Dietary restrictions. Where to cook?

My brother and I have several food restrictions and for this reason are very concerned about eating our way through Japan. In particular, we can't eat pork--which we've learned is used in just about everything from stock in ramen, to lard in pastries, and gelatin in candies. My own restrictions are even more severe as I can't eat any soy in any form, seafood, or rice products--so no sushi, dumplings, soups, tofu, natto, or fried foods which may have been contaminated with soy or pork oils.

I'm considering bringing my own noodles and crackers to eat while we're there, and supplementing them with raw fruits and vegetables that we buy.

We plan to stay in budget locations like hostels and capsule hotels during most of our stay in tokyo and kyoto. Would it be relatively easy to get access to a stove in those places? Or, could I ask for a bowl of hot water, or take out order of hot water, to cook my own noodles when we're out and about?

Would about going to Burger King or some similar fast food place in a pinch? Do they cook with lard there, too?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

A lot of hostels have share kitchens, just check the hostel website before booking. Capsule inns will not provide you with this, as they are built for one night stays (you have to check in and out every day if you stay for a long time). If you need to cook for yourself, definitely go the hostel route. If you're staying in one place for a long time (i.e. a week or more), maybe try finding a cheap apartment (try MyStays).

Well, being restricted to hostels is a bit of a disappointment, but doable�c

What do you think the odds of being able to fill up our thermoses with hot water while out and about are? We're not going to be able to last outside all day on just bananas and crackers�c I'd initially thought we could eat more bread, but if we have to fear it being made with pork oils�c

Any suggestions for simple snacks, not coated in sauces? Or types of places that wouldn't mind serving us some hot water? We don't mind paying for the water if necessary.

I can't help you with the hot water issue; depending on how good your thermoses are, could you maybe fill them at the hostel to use at lunch? Otherwise you might just have to go back to your hostel each day. I don't think you should worry about pork oil being used in bread; it would be much too fatty! You'll be okay with bread.

http://openprivatelife.blogspot.com/2012/09/vegetarian-japan-vegan-jap...

"Beware of crackers with very, very thin red lines woven into them. The red bits are shrimp. These crackers are totally delicious, and I loved them until I learned enough kanji to read the package. You'll make mistakes like that all the time in your first year. Most desserts are OK, but some cookies have fish in them. These cookies have pictures of fish on the package, though, so they�fre easy to spot. And you do know that most bakeries in Japan make their pastries out of lard (animal fat) not vegetable oils, don't you?"

Are there any salad bars in Tokyo or Kyoto?

And, can we get a discount on a ryokan if we say we don't want the included meals?

Some ryokan offer a no meals service, at a lower rate. You have to check individual ryokan websites (or maybe book via japanguesthouses, who basically operate as an English-speaking intermediary between you and the ryokan).

I guess that it will generally be ryokan in onsen towns that would offer that service, rather than ones which are more isolated (where there's nowhere nearby to go out to eat). The only time we've stayed on a no-meals basis was in Takayama, where we wanted to enjoy the town in the evening rather than stay in the ryokan.

My limited experience of minshuku is that they are more informal. Perhaps they would be another type of accommodation that might suit you...

Try Googling HALAL restaurants Japan. JNTO gives advice to Muslim Tourist and lists HALAL restaurants in Japan. There are more detailed lists for the Kanto (Tokyo) region and Kansai(Kyoto). You might plan your itinerary around these restaurants so that you have a good meal every other day or so. Too,I believe HALAL is similar to Kosher, just not blessed by a Rabbi.

Or do like I did. Survived on sandwiches from Starbucks.

Best of luck. You will love Japan.

Thanks, so much for that tip! Halal, is probably going to save us from being too weak to do all the hiking we've planned! I hope that with a little more looking, I'll find some Japanese style food in addition to the Indian and Pakistani. My brother was really looking forward to eating ramen in Japan�c ;)

And, thanks as well to the person who confirmed we might be able to find a ryokan that will let us cook our own food. We'll probably do the cheaper hostel option for most of the trip, but we want one traditional night.

As an aside, I was watching a video on Japanese food and they showed an American guy that opened a ramen place in Tokyo, Ivan, that uses chicken as his soup base. I see he's since moved to New York. Does anyone know if his restaurant in Tokyo is still doing well? Are the new cooks keeping the pork out of the broth?http://www.ivanramen.com

- Traditional "ryokan" places would not let you use the kitchen, but are likely to accommodate your request if you ask for hot water. So would "minshuku" type of family-operated places. Just be sure to be able to communicate your needs.

- It is not that "new cooks" or older cooks use chicken or pork for soup, some ramen places use chicken, pork, or shrimp (of mixture) for their broth. I have just last night watched a TV program featuring a certain part of Tokyo, and there they mentioned one ramen shop using chicken for their soup, though they put pork as topping. So if you could ask them not to put any pork on top of the noodle, would that be OK? (Or would you consider that "pork contaminated" already? is what I am trying to ask.)

For the ryokan, as that seems it will be quite challenging, I will have a Japanese friend call from the US before we go, bring a written note, and bring some snacks just in case it doesn't work out as planned.

As for the pork contamination, if it's not in the broth AND they can keep the utensils separate from the other soups while making ours and don't put any pork topping on it, then the soup will be considered safe.

Thanks.

I wonder if a restaurant guide/review website like this might help you:

http://www.happycow.net/asia/japan/tokyo/

This is a lovely website! Thank you for the suggestion. :)

It doesn't really help me because I can't eat the rice, soy, beans, nuts, and seeds that are heavily present in vegan foods. However, my brother may be interested in trying something, so this could be another good option for him. And, if they have a simple, dressingless, salad, I may eat there, too!

There's a ramen restaurant in Shibuya that will make ramen stock without pork if you ask. I can find out the address and let you know. It's a ticket machine restaurant and the signs and menu are in English.
I would also learn the Japanese phrases for 'I cannot eat pork/nuts/rice/etc' before you come so you can be very clear about what you can and cannot eat.
You can buy bags or containers of mixed salad at any combini (and there's one on every corner)!

Perhaps if you list the foods you typically eat we might be able to tell you if they're available here and where you can get them. That way you wouldn't have to carry so much with you as you will be traveling around.