Does your baby or child have any food allergies? Or your baby has allergies and you are breastfeeding, so you also can’t eat certain foods?

One of my friend’s child has allergies and we often eat out together, so I have come to learn some of the best places to go where we can relax and chat with the kids, without having to worry about the food.

IMPORTANT: This post is based on my experience with my Japanese friend whose daughter has food allergies. I am not a doctor nor a specialist in food allergies. The content and restaurant links provided in this article are to be used only as a reference. Please ensure that you triple check all the ingredients yourself before feeding any of these foods to your child.

It is actually quite common in Japan for children to have food allergies, so this has meant that the information provided on food labels in Japan is usually very concise and detailed.

The only problem is that ALL of the information is in Japanese!

So it can be very difficult to understand exactly what your child can and can’t eat.

If you are looking for restaurants or cafes in Japan that are trusted by Japanese people with food allergies, then this list can help you.

7 Places to Eat in Japan if Your Child has Allergies

Please note that the majority of these places are fast food chains. I have focused on them here as they are easy to find in Tokyo and regional Japan, and they are well known to have ingredients listed about each dish.

Of course you can eat at other restaurants in Japan and order fresh rice and vegetables as you require, but if you are looking for something easy from a major restaurant chain, then these are some the best places to go.

Here are the Top 7 restaurants + links to the table of ingredients that each company provides specifically designed for people with allergies:

1. Soup Stock
2. McDonald’s
3. KFC
4. Yoshinoya
5. Sukiya
6. Mos Burger
7. CHAYA Macrobiotics

All of these links are correct at the time of publishing this article. If any of the links are broken, please do let me know or check the main restaurant website.

Translation of some of the ingredients that your baby might be allergic to:

• Flour – Komugi （小麦）
• Egg – Tamago（卵）
• Milk – Gyu-nyu（乳）
• Soba (buckwheat) – Soba（そば）
• Peanuts – Rakkasei（落花生）
• Shrimp – Ebi（えび）
• Crab – Kani（かに）

If your baby is allergic to a different ingredient, make sure you translate into Japanese on google translator, and cross-check with the table of ingredients at the restaurant.

My biggest advice is:

• Make a list of your child’s allergies before you come to Japan
• Translate the list into Japanese using google translator or ask a Japanese friend for help
• Print out the English and Japanese translations on a piece of paper
• Bring the list with you to Japan and show it to the restaurant or supermarket staff before you buy anything. Explain that your child has allergies to those ingredients so that the staff will be able to help you.

Take care and I hope this information helps you to enjoy Tokyo with your child.

x Kate