Shellfish Allergy

My son has a tree nut and shellfish allergy. We are visiting Japan for two weeks soon. I know that nuts aren't going to be a big issue but am concerned about shellfish.

Are there any foods that I should be careful with or things that I should definitely avoid?

We have allergy cards translated into Japanese already but thought I would ask here too in case there were certain foods that might be a risk but that I wouldn't suspect.

Mary,

Shellfish are rarely used as nuts in Japanese cuisine. But just as nuts, they are used in a lot of non-Japanese cuisine such as Chinese or other Asian dishes, and in Japan, Japanese is not the only cuisine you get, so you have to keep that in mind.

That said, I wouldn't worry too much. Shellfish or its extract is rarely hidden even in processed foods or non-Chinese soup stock.

One thing I do notice, however, is that "kai-karushiumu (shellfish calcium)" is often noted within the material for many foods such as kon-nyaku or shirataki. In particular, shirataki is included in the typical tourist dish of sukiyaki. But I believe the amount of extract is very little, so you may not have to worry unless the allergy is critical.

Either way, I'm sure you will be presenting your card before you order, so that the chef can keep that in mind and recommend alternatives.

Bon Appetite!

Hi,

In this season, oyster (Kaki, かき、牡蠣) is one of popular sea-foods in Japan.
We often eat it as fried oyster. (Kakifurai かきフライ、牡蠣フライ)

I hope you will enjoy Japan!

Natto

You will most likely know for sure when oysters are included in your dish. They're very obvious, so don't worry about it. But speaking of oysters, watch out for "oyster oil (kaki-abura)" which is a seasoning often used in dishes with Chinese influence.