Dining card
One card, in natural Japanese, that tells the kitchen what you — and everyone at your table — can't eat.
Choose your allergies and dietary needs, add your companions, and get a card written in natural Japanese by a Tokyo restaurant group.
Free with SHOKU NOREN membership
Sample — one guest with a severe crustacean allergy
食事についてのお願い
この予約のうち1名は、以下の食材を食べることができません。
重い食物アレルギーがあります。ごく少量でも、また同じ調理器具や揚げ油を使ったものでも、症状が出ます。
- 甲殻類（えび・かに・しゃこ・あみを含む）（だし、揚げ物の油、練り物、桜えび・あみの佃煮やふりかけにも使われます。しらす・ちりめんじゃこや、あさりなどの二枚貝にも、えび・かにが混ざることがあります）
お手数をおかけしますが、可能な限りご対応いただけますと幸いです。
対応が難しいものがありましたら、お知らせください。
どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。
Guest 1 — Severe allergy: All crustaceans (incl. mantis shrimp, krill)
This card helps you explain your needs in Japanese. Restaurants may not be able to accommodate every request. For severe allergies, tell the restaurant when you book, not only on the day.
The large Japanese is for the restaurant; the small line is for you. The easy-to-miss sources in Japanese cooking — dashi, soy sauce, mirin, frying oil — are spelled out for the kitchen.
Make your card
Allergies
Tap an item, then choose how serious it is.
Allergens Japan requires on food labels
Allergens Japan recommends labelling
Often asked at Japanese restaurants
How you eat
Your choices
Nothing chosen yet.
When we book for you, we pass this on to the restaurant in Japanese.
What's easy to miss in Japanese food
- Dashi
- Most Japanese stock is made from katsuobushi (dried bonito) or niboshi (dried sardines). A dish that looks vegetable-only — simmered vegetables, miso soup, chawanmushi — usually contains fish.
- Soy sauce and miso
- Both are made with soy, and most soy sauce also contains wheat. That matters for soy allergies and for gluten-free diets.
- Mirin and sake
- Sweet rice wine and sake are basic seasonings in simmered dishes, glazes and sauces. If you avoid alcohol, say so for cooking too.
- Frying oil and shared pans
- Tempura counters often fry prawns and vegetables in the same oil. For a severe allergy, say that shared oil is a problem.
Questions
Do restaurants in Japan handle allergies?
Many do, especially if told in advance. Fixed-course counters prepare for the whole party before you arrive, so the day of the visit is often too late to change a course. Tell them when you book.
Is it hard to eat vegetarian in Japan?
Harder than it looks, because of dashi. Say that fish stock is also a problem; many kitchens can prepare a kombu (kelp) stock if they know ahead.
Can I include the people I'm traveling with?
Yes. Add each guest with their own items. The restaurant prepares for the whole booking, so one card for the party is easiest for them.
Is the Japanese checked?
The card is written by our Tokyo team, who book restaurants in Japanese every day. It is not a medical document.
This card helps you explain your needs in Japanese. Restaurants may not be able to accommodate every request. For severe allergies, tell the restaurant when you book, not only on the day.
This card is not medical advice. Carry your own medication and follow your doctor's guidance.
Companions' details are used only to tell restaurants and to arrange bookings. You can remove anyone at any time, and deleting your account deletes the card.