Gluten-free
No wheat, barley or rye — and yes, normal soy sauce contains wheat.
Gluten-free in Japan
Naively, Japanese food looks gluten-friendly: rice, fish, vegetables. But the seasoning tells another story. Ordinary soy sauce (shoyu) is brewed with wheat, and it's everywhere — sushi, teriyaki, gyudon, dipping sauces, marinades. Tamari, a wheat-free soy sauce, exists but isn't the default.
Other traps: soba noodles often contain wheat flour (look for juwari / 100% buckwheat), tempura and tonkatsu are wheat-battered, udon and ramen are wheat noodles, and miso can include barley.
Naturally safe anchors
Sashimi (with tamari or salt), plain rice, grilled fish (shioyaki, salted not sauced), yakitori ordered shio (salt) not tare (sauce), and juwari soba are reliable. A growing number of restaurants now offer gluten-free menus and tamari. Filter for them here and confirm with the phrases below — note that severe coeliac diners should always flag cross-contamination.
What to watch for in Japan
- Soy sauce (shoyu) — brewed with wheat; ask for tamari
- Tempura, tonkatsu, korokke, gyoza skins — all wheat
- Soba can be cut with wheat flour (choose juwari = 100% buckwheat)
- Udon and ramen are wheat noodles; some miso contains barley
Useful phrases
小麦アレルギーです。小麦は食べられません。
Komugi arerugī desu. Komugi wa taberaremasen.
I have a wheat allergy. I can't eat wheat.
普通のしょうゆには小麦が入っていますか？
Futsū no shōyu ni wa komugi ga haitte imasu ka?
Does your regular soy sauce contain wheat?
