Bothie x ITADAKI Gluten-Free Fieldguide

Eating Gluten-Free in Japan

Welcome to Japan!

When our good friends Alison and Zoe were planning a trip from Australia to visit us in Japan, they asked for tips on eating gluten-free. As we started digging around, we realised how tricky it can be to find solid, easy-to-understand advice for gluten-free travellers in Japan - so we decided to put something together ourselves.

We (Kate and Tomoko) live between Japan & Australia, and we've seen first-hand how confusing things can get when navigating gluten-free options here. What started as a personal project quickly grew into something bigger. That’s how the ITADAKI Gluten-free Project came to be! This guide is written with care (not perfection), and it’s especially designed for beginners who want to enjoy Japanese food without feeling lost or anxious. If you’re more experienced or already living in Japan, you might know most of this - but we’ve brought it all together in one clear, accessible place.

We’ve also created Dining Out Cards - simple, no-frills Japanese explanations you can show to restaurant staff to help communicate your needs quickly and clearly.

Please join us to be part of the project, share your feedback, and help us perfect this resource.

One important note before we dive in: while we aim to get you through your journey with zero gluten, you’ll need to weigh the risks yourself. Hidden gluten, miscommunication, and cross-contamination are very real possibilities in Japan. If your gluten risk is super high, get in touch, we can help organise a custom gluten-free tour, or provide kits to shop at markets and cook your own meals using whole ingredients.

Kate & Tomoko :)

ITADAKI GLUTEN-FREE PROJECT

Many of the best meals in Japan are naturally gluten-free – if you know what to look for. We show you how to spot the dishes that are safe, traditional, and genuinely delicious

5 Fast Facts

What you really need to know about travelling gluten-free in Japan

1. Most people haven’t heard of gluten sensitivity or celiac disease

While awareness is slowly growing, celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are still uncommon in Japan. Many people will have no idea what “gluten” is, or they’ll associate it with a Western health trend, like cutting out carbs or sugar.

Food labelling isn’t consistent either. You might see items labelled “gluten-free” that are only wheat-free, or that contain ingredients with a high risk of cross-contamination (like oats).

The lack of a local market for gluten-free products or services means you’re unlikely to see the term “gluten-free” outside the big tourist hotspots of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

On the plus side: when foods are certified gluten-free in Japan, the standards are very strict - even stricter than in the West. The allowable gluten level is about half that permitted in most other countries.

It’s not just about what you eat – it’s how you ask. Our Dining Out Cards are designed for Japan’s unique hospitality culture: respectful, precise, and easy to use.

2. Wheat is regulated & labelled - it’s relatively easy to avoid

Japan is one of the few countries where wheat (小麦 / komugi) is one of eight regulated allergens. By law, any packaged food that contains wheat must state so clearly on the label. It will also mention if there’s a risk of cross-contamination.

That means wheat is easy to spot and avoid, which is great - because it’s the most common source of gluten here.

Even better, non-wheat flours are common in Japan. You’ll find lots of rice flour products (米粉 / kome-ko), as well as 100% buckwheat soba noodles (just be sure to confirm it’s juwari soba - more on that later).

Most allergy/ food sensitivity cards don’t work in Japan - they cause more confusion than clarity. Ours are simple, polite & actually make sense to local staff.

3. Barley is the big hidden danger

Here’s the tricky part: barley (大麦 / omugi) is not classified as an allergen in Japan. This means it often doesn’t appear on labels, even when it’s present. That makes it one of the biggest sources of hidden gluten in Japanese food.

Barley can show up in:

• Malt vinegar (or anything containing "brewed vinegar")

• Some types of miso (barley miso or blended varieties)

• Unregulated sake (cheap, table sake called futsūshu)

• Barley tea (mugi-cha), which is served for free in many places

• Mizuame (水飴), a starch syrup used in processed sweets and sauces

Oats, rye, and spelt can also be used in processed foods, but they’re uncommon in everyday Japanese cooking. If you stick to traditional Japanese food, avoiding barley is your main concern.

Miso, soy sauce, sake – we break down the hidden gluten risks. Our guide helps you navigate these everyday ingredients without stress.

4. Customising your order is usually a no-go

This is a key cultural difference: in Japan, asking for changes to the menu is uncommon - and often unwelcome.

Think of it this way: in many Western countries, eating out is like stand-up comedy - improvised, flexible, and interactive. In Japan, it’s more like a theatre performance - carefully prepared, precisely executed, and not designed for ad-libbing.

Requesting substitutions can cause confusion, or worse - frustration. It’s not exactly rude, but it may come across as disrespectful or out of touch.

The upside? Japanese menus are highly standardised. You'll find the same types of dishes with the same ingredients across similar restaurants around the world. This means that with a little planning, you can choose places where the menu is already (mostly) gluten-free - no need for special requests.

