Home / Food & Drink / Eating with dietary requirements
FOOD & DRINK / PRACTICAL GUIDES
Eating with dietary requirements
Explain the ingredients and preparation you need before ordering; a dish name or photograph cannot confirm them.
Showing Vegetarian and vegan meals
Vegetarian and vegan meals
Name the ingredients. Explain whether you avoid meat, fish, eggs and dairy rather than relying only on the word vegetarian. Fish-based dashi, bonito flakes, meat extracts or animal-derived gelatin can be present even when the main ingredients look plant-based.
Ask about the whole meal. Check broth, dipping sauce, dressing and toppings as well as the main dish. A vegetable noodle bowl may have fish stock; a vegetable tempura selection may have egg in the batter. Ask about the actual preparation instead of assuming an ingredient can simply be removed.
A useful question. Tell staff what you cannot eat, then ask whether those ingredients are used in the stock, sauce or seasoning. If the kitchen cannot confirm a suitable meal, choose another option rather than treating a guess as agreement.
Halal requirements
State your requirements. A seafood or vegetable dish is not automatically suitable for your requirements. Cooking sake and mirin are used in some seasonings, and other animal-derived ingredients may be less visible. Explain what you need the kitchen to avoid.
Check before committing. Ask about ingredients, shared preparation and any certification you require before booking or ordering. A Muslim-friendly description does not establish that every item follows the same preparation. Decide based on the restaurant’s specific response, not a photograph or a broad label.
Keep the response. For a reserved meal, save the agreed details and confirm them again when you arrive. A separate kitchen facility or a certified product does not by itself explain how your whole meal will be prepared.
Food allergies
Communicate clearly. State that you have a food allergy and name the exact ingredients. A written translation can help, but it must reflect your own requirements accurately. Show the list before ordering and ask staff to check with the kitchen.
Ask about cross-contact. Ask whether your ingredients may be present in stock, sauce, garnishes or shared preparation. Removing a topping after cooking is not the same as making a meal without it. An allergy list or translated menu is useful information, not a safety guarantee.
When the answer is uncertain. Do not eat a meal on the assumption that an uncertain answer means yes. Choose another option if the kitchen cannot confidently explain the preparation. This guide supports communication; it cannot decide whether a meal is safe for your particular allergy.
Before booking or arriving
A photograph is a starting point, not an ingredient list. These examples are not recommendations for any dietary requirement. Scroll through the examples, then use the questions below when arranging your meal.
Send a precise request. Give the date, party size, exact ingredients to avoid and the preparation questions that matter to you. Ask whether the restaurant can accommodate the request for that menu, rather than assuming it will redesign a course at the table.
Keep a practical record. Save the restaurant’s name, address and written response with the reservation. At arrival, identify the diner and reconfirm the arrangement. Do not silently substitute a different dish after staff have checked one specific order.
Have another option. Keep an alternative near your accommodation and allow time to reach it. Planning a fallback is especially useful when the day ends with a long transfer. A ryokan’s set dinner needs its own advance discussion with the property.
Places, experiences and practical ways to get there.
This guide supports communication with restaurants; it does not establish whether a particular meal meets your requirements.