Special Meal Requirements

Special Meal Requirements

Food allergies and sensitivities are not common in Japan and there is no law that requires food producers or restaurants to list allergens. All allergies need to be brought to our attention and explained in detail. Your airport pick-up will give you a card that explains your food requirements. Please keep in mind that the card is included as a service and does not guarantee that you will not be served these foods directly or indirectly through cross-contamination. It is your responsibility to protect yourself.

Meals requests, and views on food, are not expressed in the same way all over the world. We want to make sure that we understand your needs, so we can communicate them clearly to your ryokan, hotel, or restaurant. To help travelers with special dietary communicate their requests to their host, the following definitions and explanations are the guidelines that Rediscover Tours uses.

If you have any special meal requirements like Celiac, allergies, vegetarian with fish, vegan, or specific foods that you cannot eat, then you must tell your Japan Expert before asking for a quote. Please keep in mind that special meal requirements will limit the number of ryokans, hotels, or restaurants available to you. Of course, we will do our best to find a place that can prepare meals for you.

Difficult (but possible) Meal Requests

*Vegetarian meals without fish but with katsuo Dashi (fish broth) and eggs:
You will not be served meat, fish, or seafood, however, you might be served katsuo dashi (fish broth) and eggs.

*Vegetarian meals without fish and Katsuo Dashi (fish broth) but with eggs and dairy:
You will not be served meat, fish, seafood or Katsuo Dashi, however, you might be served eggs.

*Vegan meals:
You will mainly be served vegetables. You will not be served meat, seafood, Katsuo dashi, dairy or eggs.

Meals without Fish but with Seafood and Katsuo Dashi

Your meal will not contain fish but it will have Katsuo Dashi. Also, you might be served meals with shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, octopus, squid, and seaweed.

Meals without Seafood but with Fish

You will be served meals without shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, octopus, or squid, however fish and seaweed might be served. Meals without Seafood and without Fish but with Katsuo Dashi You will be served meals without fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, octopus, or squid, however seaweed and Katsuo Dashi might be served.

Meals without Seaweed

Gluten free meals, Celiac Condition

Western Breakfast

When the chef of a ryokan prepares a Western breakfast it might include the following dishes: salad, coffee, toast, eggs, jam, butter, fruits, sausage, and ham.

Kid meals

For guests traveling with children under 6 years old, some ryokans serve kid meals. For kid meals, the ryokans mean: A smaller portion than adult meals and the food is usually Western combined Japanese style. However, the kid meals differ in each ryokan.

Diabetic Meals

Many ryokans can prepare diabetic-friendly meals with low calories, without sweets or sugar, without white rice, and white deep-fried food.

Japanese Definitions of Ingredients Subject to Meals Request:

Animals from the Sea

Fish: The flesh of any aquatic vertebrate, in either salt or freshwater, that has gills, fins, and typically an elongated body with scales.
Seafood: any shellfish, crustacean, mollusk, octopus, or squid from saltwater or freshwater.

*Shellfish: Culinary term for crustaceans, mollusks, and echinoderms. An aquatic animal having a shell such as the oyster and other mollusks or a hard exoskeleton such as the lobster or other crustaceans.

*Crustaceans: Arthropods normally found in the ocean or other waters (lobster, shrimp, crab, barnacle, crayfish krill…).

*Mollusks: Large array of sea and freshwater species including clams, mussels, oysters, winkles, scallops, squid, octopus, and snails.

*Echinoderms: Any invertebrate marine animal having a radiating arrangement of parts and a body wall stiffened by calcareous pieces that may protrude as spines. (Sea urchin, Sea cucumber, Starfish).

*Seaweed: Plants from the sea such as Nori, Hijiki, Kanten, Konbu, and Mozuku. These are also known as sea vegetables.

*Katsuo Dashi: Fish broth made with dried bonito flakes used in most Japanese dishes.

*Octopus: The octopus is a cephalopod mollusk.

*Squid: Squid are marine cephalopods.

Land Animals

*Beef: The flesh of a domestic full-grown bovine (as a steer, cow, bull, or ox)

*Red Meat: The flesh of beef.

*Pork: The flesh of a pig or hog used as food.

*Chicken and Poultry: The flesh of chicken and domesticated birds (duck, emus, goose, turkey, pheasant)

*White meat: The flesh of a chicken.

Grains, Nuts and Other Ingredients

*Peanuts: Technically peanuts are not nuts, but legumes. The peanut, or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), is a species of the legume “bean” family. Please note that sesame might be served though you request a meal without peanuts.

*Tree Nuts: Tree nuts are considered dry fruits, for example, hazelnuts. A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. Please note that sesame seeds might be served though you request a meal without tree nuts.

*Dairy: Cow’s milk, cow’s milk yogurt, cow’s milk cheese, and cow’s milk ice cream.

*Wheat: Wheat is a grain used in flour. In Japan, travelers who request meals without wheat will be served meals without flour, barley, or rye.

*Eggs: Japanese define eggs, as chicken eggs so if you are allergic or cannot eat other kinds of eggs please let us know.

*Soba Noodles made with buckwheat:
Soba is a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. It is served either chilled with a dipping sauce or in hot broth as a noodle soup.

*MSG: Monosodium glutamate, is a sodium salt. It is used as a food additive and is commonly marketed as a flavor enhancer. It has the HS code 29224220 and the E number E621.

*Meals without spicy food: Meals without spicy food will not include spicy food, spicy sauce, or wasabi.

*Meals without Lentil beans: You will be served meals without Lentil beans, however, you will be served soybeans.

*Soybeans: Soybeans are very popular in Japan, they are used in many ways such as natto, tofu, miso, soy sauce

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Please Remember

1) Bring and have ready all medications related to the allergy, sensitivity, and medical condition.
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2) The facilities you use may not be able to meet your needs depending on the nature of the response.
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3) Although the food is prepared with the utmost care, please note that it is prepared in the same kitchen as other dishes, so there is a possibility that small quantities of allergenic substances may be contaminated during the processing or cooking process, and the final decision on whether or not to eat the food must be made by the travelers themselves.

Food in Your Room

Tour Types

Rediscover Tours arranges amazing trips whether you are traveling with your family, on your honeymoon, as a couple or as a group of friends. We work with you to make sure everything is exactly as you want it.