The key to eating well and safely is to stick with traditionally low-gluten restaurant types, which you’ll find everywhere from cities to remote villages. Here are four of the most common, ranked from simplest to trickiest:

1. Yakiniku – Grill-it-yourself Japanese BBQ where you cook meat and vegetables at your table—usually the safest choice.

2. Sushi & Sashimi – Raw fish served over vinegared rice (sushi) or on its own (sashimi); gluten-free when ordered carefully with your own GF soy sauce.

3. Yakitori – Skewered chicken and vegetables grilled over charcoal—also found in izakayas. Watch out for sauces and shared grills.

4. Soba Noodles – Buckwheat noodles served hot or cold, but only safe if made with 100% buckwheat and a gluten-free broth—check carefully.

We’ve designed our Dining Out Cards to work with this cultural framework - not against it. The set includes one Intro Card that clearly explains gluten and cross-contact, plus 4 Ordering Cards tailored to the most gluten-friendly types of restaurants in Japan. In these places, you can use the cards to order directly from the menu without fuss - and you’re much more likely to receive a warm and helpful response.

Note: We're working on adding cards for more traditional restaurant types - send us your requests!

We built these cards so you can stop policing every bite - and savour it instead!

5. English isn’t widely spoken - but key phrases go a long way

Only a small percentage of Japanese people speak fluent English (some estimates say less than 2%). But don’t worry - you don’t need to be fluent in Japanese to travel safely.

You don’t need any Japanese to use the Dining Out Cards safely. But if you do want to try Japanese, we recommend keeping things simple and clear. Rather than trying to explain gluten sensitivity, just say “Wheat, barley allergy” which is;

小麦、大麦、アレルギーです

Ko-mu-gi, oh-mu-gi, a-leh-lu-gi de-su

Gluten sensitivity is not an allergy of course, but this sentence is short, effective & more likely to be understood than trying to explain “gluten.” (it's not grammatically perfect either, but it works!)

If you want to be extra polite, start with:

すみません (Sumimasen) = “Excuse me”

We couldn’t find anything that worked – so we made our own. Created by Japanese-Australians for friends visiting Japan, these resources are built on real lived experience.

Key Words & Kanji to Know

Wheat = 小麦 (komugi) which is a regulated regulated allergen shown on labels

Barley = 大麦 (omugi) / 押し麦, the key hidden gluten risk as it is common but not a unregulated allergen

Oats = 燕麦 (enbaku), relatively rare in Japan

Rye = ライ麦 (raimugi), also pretty rare

Spelt = スペルト (superuto), rare

Soy Sauce = 醤油 (shoyu), almost always contains wheat

Miso = 味噌 (miso), some types are safe (see below)

Vinegar = 醸造酢 (jozou-su), 穀物酢 (kokumotsu-su), risky if made with malt

Starch syrup = 水飴 (mizuame), can contain barley

Yeast Extract = 酵母エキス (koubo-ekisu), may contain barley

Don’t guess – know what to look for.
Our guides break down the essential gluten-related ingredients in Japanese – including kanji, katakana, and the ones that don’t always appear on labels. Learn how to spot the regulated allergens, and the hidden risks most travellers miss.

What to Watch Out For

Common Hidden Gluten Sources

• Soy sauce (醤油): Traditional soy sauce is made with wheat

• Unregulated sake (普通酒): Can contain added grain alcohol

• Barley tea (麦茶, mugi-cha): Often served for free in restaurants

• Miso: Avoid mugi miso (barley miso) and awase miso (blended miso), see below for more details

• Vinegars: Although barley in Malt vinegar (moruto-binegaa モルトビネガー) is fermented, it’s not considered gluten-free. Also be careful of brewed vinegar (jozou-su 醸造酢) or grain vinegar (kokumotsu-su 穀物酢) which may contain gluten.

• Pickles: Some types are marinated in miso or malt vinegar

• Packaged snacks: As a registered allergen, any food that contains or could be cross-contaminated with wheat will show 小麦 (wheat) on the label. Barley is harder to spot, you may see 大麦 (barley) on the label, but also look for vinegar (listed above), yeast extract (koubo-ekisu 酵母エキス), starch syrup / maltose (mizuame 水飴 / 水あめ / みずあめ).

Not all miso is created equal. Some types are totally gluten-free – others are made from or blended with barley or wheat. Our guide helps you tell the difference, so you can enjoy this classic staple without worry.

Navigating Miso

The following miso types contain gluten

• Mugi miso (麦味噌) or ‘barley miso’

• Chōgō (調合) or Awase (合わせ) miso, or ‘mixed miso’, it these are a blend of different varieties that typically contain wheat and barley

• Gokoku (五穀): ‘five-grain’: soy, wheat, barley, proso millet, and foxtail millet

• Hadakamugi (裸麦): Highland barley

These miso types are typically gluten-free

• Kome miso (米味噌 or こめ‐みそ) or ‘rice miso’

• Mame miso (豆味噌) or ‘soybean miso’, also labeled hatchō miso (八丁味噌)

• Genmai (玄米): brown rice