• Coeliac travellers should be careful. Few restaurants understand cross-contamination, so a printed card and self-catering help.

Allergy labels on packaged food

Japanese law requires packaged food to show 8 major allergens: wheat, buckwheat, egg, milk, peanut, shrimp, crab and walnut. Look for these words on the label, usually in a box near the ingredients:

Pork, beef and fish stock are not mandatory allergens, but they often appear in the ingredient list.

Useful phrases

• "Bejitarian desu." I am vegetarian.
• "Niku to sakana wa taberaremasen." I cannot eat meat or fish.
• "Dashi wa haitte imasu ka?" Is there fish stock in this?
• "Butaniku wa haitte imasu ka?" Is there pork in this?
• "Komugi arerugii ga arimasu." I have a wheat allergy.

Tip: a printed card in Japanese that explains your diet works better than speaking, especially in busy restaurants. Show it before you order. See more in our essential Japanese phrases.

Tips for eating out

• Go at quieter times. Staff have more time to check ingredients outside the lunch and dinner rush.
• Book ryokan meals ahead. Traditional inns can often prepare vegetarian or halal meals with notice.
• Self-cater sometimes. Supermarkets and department store food halls have fruit, tofu, rice and vegetables you can check easily.
• Read our food guide to know which dishes to look out for: Japanese food: dishes to try.

Opening hours, prices and transport details change. Check the official sources before you travel: Japan National Tourism Organization: Muslim travelers.