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We’re going to be trustworthy, being gluten-free in Japan is difficult. Gluten intolerances are uncommon amongst Japanese individuals, soy sauce is utilized in nearly all the things, and there’s a good bit of bewilderment round what a gluten-free food regimen means in follow.
In the event you’re coeliac and may’t danger any cross contamination in any respect, visiting Japan goes to be tougher work – and also you’ll want to collect as a lot info as potential to work out whether or not it’s the suitable vacation spot for you (particularly if meals is vital to you whenever you journey).
We additionally know (and rejoice) that some gluten-free travellers are decided to go to Japan regardless of the changes wanted. We’ve put collectively a gluten-free information to Japan, primarily based on our information of residing and dealing there, to assist arm you with as a lot information as potential for a profitable journey.
All through, you’ll additionally discover some ideas from a latest gluten-free buyer, Elizabeth, who informed us: “I knew I didn’t need my intolerance to cease us from having fun with Japan, and whereas we did have some difficulties discovering meals generally, general, we had a fantastic journey.”
High ideas for consuming gluten-free in Japan
Analysis earlier than you go
As with most international locations, greater cities are higher set as much as deal with dietary necessities. You received’t discover gluten-free meals at each restaurant you go to, however locations like Tokyo and Osaka can have extra choices. In the event you’re venturing extra off-beat, you’ll have to be a bit extra ready.
Restaurant locator apps, like “Discover Me Gluten Free”, and Fb Teams equivalent to “Gluten-Free in Japan” have up-to-date info together with restaurant choices, critiques and suggestions. These is usually a nice supply of inspiration to get you began and to familiarise your self with what meals are more likely to be protected.
We advocate pinning areas on Google Maps, both earlier than your journey, or whenever you’ve received a little bit of down time in Japan – saving the scroll when all you wish to do is eat.
In the event you’re travelling with us, our buyer expertise group can be found 24/7 that can assist you guide eating places. They will name forward, test the understanding of gluten-free diets, and ensure they’re open whenever you wish to go (Google is nice, however not 100% correct).
Write down your necessities in Japanese
Until you’re fluent in Japanese, you won’t really feel assured expressing what you want verbally in Japan – however writing your necessities down makes issues easier. Whether or not on paper or in your cellphone, having your dietary necessities written down someplace useful means you’ll have them to confer with everytime you want.
You should use Google translate to supply the right phrasing or, should you’re travelling with us, simply tell us early on in our conversations. We’ll get all the things you want onto a useful allergy vocab sheet, included as a part of your Data-Pack. Some coeliac charities, like Coeliac UK, have nation particular guides to obtain, too.
Carry snacks – plenty of snacks
Contemporary off a long-haul flight, feeling jet-lagged and bewildered, you’re unlikely to wish to sort out the intense colors of a konbini comfort retailer or attempt to decipher kanji to search out one thing gluten-free (save that for later in your journey when it’s more likely to be extra enjoyable).
Carry some handy snacks that may get you thru any hungry gaps in your journey. Elizabeth, our latest gluten-free buyer, recommends including issues like peanut butter, rice desserts, rice noodles, and tinned tina to your snack stash – as a result of you should utilize them to make fast meals when staying in resort rooms with a kettle, or to construct snacks like peanut butter rice desserts to tackle longer journeys.
Carry your personal GF soy sauce, tamari or mayo
As a result of gluten-free recipes and dishes aren’t common-place in Japan, restaurant workers might err on the aspect of warning. Soy sauce is utilized in plenty of Japanese cooking, and if that’s taken out, your meals could also be seasoned solely with salt and pepper to be on the protected aspect.
However, there’s a easy resolution to avoiding bland meals: pack some additional condiments in your suitcase – together with some useful sachets or journey sized bottles for on-the-go ease. Whereas Japanese tamari, a gluten-free soy sauce, is obtainable in supermarkets, it’s unlikely to be supplied on tables in eating places or at avenue meals stalls, so bringing your personal is an effective choice.
In the event you’re on a Small Group Tour, or travelling independently with a information for the day, our Insiders will be capable to clarify why you will have these to the restaurant workers (to keep away from undesirable confusion). We are able to additionally write this on a vocab sheet for you.
Enjoyable truth: Our buyer expertise group as soon as couriered a bottle of gluten-free soy sauce throughout the nation for a buyer after she’d left it on a prepare… Noone can inform us meals isn’t vital!
Google Translate (or related translator app) shall be your saviour
Travelling to Japan immediately is way simpler now than it was pre-smart telephones. Utilizing a translation app like Google Translate, you may sort, converse or take a photograph of any textual content you wish to translate or be translated between Japanese and English.
Talking instantly into the app is extremely helpful throughout a dwell dialog in a restaurant, at a avenue meals stall or in a 7-Eleven grocery store. And in a rustic that doesn’t use a Latin alphabet (like Japan or Korea), digital camera performance is invaluable.
Taking photos of substances on packets or menus, without having to sort out phrases you’re unfamiliar or attempt to entry a unique keyboard in your cellphone, will pace up selecting meals and reassure you what you’re consuming is protected. On her journey, Elizabeth discovered that the one spanner within the works with this strategy was merchandising machines, the place you received’t be capable to test substances before you purchase.
Your translation app of alternative may very well be the one most useful factor you carry with you. Simply bear in mind to have a transportable supply of Wi-Fi too – which we will present.
Head to a konbini (comfort retailer)
Comfort shops shall be your go-to for stocking up on snacks forward of longer journeys or supplementing meals.
