Food allergies

Packaged food is labeled. Restaurant food isn't, so ask every time and carry it in writing.

What to know

• Packaged, processed food in Japan must list major allergens, including shrimp, crab, wheat, buckwheat, eggs, milk and peanuts. Around twenty more, such as sesame, soybeans and some nuts, are recommended for labeling but not required.
• The labeling rules cover packaged food. In restaurants, nothing is printed for you, so ask.
• Tokyo's food-safety guidance tells restaurant staff to warn customers about possible cross-contact, and to say "I don't know" rather than guess.
• The Tokyo Metropolitan Government publishes an allergy communication sheet in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean, with pictograms. Fill it in and show it when you order.
• If you carry an auto-injector, self-injection kits can be brought in up to a 1-month supply. See "Bringing medicine into Japan".
• In an emergency, call 119.

psst, if a server hesitates or says "I don't know," take that as a no. It's the honest answer, not bad service.

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