Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Trip To Japan In August

Sira Raven

Recommended Posts

Sira Raven Newbie
Sira Raven
Posted

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience eating gluten free in Japan. My parents and I are taking a trip there in August to visit my twin sister (who's currently teaching English over there). My mom has Celiac disease, and I'm non-celiac gluten intolerant (not super sensitive, but I still try to avoid it). We'll be in Japan for 2 weeks, with trips to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, and we'll be staying at my sister's apartment about half of the time. I realize that we can eat stuff we make at her place and can pack meals, and my sister speaks Japanese, so she'll be able to communicate with anywhere we want to eat. I'm really just not sure what to expect. Does anyone have any general advice about eating gluten free in Japan, or even better, any specific foods/places that you know are safe?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience eating gluten free in Japan. My parents and I are taking a trip there in August to visit my twin sister (who's currently teaching English over there). My mom has Celiac disease, and I'm non-celiac gluten intolerant (not super sensitive, but I still try to avoid it). We'll be in Japan for 2 weeks, with trips to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, and we'll be staying at my sister's apartment about half of the time. I realize that we can eat stuff we make at her place and can pack meals, and my sister speaks Japanese, so she'll be able to communicate with anywhere we want to eat. I'm really just not sure what to expect. Does anyone have any general advice about eating gluten free in Japan, or even better, any specific foods/places that you know are safe?

If you do a search on the forum for Japan(type it in the search box) you'll see our responses to other similar posts as well as reports from those of us after getting back from our trips. Plenty of posts from me here. Long story short, when I went last time I stayed at MIL's house and packed my bentos every a.m. before heading out for the day. The only time I ate out was at a shabu shabu restaurant that used only konbu(kelp) for the broth. Your sis could purchase some wheat-free soy sauce for use while you are there. There are several kinds made from millet, quinoa etc. My DH is going this summer and it's on his shopping list to bring back for me, since some is also soy-free and I am allergic to soy. Lots of wonderful fresh fruits and veggies to enjoy and I always do! I'm in love with the white peaches :) I flew JAL and they provided me with a nice gluten-free meals, even some good gluten-free bread.

Pauliewog Contributor
Pauliewog
Posted

I live in Japan now. I am a 20 year resident but only 4 months into eating gluten free. I find it very hard when it comes to eating out because of all the soy sauce used. You are lucky to have your sister's apt. and can prepare food. For me, sushi is the easiest thing to eat out. I just bring my own tamari (wheat free soy sauce). Other than that I end up with salads and white rice. It's hard. I'll follow this thread if you have any specific questions.

missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

Beware of rice bread! This is a new issue since my past posts. It has become popular in the past couple of years, some really cool breadmakers for it and bakeries making it, but it contains gluten added back in as an ingredient :( My understanding is that their point in making it is not to avoid wheat/gluten so much as to utilize their traditional staple crop.

Pauliewog Contributor
Pauliewog
Posted

I recently bought that bread maker! It is called Gopan made by Panasonic (originally Sanyo but Sanyo was bought by Panasonic). The majority of the recipes with the machine are rice with gluten added. However there is one, and ONLY one, function on the machine for "gluten zero."(their words, not mine!) It uses whole grains of rice, rice flour, yeast, sugar, salt and olive oil. I make it once a week. It is actually good and bread-like. We don't have gluten free breads here so this is as good as it gets for me right now! I would not trust "rice bread" from bakeries because it probably isn't 100% rice.

missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

I recently bought that bread maker! It is called Gopan made by Panasonic (originally Sanyo but Sanyo was bought by Panasonic). The majority of the recipes with the machine are rice with gluten added. However there is one, and ONLY one, function on the machine for "gluten zero."(their words, not mine!) It uses whole grains of rice, rice flour, yeast, sugar, salt and olive oil. I make it once a week. It is actually good and bread-like. We don't have gluten free breads here so this is as good as it gets for me right now! I would not trust "rice bread" from bakeries because it probably isn't 100% rice.

Thanks for the info.! I've been wondering and yes, GoPan is the one I had in mind. We were so excited at first, until we found gluten listed in the ingredients. My DH is still debating on buying one for me when he goes this summer but we wondered if the cost was worth it, for what we surmised as limited function/recipe/variation if any. What do you think? So you use the funtion that grinds the whole rice into flour? We are also debating about the usefullness of this since we can obtain rice flour easily and cheaply here, but I don't have ny bread recipes using it alone without the starches etc.