There are three most important comfort retailer manufacturers in Japan: 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson. Bear in mind these – they’ll be the go-to outlets you’ll discover even in essentially the most distant areas (there’s even a FamilyMart on the primary highway of the Buddhist temple settlement, Koya-san). Once more, you should utilize Google Translate to scan packets (attempt the onigri balls – stuffed with greens, meat or fish, scrumptious) and ensure the meals inside is gluten-free.
Seijo Ishii is one other, much less frequent grocery store chain specialising in high quality, worldwide meals – together with gluten-free merchandise. Whereas a few of what you discover right here received’t be Japanese, pasta and crisps can get you out of a hungry hole till you discover your subsequent native gluten-free pleasant cease.
In the event you’re staying someplace with kitchen services, like an house model machiya, don’t skip the freezer part. These can provide loads of alternate options or naturally gluten-free choices for snacks, mains and desserts
Verify, and test once more
Armed along with your translation app or your allergy vocab sheet, it received’t take lengthy to work out what you may eat, however attempt to not make assumptions, and if unsure, simply test once more.
Japanese dishes can comprise plenty of hidden gluten. Soy sauce is a quite common ingredient utilized in all types of dishes, and even sushi can comprise gluten generally. Most noodles embody gluten, however soba noodles have a tendency to make use of buckwheat, which is gluten-free.
Bear in mind, not all allergens which are included on packaging at house shall be apparent on Japanese merchandise. While wheat is listed, rye, barley and oats aren’t on the federal government’s necessary meals label allergens checklist. Gluten-free menus aren’t frequent in Japan, so it’s finest to ask the servers.
And recipes will differ from place to position. For instance, should you’ve checked an onigri ball in Lawson, be certain to test your subsequent one in 7-Eleven too.
In the event you’re ever uncertain, seize your allergy vocab sheet or carry up Google Translate, and converse to somebody within the store, restaurant or the place you’re staying. One thing you’ll study in a short time is that Japanese individuals are often very eager to assist out the place they will – so don’t be afraid to ask. Elizabeth was very kindly helped by an area in a 7-Eleven to discover a loaf of gluten-free rice bread – which she used to carry to breakfast the following day for egg on toast.
Contemplate your breakfast the night time earlier than
Talking of breakfast, the choices obtainable to you’ll fluctuate relying on the place you keep.
In greater, western-style motels, it’s extra doubtless that there shall be a alternative or a buffet. Usually, dishes shall be clearly labelled, however, relying on the place you keep, that may’t be assured, so be cautious. Staying in a standard ryokan will not be the most suitable choice so that you can maintain a gluten-free food regimen. Meals are sometimes served kaiseki model – multi-course, intricately ready meals utilizing seasonal produce. These take hours of preparation, so workers will wrestle to accommodate dietary necessities. Converse to us and we will see whether or not sure ryokan can serve you an identical, however gluten-free meal, as a substitute.
Wherever you’re staying, for reassurance you’ll have one thing to eat very first thing, you can come out the night time earlier than to a konbini – ensuring you take a look at whether or not your room has a fridge or not.
In the event you’d moderately have your personal meals prep house for a day or two, keep in an apartment-style machiya – nice for cooking up some breakfast bits earlier than heading out for a day’s exploration. Elizabeth’s journey advisor, Josey, helped make issues simpler by reserving motels strategically near supermarkets: “She was incredible. She booked motels that had been actually near supermarkets, and that had microwaves we might use.
“After I journey, I’m at all times so busy within the day, I actually don’t wish to enterprise far for dinner and even out from the place I’m staying in any respect, so having these services at our fingertips was our compromise.”
If unsure, attempt a sequence restaurant
Whereas we’d at all times advocate making an attempt native locations, generally you need one thing fast, or that isn’t conventional Japanese, and chain eating places usually tend to have gluten or allergen-free meals.
A few of our group favourites are Taco Fanático (a Mexican restaurant), Coco Ichibanya (which is Japanese, specialising in curry), Outback Steakhouse (a global, American steakhouse chain) or Mos Burger (burgers cooked to order), as a place to begin.
Suppose earlier than you ahead your baggage
Plenty of individuals, together with our clients, benefit from the incredible baggage forwarding system in Japan. That is notably helpful should you’re leaping on and off Shinkansen bullet trains, or smaller native buses, the place lugging bigger baggage is much less handy.
However, should you’ve received a big quantity of meals in your baggage, you received’t wish to be with out it for too lengthy. Baggage forwarding is at all times non-obligatory – so contemplate whether or not you’d moderately pack a separate bag of meals to maintain with you, or keep away from forwarding altogether and maintain your stash of protected meals with you always.
Able to seize your gluten-free soy sauce?
We hope you discovered the above gluten-free information to Japan helpful. As a useful abstract to confer with, right here’s our fast prep checklist:
- Analysis eating places earlier than you go – and pin them on Google Maps
- Write down your necessities in Japanese
- Pack handy snacks
- Pack gluten-free soy sauce, tamari or mayonnaise
- Obtain a translation app
- Take advantage of konbini comfort shops
- Don’t be afraid to double-check
- Take into consideration breakfast the night time earlier than
- Contemplate chain eating places, should you’re in a rush
- Suppose twice earlier than you ahead your baggage
Additional gluten-free information to Japan sources
In the event you’re excited about discovering out extra, you may discover the under sources helpful:
The Final Gluten Free Survival Information For Japan — Fukuoka Eats
Gluten-Free Kyoto – Inside Kyoto
In the event you’d like to start out planning a visit to Japan, our group are at all times readily available to reply any questions you may need about travelling whereas gluten-free or coeliac.
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