Detailed Gluten-Free Restaurant Card — Japan

Rice country, with one big asterisk

Japan’s rice-based dishes — sashimi, onigiri, salt-grilled fish, yakitori with salt — give celiac travelers real options, and Tokyo and Kyoto now have dedicated gluten-free restaurants. The challenge is soy sauce (shōyu): it contains wheat and appears in almost everything, from sushi marinades to simmered dishes. I carry wheat-free tamari and printed cards, and I ask my questions every time.

What’s on the card

• A clear explanation of celiac disease (セリアック病) in Japanese, so the kitchen treats it as medical
• What I can’t eat and where gluten hides: shōyu in sushi, marinades, and dressings; soba that’s mostly blended with wheat; miso soup — many misos contain barley; curry rice, whose roux contains wheat
• What’s usually workable: yakitori with salt only (shio, no tare), and jūwari (100% buckwheat) soba — only if boiled in separate water
• The kitchen questions — including “Does this contain shōyu? It contains wheat” and the jūwari-and-separate-water soba check

What’s in the travel companion (page 2)

• How I eat here: グルテンフリー on menus in Tokyo tourist areas, sushi shops with my own tamari (confirming no marinades or seasoned-rice additives), skipping casual ramen and udon shops entirely, and hotel-breakfast salt-grilled fish with plain rice
• Dishes worth ordering (onigiri — verify the filling; edamame), shopping notes (San-J tamari, kome-koji rice-only miso — confirm no barley, packages marked 十割 for true buckwheat soba), and the label words to spot: 小麦 = wheat, 大麦 = barley
• If you get glutened: the yakkyoku (pharmacy) phrase in Japanese, 119 for an ambulance, and the JNTO 24/7 English visitor hotline

The honest certification picture

Japan has no celiac association and no local gluten-free certification — no one is auditing kitchens or menus. グルテンフリー appears on some packaged products and menus, but you still confirm ingredients. Wheat-free tamari and kome-koji miso are the real GF staples here; the label check is on you, and the card carries the conversation.

Format

Instant download: 2-page PDF, printable or phone-ready.

This card helps communicate your dietary needs. It does not guarantee a gluten-free meal or eliminate cross-contact risk. Always use your judgment, and when in doubt, do not eat. Not medical advice.