I have allergies currently to tapioca and potato and corn, which are in most of our American gluten-free recipes and commercially made breads so that particulare recipe you mentioned would work well for me at the moment.

Last time we went about 6 years ago, I bought some bread from sokkensha(online), but they were roll type and aimed at kids and probably pricey for daily use. Have you looked into Foreign Buyers Club for gluten-free products?

kenlove Rising Star
kenlove
Posted

Hi Missy's mom

hope your doing well. Been awhile! Im headed back to Tokyo on the 29th.

Was thinking of coming home with a gopan but i dont have that much bread anyway and tend to make it from scratch or make dosa or flat breads. A few times a year my wife will make me gluten-free french bread. What I was in japan a few months ago I had a lot of yuba ryori and various nabe with gluten-free shoyu or braggs aminos which I bring with and leave at friends restaurants around tokyo.

There are a lot of options if you know what to ask for and are not vegan like I am. communications and knowing chefs is helpful for me since I trained as one there almost 30 years ago. Yuba is tofu skin that you make yourself at the table, Its a great meal and experience. Miso is fine if its made with rice (kome koji) and not with barley. So cooks dont want to bother with checking but you need too. Dont be fooled by rice balls onigiri at 7-11 or family mart stores -- they usually contain wheat fillers,

learn to say -- ko mugi allergy ( ko moo gee alrergee) sort --of -- maybe once a chef in a neighborhood place understands they will go out of heir way to make sure you have something you enjoy. they need to know that soy sauce (Shoyu) is not soy but mostly wheat.

if you let me know where you'll be in tokyo maybe I can recommend some places.

ken

Thanks for the info.! I've been wondering and yes, GoPan is the one I had in mind. We were so excited at first, until we found gluten listed in the ingredients. My DH is still debating on buying one for me when he goes this summer but we wondered if the cost was worth it, for what we surmised as limited function/recipe/variation if any. What do you think? So you use the funtion that grinds the whole rice into flour? We are also debating about the usefullness of this since we can obtain rice flour easily and cheaply here, but I don't have ny bread recipes using it alone without the starches etc.

I have allergies currently to tapioca and potato and corn, which are in most of our American gluten-free recipes and commercially made breads so that particulare recipe you mentioned would work well for me at the moment.

Last time we went about 6 years ago, I bought some bread from sokkensha(online), but they were roll type and aimed at kids and probably pricey for daily use. Have you looked into Foreign Buyers Club for gluten-free products?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kenlove Rising Star
kenlove
Posted

for sure try thew yuba (tofo) ryori in Kyoto -- a good place or at a ryokan like Matsubatei near kiyomizudera will makeyou think your in the 1700s!

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience eating gluten free in Japan. My parents and I are taking a trip there in August to visit my twin sister (who's currently teaching English over there). My mom has Celiac disease, and I'm non-celiac gluten intolerant (not super sensitive, but I still try to avoid it). We'll be in Japan for 2 weeks, with trips to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, and we'll be staying at my sister's apartment about half of the time. I realize that we can eat stuff we make at her place and can pack meals, and my sister speaks Japanese, so she'll be able to communicate with anywhere we want to eat. I'm really just not sure what to expect. Does anyone have any general advice about eating gluten free in Japan, or even better, any specific foods/places that you know are safe?

Pauliewog Contributor
Pauliewog
Posted

The Gopan doesn't grind rice to flour. Is more like a rice cooker in that the water and rice get heated and ground up into mush. Somehow that mush magically becomes a loaf with the rice flour, sugar, yeast, salt and olive oil. It uses 320 grams of whole rice and only 80 grams of rice flour. You are right about repetition. I can only make that. I tried to substitute butter for olive oil once and the loaf didn't turn out very well. I suppose if I added something like cinnamon it would be ok. Haven't tried yet. Apparently it took Sanyo YEARS to come up with this machine so I guess I can't expect to create new recipes over night!

One good thing is that the machine comes with two tanks: one that grinds the rice and makes rice bread and one that makes regular "flour" bread. I have bought Bob's Red Mill gluten free bread mix from FBC before. I made that in the machine with the flour tank.

