Is Tokyo food safe?

Hello!
I'm thinking of going on a trip to Tokyo next year. The only thing is I have a huge fear of getting sick, so I'm quite nervous, though I really don't want this to prevent me from going on a great trip. I'm just worried as to if it's likely to get sick from food in Tokyo? I don't plan to eat street food, I mostly want to eat at the many amazing themed cafes and highly rated restaurants. Is Japanese food usually good quality, or is it likely to make me sick? Also, is the water quality ok or is it best to drink bottled water? I really want to go but I'm just quite nervous about these things so if anyone has any advice or info it would be much appreciated :)

Where do you come from?

NZ

Same food standards as NZ. Probably much higher.

Tap water is safe too - no need to buy bottled water unless you want to carry it with you for convienience.

I don't plan to eat street food

Well, Japan is not like Thailand or Malaysia, there is NO street food culture. Some turkish kebab food trucks or takoyaki but that's it, don't expect something like other asian countries. No barbecued chicken stalls etc...

You have little to worry about. Japan has similar food standards to most western countries as mentioned by previous posts. There is also very limited street food options, apart from special events such as festivals and the like.

I've previously lived in Japan for 3 years and have visited on numerous occasions, I have never been sick in Japan. If you are very worried about getting sick, then stay away from sushi and sashimi (uncooked fish). However, I would trust eating these over eating them in Australia.

Note that I have been sick while traveling overseas so I do understand why you are worried.

Japan has high standard for food, but as some one has stated, stay away from raw fish and shelll food, not that it has anything wrong, but it's your body adjusting to food from other country, same goes for tap water, it is recommended to stick with bottled water if you have problem adjusting.

Hey thank you all so much for your replies! I don't really like seafood anyway so I will stay away from it. I'm really glad to hear about Japan's food being good as it looks so delicious and I didn't want to be nervous the whole time, now I can enjoy all the amazing and interesting foods without worry :) thank you all!

As mentioned, Japan is extremely hygiene-conscious especially about food and tap water, but like it is in any advanced country, food poisoning does happen and it tends to happen more during the humid summers in Japan. So if avoiding that is on top of your list, avoid June to September. But again, it's only a matter of priorities. Most people don't get sick even during summer.

Yep of course food poisoning can always happen, but I'm generally very suspicious and wary of any new food and try to only eat high quality foods so from my previous travelling experience I've been fine. And yes I'll be going during fall time in Japan so hopefully the colder weather will make things a bit fresher, and make the hot bowls of ramen even nicer ;)

Japan's food standards are so high, putting together a meal from a convenience store isn't even seen as weird or risky.

I consider food in Japan to be safer than where I live (US). This is partly because Japan has a culture of eating raw food, so people do care a lot about freshness and sanitation. Japan is the only country where I would eat these raw food: eggs, chicken and duck breast (sasami, only at restaurants that specialize it), horse meat (basashi), puffer fish (fugu), sashimi of freshwater fish, some clams, etc..

Food poisoning can happen anywhere, including Japan, but I feel more safe in Japan than other countries.

I've been thinking about posting this for a few days so here goes, apologies. Japanese food culture is fantastic & the food itself is safe. The only problem I find is that the sudden change to a rice heavy diet erm . . gums up my insides for a few days to the extent that I now take a packet of laxatives with me to ease the transition. Apart from that my only worry about Japanese food is that it will make me fat, oh alright fatter.

Eh, you don't have to eat the rice if it doesn't work for you. I basically never eat rice except in curry and the occasional gyudon. Japanese people sometimes say I'm weird, I respond that they are the weird ones for eating rice literally all the time.

Hasn't rice been discussed from time to time on this forum? Anyway, a lot of people, especially women and children, ask for smaller portions of rice ("gohan sukuname de onegaisimasu"). Many drinkers ask for no rice at all ("gohan nashi de onegaisimasu" or "gohan wa irimasen"). And if requiring laxatives is your problem, you may want to seek places where they serve genmai Œº•Ä or haigamai ãó‰è•Ä instead of purely white rice. But if you prefer to eat the rice and still need your laxatives, you may want to try eating some yogurt with olive oil each day. Hope it helps.

my only worry about Japanese food is that it will make me fat, oh alright fatter.

Come on....One week in London with british food, fish and chips, crazy kebabs, large portions of any food and everywhere we ate and drunk...It took me more than 3 to 4 weeks to loose those kilos (pounds) I took when I travelled there (I am slim and live in "tiny portions" Japan).

I always expect to lose weight when I go to Japan but it never happens. The issues I have are only for the first three or four days but thanks for your concern. To wrench us back to the original topic, the fact that this thread is heading off in these directions shows how safe food is in Japan :)

..I usually lose weight in Japan. I lost about 4-5 lbs last June, and yes, I eat plenty of junk food in Japan and yes, I am overweight to start. I just find I am a lot more active in Japan vs. my home country. I am out and about touring all day, going up and down steps and not being lazy and sitting in front of a computer.

In terms of food in Japan, the only way I would define it as "not safe" is depending on your food allergy/dietary restrictions. Japan is changing, but overall it is less dietary and allergy friendly than major cities in the USA.

I'm a New Zealander, and have just returned in the last few days from a trip to Japan. I have been going backward and forward since I lived there in the early 1990's.
The changes I have seen in the food offered is immense, and as most of those who have posted above, you have absolutely nothing to fear. I have seen worse food preparation areas here in NZ, and I am in the food industry.
As someone above pointed out summer and the humidity is probably a time to be a little wary of seafood, but refrigeration temperatures are monitored closely, and you can usually see a thermometer with the temp. Another point I have noticed over time is the availability of ready salads, in deli style outlets, an amazing selection, that you can buy from about 100gms per plastic container.
Japan is nothing like Vietnam or Thailand with street food. If you take your own medications with you, any issues like diarrhoea that sometimes arise from anxiety or change rather than poisoning, can be dealt with immediately. Japan's tap water is every bit as safe as NZ.