Eating · Allergies
Food Allergies in Japan with Kids: Labelling, Chains and Phrases
By the kyounoko team — we maintain a facility database of Japanese restaurant chains for Japanese parents. The allergen findings below come from that database.
Last verified: August 2026 · chain allergen data checked July 2026
Japan requires eight allergens to be declared on packaged food — egg, milk, wheat, buckwheat, peanut, shrimp, crab and walnut — with twenty more recommended, which is why restaurant allergen charts usually list twenty-eight items. Chain restaurants publish those charts reliably: all 22 major chains in our Tokyo database do. Small independent restaurants usually do not, so chains are the safer default with an allergic child.
Please read this as orientation, not as medical advice. Recipes, suppliers and store-level practice change, and cross-contamination is not covered by labelling law. Always confirm at the specific restaurant on the day, and travel with your child’s prescribed medication.
The eight allergens Japan labels
These eight must be declared by law. Learn to recognise the Japanese characters for the one that matters to you — that single skill does more for you in a supermarket than any amount of spoken Japanese.
| English | Japanese | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 卵 | tamago |
| Milk | 乳 | nyū |
| Wheat | 小麦 | komugi |
| Buckwheat | そば | soba |
| Peanut | 落花生 | rakkasei |
| Shrimp | えび | ebi |
| Crab | かに | kani |
| Walnut | くるみ | kurumi |
A further twenty ingredients — including soy, sesame, beef, pork, chicken, salmon and several fruits — are on a recommended list rather than a required one. Most large manufacturers and chains declare those too, which is why you will usually see a twenty-eight-item chart.
Chains that publish allergen information
We track family facilities for Japanese chain restaurants, and allergen disclosure is one of the fields we record. Every one of these publishes an allergen chart, normally downloadable from the official site and often available on the in-store ordering tablet.
Bamiyan · CoCo Ichibanya · Denny’s Japan · Gusto · Gyoza no Ohsho · Gyu-Kaku · Hama Sushi · Jonathan’s · KFC · Komeda’s Coffee · Kura Sushi · MOS Burger · Marugame Seimen · Matsuya · McDonald’s · Ootoya · Royal Host · Saizeriya · Sukiya · Sushiro · Yayoiken · Yoshinoya
22 chains · verified July 2026 by our editorial team through in-person visits cross-checked against official sites.
Two go further than disclosure. MOS Burger publishes a twenty-eight-item chart and offers a menu made without the eight major allergens. KFC has a low-allergen chicken set at some branches. Both vary by store, so confirm at the counter.
For what these chains are like with small children generally — high chairs, kids’ plates, changing tables — see the family restaurant cheat sheet.
Phrases worth carrying
Write these down or screenshot them. Showing text works better than speaking, because it can be passed to the kitchen.
My child has a ⃝ allergy.
子どもは⃝アレルギーがあります。
Kodomo wa ⃝ arerugī ga arimasu.
Does this contain ⃝?
これに⃝は入っていますか？
Kore ni ⃝ wa haitte imasu ka?
Could I see the allergen list?
アレルゲン表を見せていただけますか？
Arerugen-hyō o misete itadakemasu ka?
It is a severe allergy. Even a small amount is dangerous.
重いアレルギーです。少量でも危険です。
Omoi arerugī desu. Shōryō demo kiken desu.
Replace ⃝ with the Japanese word for your allergen from the table above — for example 「これに卵は 入っていますか？」 for egg.
Convenience stores are your safety net
Packaged food in convenience stores and supermarkets carries a printed ingredient list with the mandatory allergens declared, which makes a konbini the most predictable place to feed an allergic child in Japan. It is also open at any hour, which matters more than you expect on a jet-lagged first night. Rice balls, plain bread, fruit, yoghurt and milk are all easy wins.
More on buying food and baby supplies locally: formula, diapers and baby food in Japan.
Common questions
Does Japan label food allergens?
Yes. Japanese law requires eight allergens to be declared on packaged food: egg, milk, wheat, buckwheat, peanut, shrimp, crab and walnut. A further twenty are recommended rather than required, which is why the allergen lists chain restaurants publish usually run to twenty-eight items. Packaged food in supermarkets and convenience stores is reliably labelled; the labelling is in Japanese.
Do Japanese restaurants provide allergen information?
Chain restaurants do, consistently. All 22 of the major chains in our Tokyo database publish allergen information, normally as a downloadable chart on their website and often on the ordering tablet in store — we last verified this in July 2026. Small owner-run restaurants generally do not, and staff may not be able to answer reliably, so chains are the safer choice with an allergic child.
Is there allergy-free food for kids in Japan?
Some chains go further than labelling. MOS Burger publishes a twenty-eight-item chart and has a menu made without the eight major allergens; KFC has a low-allergen chicken set at some branches. Both are worth confirming at the specific store, because availability varies by location.
What Japanese words should I know for allergies?
The word for allergy is アレルギー (arerugī). The eight labelled allergens are 卵 (egg), 乳 (milk), 小麦 (wheat), そば (buckwheat), 落花生 (peanut), えび (shrimp), かに (crab) and くるみ (walnut). A useful sentence is 「これに◯は入っていますか？」 (Kore ni ◯ wa haitte imasu ka?) — "Does this contain ◯?"
Should I bring an allergy card to Japan?
Yes. A printed card in Japanese naming the allergen and the severity is more reliable than speaking, because it removes any pronunciation problem and can be shown to kitchen staff rather than only to the server. Carry your own epinephrine auto-injector if your child is prescribed one — do not assume you can obtain an equivalent locally.
Is soba dangerous for a child with a wheat allergy?
Treat it as high risk. Buckwheat and wheat are separate allergens under Japanese labelling, but most soba noodles sold in restaurants are a blend of buckwheat and wheat flour, and soba and udon are frequently boiled in shared water. If either allergy is severe, noodle shops are the category to avoid rather than to negotiate.