Where to find plain foods in Japan?

So, I have a bit of an unusual situation, where I am going to Japan next week with friends, but I am still very much recovering from anorexia and kind of freaking out about it.

I (in conjunction with my dietian) am trying to plan out all of my meals in advance, to make sure I'm still eating enough. What I am really looking for is very simple foods, with just one or two ingrediants (like I would have a lot of trouble eating sushi, but could eat just plain rice, or just seaweed ect) that are packaged in a way so that I know what portion to eat.

Would anyone happen to know if there any foods like that in Japan either that I could buy at a convience store, or to order when eating out? Or types of places, which I could start? Could I look/ask for things marked plain or basic, or what else would it be described as?

My main staples, or safe foods are spinnach and carrots, but I greatly prefer any vegetables raw.
Meat has to either come already portioned and packaged in a bag (like chicken or ham) or cooked until it is completely dry (ie I have to cook it myself).
I can eat cheese, usually
Can I get any of these foods in Japan? If so is there a brand name or something so I could find it?
I was planning on bringing all of my grains.
I am also bringing protein powders, and meal replacements powders. I am going to try and bring my seads and nuts (mainly chia seeds and a mixed nut mix from the supermarket) but I'm a bit worried customs might take them. On the off-chance that anyone ever tried to bring nuts or seeds into Japan can you tell me how it went?

thank-you so much for your help, and sorry for all the questions!

you can buy cooked rice at convinence stores and take out food stores easily. Chia seeds is popular now, so you can find it in mejour stores.

For plain rice and seaweed, try onigiri from convenience stores. They're small triangular rice balls with various fillings, or you can have them plain. Many come with seaweed wrappings. My favourite was one where the rice was dipped in soy sauce. They're available in all convenience stores and are very cheap. They'd be an easy way to make sure you eat certain portions every day.

For the other items, try grocery stores; they usually have a wide variety of options.

Hi Oliva,

I'm just thinking about what you could eat out with your friends. How are you with clear broths or plain noodles like buckwheat soba? If doba is fine, you could order Zaru soba and just eat the noodles without touching the sauces and I don't think anyone would notice. Alternatively, if you are fine with clear broths most soba or udon will come with this and I'm sure you could ask for the noodles on the side with just the bowl of broth.

Hopefully this helps. If you are happy to cook meats yourself, maybe yakiniku if you find a place where you can get marinated and unmarinated meats?

Sorry, I should also mention that you can get a variety of vegetables at yakiniku which you can grill (or if you want them raw no one should stop you). Often if you go to all you can eat ones they have salad vegetables as well which will not have dressing on them.

I also second onigiri at convenience stores. I would have plain rice ones for breakfast every morning while I was there. They're easy to spot because they don't have any seaweed on them. Note that the plain rice will have a little bit of salt in the middle for flavouring.

I think convenience stores are going to be the best option for you for your trip. They can be found everywhere, and have a variety of different foods to choose from in ready-made portions. They also have prepackaged foods, such as packets of plain rice, that you could microwave if you just wanted to eat rice for example. (And they will always have a microwave!)

Here's a picture of plain rice: http://justhungry.com/files/images/jc101-ricepack1.jpg
In the same area, you can also find "furikake", which is a topping you can buy to put on the rice. You may find plain seaweed for a little additional flavor, but still keeping it simple. Some furikake have lots of additional flavors though so I'd look for のり (nori; seaweed).

Every combini (short for convenience store) will have plain onigiri, although they tend to run out in the morning because of the breakfast rush. Seven Eleven specifically has a vegetable stick pack with a miso sauce separate that you could discard and just eat the raw veggies, and I bet other conbini have similar things. They usually sell salads with various easily-identifiable ingredients. There is also usually plain udon or soba noodles, and various other things. Often they come separate from sauce since you add the sauce when you buy it, so it will probably work well for you.

I think you may have more trouble in restaurants. I would check out both the Japan Guide list of Japanese foods (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e620.html) as well as do some research and talk with your dietitian, and come up with a list of foods you may be able to eat. Also, some phrases pre-written in Japanese before your trip to ask for certain things, to take certain things off, or to ask for things on the side, so you feel prepared. That way when you go to a restaurant you have a list of things you feel confident you can eat, and wont get anxious about it. And remember you can always go to a conbini before or after the restaurant, too!

Good luck and have fun!

If you are looking for food on the go, you might try the weider jelly packs. Just google the term "weider jelly". They are available at every combini.

http://s2.buzzhand.net/uploads/84/6/316829/14176971517130.jpg

If you are looking for raw veggies, just hit the grocery stores and build your own salad.

A bit of advice - The issue my friends and I had in Japan was weight loss. With all the walking and touring we did, we couldn't eat enough to keep up. How much touring do you plan to do? With your situation, salads would not be enough. You're going to want nutrient, calorie dense foods. Ask you doctor/dietitian for recommendations that would take into account the activities you're planning.

I don't know if you can eat soups... maybe not.., but if you can then the Tokyo Soup Stock stores and there are many, have a selection of soups of eating there, or take out. Some are vegetarian.

It's Suzuki Kitchen in English, located near Nanluoguxiang, serving Japanese food but there is no sushi or noodle. I had tried a few restaurants around Beijing but none deserve a second visit. Maybe I wasn't lucky enough to encounter the good food except this one. I went to dine at this restaurant twice

It's Suzuki Kitchen in English, located near Nanluoguxiang, serving Japanese food but there is no sushi or noodle. I had tried a few restaurants around Beijing but none deserve a second visit. Maybe I wasn't lucky enough to encounter the good food except this one. I went to dine at this restaurant twice