No pork or shellfish in Tokyo

Hi guys, I've got a tough one to figure out for myself. I figured it would be best to ask you all for advice. I've been wanting to go to Japan since I was younger and now I have an opportunity.

See the thing is, I can't eat pork or shellfish. Is there any restaurants or food that is best for me to have, that doesn't contain it? I'm fine with eating beef, as long as it doesn't have pork in it. I'm not a vegetarian, but my customs of eating is clearly different. I can't eat food that contains shellfish ingredients either...it's very hard.

I hope you guys can help me out, it's very important to me and you guys are my only hope. Thank you in advance for your help!

Don't eat anything cooked in a broth/sauce. Unless specified otherwise, it will probably be pork-based.

I'd look at some guidebooks/websites that deal with vegetarian cuisine in Japan; there's plenty around, particularly for Tokyo.

Safe things: rice, soba, various convenience store foods, inari, etc.

It's probably easiest to go to vegetarian places; check Happy Cow for info.

There are a few kosher restaurants in Tokyo as well:
http://www.kosherdelight.com/Japan_Kosher_Establishments.shtml
http://www.chanasplace.com/

I think it's also easier to go vegetarian.

You can also plan out some restaurants by going to:

http://www.gnavi.co.jp/en/

http://bento.com/tokyofood.html

Or the (mostly no longer updated) http://www.sunnypages.jp/

Metropolis may have some specials on kosher meals. http://metropolisjapan.com/

?sushi?
?gyudon?

So it's not possible to have Sukiyaki or any type of dish with Beef/Chicken in it? Cause it's guaranteed to have pork?

What about teppanyaki's, shabu shabu's, can I have okonomiyaki (you can make it with your own ingredients of choice?) yakitori, yakiniku, etc. ??

I would ask the restaurant specifically about those items. Like I said, most broths and sauce bases tend to be made from pork so you will need to ask the places themselves what they use.

I would ask the restaurant specifically about those items.

This might work if you're dining in an international hotel, but it's pretty useless advice for ordinary restaurants. Part-time servers working for minimum salary during a busy dinner service really aren't going to go back into the kitchen to ask about the ingredients in every single dish.

Perhaps you could write to the Jewish Community Center of Tokyo - they have day-to-day experience with these dietary restrictions, so they might have more helpful advice on what to eat.

A Google search will also bring up numerous websites detailing specific Tokyo restaurants that serve vegetarian food. As will guidebooks.

Also, research the foods you asked about. See what their general recipes involve.

You can't expect a forum to do all your research for you. This information is not hard to find.

Like I said, most broths and sauce bases tend to be made from pork so you will need to ask the places themselves what they use.

Most all broths and sauces in Japanese cuisine contain fish stock (which is why it's an issue for vegetarians), but will not necessarily have pork in them. Beef, chicken and fish based foods are often not seasoned with pork. That said, they COULD be seasoned with pork so you can't actually be sure without asking, and even then you still might not really be sure. Avoiding shellfish is somewhat easier. Do some research and figure out what items are typically vegetarian or halal and build a database of go to foods.

What about teppanyaki's, shabu shabu's, can I have okonomiyaki (you can make it with your own ingredients of choice?) yakitori, yakiniku, etc. ??

Yes, those are all easy dishes that avoid pork and shellfish. You may want to skip the sauces to be sure.

Thank you guys. I looked up a lot of information beforehand, but I had to make sure with you all. Cause everyone has different opinions on certain aspects. Knowing my options, it allows me a brighter view on my eating choices. I appreciate it very much everyone!

those are all easy dishes that avoid pork and shellfish

I don't think I've ever seen okonomiyaki that doesn't include either pork or some kind of seafood (e.g. squid, octopus and/or shrimp); it's often both.