Japan Food Allergy Guide 2025

Peanuts appear in some sauces (especially miso-based), snacks, and Chinese-influenced dishes. Tree nuts are less common but present in wagashi (Japanese sweets) and some pastries. Most Japanese cooking uses sesame oil rather than nut oils.

✓ Usually safe: Plain sushi, sashimi, plain rice, miso soup (check for peanut miso), udon, soba (sesame risk), tempura

⚠ Watch out for: Miso paste varieties, Chinese-Japanese fusion dishes (chukasoba), bagged snacks, wagashi sweets

Traditional Japanese cuisine is largely dairy-free. Butter and cream appear in Western-style bakeries, yoshoku (Japanese-Western food), and some ramen broths. Cheese is used in modern fusion dishes.

✓ Usually safe: Sushi, sashimi, ramen (tonkotsu/shoyu/miso — check broth), yakitori, onigiri (most varieties), steamed dishes

⚠ Watch out for: Butter soy sauce finishing on grilled fish, cream-based stews (hayashi rice, doria), convenience store sandwiches, pastries

Eggs are extremely common in Japanese cuisine — in ramen (soft-boiled egg topping), rice dishes (tamago kake gohan, oyakodon), tamagoyaki (rolled omelette), onigiri fillings, and most fried foods using egg batter.

✓ Usually safe: Plain rice, miso soup, soba/udon (skip egg topping), plain sashimi, edamame, yakitori (specify no egg dish)

⚠ Watch out for: Ramen eggs, tamago sushi, fried rice, tempura batter, all fried street food, convenience store bentos

Wheat is in soy sauce (shoyu) — used in virtually everything in Japanese cooking. Also present in udon, ramen, tempura batter, most dipping sauces, and many marinades. True gluten-free dining requires dedicated wheat-free soy sauce (tamari).

✓ Usually safe: Plain rice, rice noodles, pure sashimi (no soy sauce), edamame, plain yakitori (without tare), steamed vegetables

⚠ Watch out for: Soy sauce on everything, udon, ramen, wheat noodles (yakisoba, hiyashi chuka), tempura, tonkatsu, most sauces

Seafood is the cornerstone of Japanese cuisine. Dashi stock (made from katsuobushi — bonito flakes or kombu seaweed) is the base of miso soup, noodle broths, and many sauces — invisible but present. Shellfish (shrimp, crab, scallop) is extremely common.

✓ Usually safe: Vegetarian ramen (specifically request shojin or yasai broth), meat-only yakitori, beef or pork dishes without dashi, gyudon

⚠ Watch out for: Miso soup (dashi base), virtually all noodle broths, tempura mixed sets, any rice bowl at a sushi restaurant, seaweed

Soy is in almost all Japanese food — tofu, miso, edamame, soy sauce (used universally), soy-marinated meats, and many snacks. Avoiding soy in Japan is extremely difficult without careful planning.

✓ Usually safe: Pure meat/fish dishes without marinade, plain salted grilled items, most fruit

⚠ Watch out for: Soy sauce on everything, miso soup, tofu dishes, teriyaki sauce, most Japanese condiments, edamame

Sesame seeds and sesame oil appear in many Japanese dishes — goma (sesame) dressing on salads, sesame-crusted fish, ramen toppings, and snack coatings. Sesame is labeled as an allergen in Japan since 2025.

✓ Usually safe: Plain sushi (without sesame topping), udon/soba without goma sauce, plain grilled meat

⚠ Watch out for: Sesame dressings, goma ramen toppings, sesame-coated rice crackers, tahini-style sauces, some burger buns