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Food Allergies in Japan: What Labels Show, Why Restaurants Differ, and How to Ask

A restaurant window display of plastic food samples with price labels
Plastic food samples in a restaurant window. They show the dish, not what is in it.Photo: Lombroso, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

If you live with a food allergy, eating in a country where you can't read the menu takes planning. Japan has strict allergen labeling for packaged food, which helps a lot in convenience stores and supermarkets. Restaurants are a different story: the labeling law does not require them to show allergens, so you need to ask. This guide explains what Japanese labels must show (the list changed in April 2026), where the gaps are, and the free official tool that helps you ask in Japanese.

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  • The 9 allergens packaged food must show, and 20 more that are recommended
  • Why restaurants and food stalls are different
  • The government's free allergy communication sheet
  • A step-by-step plan for eating out

Please read this first. This guide is not medical advice. If you have a severe allergy, talk to your doctor before you travel, carry your prescribed medicine, and save the emergency number 119 (ambulance). Labeling rules come from Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency and were checked in October 2026.

Packaged food: what the label must show

Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) requires labels on packaged food to show 9 "specified ingredients" chosen because they cause many or severe reactions: shrimp, cashew nut, crab, walnut, wheat, buckwheat (soba), egg, milk and peanut. Cashew nut was added on April 1, 2026, with a transition period for labels until March 31, 2028, so for now some packages may not list it yet.

Another 20 ingredients are recommended to be labeled, but not required: almond, abalone, squid, salmon roe, orange, kiwi fruit, beef, sesame, salmon, mackerel, soybean, chicken, banana, pistachio, pork, macadamia nut, peach, yam, apple and gelatin.

Allergen labels on packaged food in Japan Nine required and twenty recommended allergens Required on packaged food (9): shrimp, cashew nut, crab, walnut, wheat, buckwheat, egg, milk, peanut. Recommended (20): almond, abalone, squid, salmon roe, orange, kiwi, beef, sesame, salmon, mackerel, soybean, chicken, banana, pistachio, pork, macadamia, peach, yam, apple, gelatin. Restaurants and unpackaged food: not required to label. REQUIRED: 9 Shrimp · Crab · WalnutWheat · Buckwheat (soba) · EggMilk · Peanut · Cashew nut(cashew from April 1, 2026) RECOMMENDED: 20 Almond · Abalone · SquidSalmon roe · Orange · KiwiBeef · Sesame · Salmon · MackerelSoybean · Chicken · BananaPistachio · Pork · MacadamiaPeach · Yam · Apple · Gelatin Restaurants, stalls, food sold loose:no labeling required. Ask every time.
From the Consumer Affairs Agency's food allergy labeling handbook (April 2026 edition) and its notice on restaurants (checked October 2026).

Restaurants: you have to ask

The CAA's rules say that food sold without a container or package, and food sold by restaurants and the food service industry, are not required to carry allergen labels. Japan's Consumer Hotline for Tourists says the same in English: restaurants and places that sell food over the counter or by weight don't have to provide allergen information. Some chains publish allergen tables on their websites or in the store, which is worth checking, but you cannot assume it.

Things that are easy to miss:

The free communication sheet

The CAA publishes a Food Allergy Communication Sheet in English (and other languages), including a version for smartphones. You tick your allergens and show it to staff. The CAA notes that you should download the sheet before using it, or the check boxes won't work.

Eating out with an allergy: a simple plan Steps for eating out with a food allergy in Japan Before the trip: download the Consumer Affairs Agency's communication sheet and talk to your doctor; carry your medicine. At the restaurant: show the sheet before ordering and ask about dashi and sauces. Packaged food: read the Japanese allergen words on the label. If unsure: choose something else. Emergency: call 119. 1Before you flyDownload the sheet; pack your medicine 2Show the sheet before orderingAsk about dashi and sauces 3Packaged food: read the labelLook for the 9 required words Not sure? Choose something else.It's fine to say no thank you. Reaction? Call 119 (ambulance)English help: 050-3816-2787 (JNTO)
Based on the Consumer Affairs Agency, the Consumer Hotline for Tourists and JNTO (checked October 2026).

A short phrase to show staff

English: I have a food allergy to (food). Does this dish contain it, including in the stock or sauce?

Japanese: 私は（食べ物）のアレルギーがあります。この料理に、だしやたれも含めて入っていますか。

Staff will usually check with the kitchen. If they can't be sure, they may say so honestly; that is useful information, not a refusal.

My visit

Coming soon: notes from our editor's own meals in Japan.

More about eating out in Japan: which medicines you can bring, including allergy medicine.

Last reviewed: October 4, 2026. Labeling rules change. Please check the official pages below.

References

Related guides

More nationwide: Food & dining

Photo credits

  1. A restaurant window display of plastic food samples with price labels. Photo: Lombroso, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. A bowl of creamy pork-bone ramen with sliced pork, egg and greens. Photo: Alasdair at en.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  3. Plates of sushi in different colors moving along a conveyor belt. Photo: JIP, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  4. A tall red sign with the kanji for medicine outside a drugstore. Photo: Muyo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped, title text added)
  5. An empty wooden sushi counter with seats close together. Photo: Bobby.Creations, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  6. A takoyaki food stall with a bright octopus banner. Photo: whalt, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  7. The lit entrance of a small izakaya with a white sign. Photo: Japanexperterna.se, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)

Card images combine these photos with the page title. Photos are used under their licenses (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); adapted images are shared under the same license as the original.