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Gluten-Free Japan, Answered
First-hand answers from a Tokyo family living gluten-free, written for travelers with celiac disease and wheat allergy. Every article stands on its own; the fully vetted restaurant shortlist lives in our Tokyo Guide.
By Komemaru & Maki, a Tokyo couple living gluten-free
Now on YouTube: Komemaru & Maki | Gluten-Free Japan
Short videos of the shops we ate at, one article at a time. Same places, same honesty.
Eat Safely
What is actually in Japanese food, and how to eat without worry.
Is Udon Gluten-Free? No, and Neither Is the Broth
Udon is wheat flour, water and salt, so the answer is short. The useful part is the broth, the noodle shops to avoid, and the two substitutions that work.
Updated August 20, 2026
Is Tonkatsu Gluten-Free? Three Layers of Wheat Before the Oil
Tonkatsu is not gluten-free: wheat flour, then egg, then wheat panko, before the oil. The sauce varies by brand. What katsu means, and what to eat instead.
Updated August 20, 2026
Is Tempura Gluten-Free? The Batter, the Oil and the Dipping Sauce
Tempura is not gluten-free: wheat flour batter, shared frying oil, soy sauce based dipping sauce. Three problems, and where the exceptions in Tokyo are.
Updated August 20, 2026
Is Japanese Curry Gluten-Free? The Roux Is Wheat Flour
Japanese curry is not gluten-free. A wheat flour roux thickens the sauce, and that is what makes it Japanese rather than Indian. What to do instead.
Updated August 20, 2026
Is Sukiyaki Gluten-Free? What's Actually in the Pot
Sukiyaki in Japan is not gluten-free because the sauce is built on soy sauce. What goes into the pot, why kitchens cannot swap it, how to cook your own.
Updated August 15, 2026
Eating Out in Japan When Only One of You Is Gluten-Free
How a Tokyo couple with one wheat-avoider picks a restaurant: the places we skip, the two modes we switch between, and what the other person eats.
Updated August 15, 2026
Plan Your Trip
Preparation that pays off before you land in Japan.
How We Find Gluten-Free Restaurants in Tokyo: Two Sites, Five Search Words
How our Tokyo household finds gluten-free restaurants: five search words to run on Tabelog and Google Maps, and the check that catches outdated reviews.
Updated August 29, 2026
How to Tell a Japanese Restaurant You're Gluten-Free (Mild Wheat Allergy, Not Celiac)
The exact Japanese text we paste into every Tokyo reservation, line by line. Written for a mild wheat allergy, with the lines a celiac must never copy.
Updated August 15, 2026
Restaurant Reviews
Places we have visited and verified in person.
Gluten-Free Lunch in Tokyo: Tamakuchen in Futako-tamagawa, Featuring a Plate Full of Bread
An all-gluten-free cafe near Futako-tamagawa that bakes rice-flour bread each morning. The lunch plate with a spread of breads, the English menu, the cost.
Updated September 23, 2026
Gluten-Free Bakery in Tokyo: ORGANIC JUNKIE in Ebisu, Where No Wheat Comes Into the Shop
A gluten-free bakery four minutes from Ebisu Station: rice and grain flours, no egg or dairy in the base dough, and a freezer of bread to take home.
Updated September 23, 2026
Gluten-Free Scones in Tokyo: Genten Plus at Futako-tamagawa, Built on Brown Rice
A brown-rice bakery counter in the Futako-tamagawa Rise food hall. All gluten-free, scones numbered like a catalogue, a few eat-in seats. What we bought.
Updated September 1, 2026
Gluten-Free Ramen in Tokyo: SORANOIRO Ginza and the Brown-Rice Noodle Swap
At SORANOIRO's Ginza flagship, any bowl can be switched to brown-rice noodles, and the allergen sheet shows where the wheat is. What we ate, and caveats.
Updated September 1, 2026
Gluten-Free Souvenirs in Tokyo: Funawa in Asakusa, Where the Sweet Potato Yokan Is Just Sweet Potato
Souvenir shopping is where gluten-free travelers give up. At Funawa's Asakusa main store, open since 1902, a shelf of classics has no wheat. We checked.
Updated August 29, 2026
Gluten-Free Okonomiyaki in Tokyo: Hiro in Nakameguro, Where the Batter Is Rice Flour
Okonomiyaki is normally off the table: wheat batter on a shared griddle. At Hiro in Nakameguro the batter is rice flour and staff wipe the griddle for you.
Updated August 29, 2026
Gluten-Free Sweets in Tokyo: MILLER CAKE STORE, the Rice-Flour Bakery We Come Back to Every Month
A small rice-flour bakery between Nakameguro and Daikanyama: all gluten-free, no white sugar or additives. What we buy every visit, and how to find it.
Updated August 20, 2026
Gluten-Free Breakfast in Tokyo: yoka, the Rice-Flour Toast Cafe in Meguro
A rice-flour toast cafe seven minutes from Meguro Station, with a quiet wooden terrace made for slow mornings. What we ate, what it cost, how to fit it in.
Updated August 17, 2026
Gluten-Free Tempura in Tokyo: Asakusa SAKURA, Where the Whole Menu Is Safe
Tempura is usually the first dish celiac travelers give up. At Tempura Asakusa SAKURA, a minute from the station, every dish uses rice-flour batter.
Updated August 20, 2026
Gluten-Free Desserts in Tokyo: & OIMO TOKYO CAFE by the Meguro River
An all-gluten-free sweet potato dessert cafe in Nakameguro, by the Meguro River. What we ordered, what it cost, and how to build a Tokyo day around it.
Updated August 20, 2026
Want the full, verified restaurant list?
The blog covers the knowledge. The Gluten-Free Tokyo Planning Guide covers the places: 100+ spots we visited and confirmed in person, with maps and allergy cards.
See the Tokyo Guide