The machine is expensive. It runs about $600 (was expensive in yen, looks worse in dollars!). For me it is a good investment because I live here and it is my only source of bread. The FBC bread mix runs about $10 a box. The 6 ingredients I need to make the rice bread are relatively cheap and are already in my kitchen.

missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

TKS for the info. Pauliewog. I'll keep that in mind.

CeliacAndCfsCrusader Apprentice
CeliacAndCfsCrusader
Posted

FYI: I'm told that although Soba Noodles are listed as "buckwheat", which would be ok, they're actually often made with wheat as an ingredient as well.

kenlove Rising Star
kenlove
Posted

YOU have to make sure its juwari soba which is 100% buckwheat-- there are special juwari soba restaurants -- since you cant have the usually dipping sauce you can ask for the soba yu which is the water the noodles are boiled in. Add some ginger and onions and its pretty good. You could also bring some braggs aminos or gluten-free soy sauce to add to it

FYI: I'm told that although Soba Noodles are listed as "buckwheat", which would be ok, they're actually often made with wheat as an ingredient as well.

  • 1 month later...
mariko Newbie
mariko
Posted

We are currently in Japan for three weeks visiting relatives. I have a daughter who is celiac. We brought a couple of loaves of Udi bread, homemade pancake mix, and homemade muffins that we froze when we arrived here.

We found one restaurant in Harajuku that serves gluten free and vegan fried tofu that looks and tastes like fried chicken. It is called Vegecate. You can google Vegecate in Harajuku. It has the menu in English. Everything on their menu is gluten free. The only other restaurants that we were able to eat at were Vietnamese noodles and sushi. We brought our own gluten free soy sauce to the sushi place. My cousin was able to buy gluten free udon, soba, pizza, and pastries from an internet website called a-soken.com. The products were delivered to their house before we got here. Tomorrow, we are traveling to Osaka to visit other relatives. I'll post more if we find anything in that area.

We purchased the GoPan bread maker when it first came out about a year ago. We were very excited about getting it until we made our first loaf of bread. The machine is very loud when it is grinding the rice, it sounds like a generator motor. It only lasts a few minutes, but it does it several times while making the bread. The bread came out hard and not very tasty. We prefer making it by hand using a mixer and gluten free flour instead of using the GoPan.

Pauliewog Contributor
Pauliewog
Posted

I just finished lunch which included bread from my Gopan! I have the newest model (Dec 2011-I think). Yes, it is noisy when it grinds but it doesn't bother me. It isn't that long. I find that the bread is actually moist. I like it better after I slice it and toast it. It is not a perfect replacement for bread. But for someone living in Japan where there are few options I think it is worth it. I make a loaf of bread a week and that is my only source of "bread."

Thanks for the a-soken.com link. I noticed they have gyoza! That is one thing I have been craving. I tried to make them with rice paper and had a mushy mess. I'll try theirs.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,855
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Tara M
    Newest Member
    Tara M
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis has taken Me from Me

      By trents · Posted

      Is this man the father of your children?
    • Jillian83
      Celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis has taken Me from Me

      By Jillian83 · Posted

      Hi, I was recently diagnosed with Celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis after years of suffering without answers. I lost my mind. I lost my job. I lost so much time. I lost Me. Conventional doctors are opulent come near me and the one who did sat across the room, misdiagnosed me, pumped me full of steroids which collapsed my entire hip for 6 months. So without answers I began my holistic journey. Fast forward a couple of years and still struggling with a mysterious whole body itchy, crawling “skin hell”, perfect teeth now deteriorating, thick hair now thinning rapidly and no more than a day or 2 at most relief….An acquaintance opened up a functional medicine practice. Cash only, I found a way. Within a month tests clearly showing my off the charts gluten allergy/sensitivity as well as the depletion of vital nutrients due to leaky gut and intestinal damage. dermatitis herpetiformis was more than likely what I was experiencing with my skin. I was happy. I thought this is easy, eat healthy Whole Foods, follow the diet restrictions and I finally get to heal and feel confident and like myself again very soon! 😔 Supplements are very pricey but I got them and began my healing. Which leads to the other major issue: not working, stay at home Mom of young kids, entirely financially dependent on my man of 7 plus years. He’s never been supportive of anything I’ve ever done or been thru. He controls everything. I’m not given much money ever at a time and when he does leave money it’s only enough to possibly get gas. His excuse is that I’ll spend it on other things. So my “allowance” is inconsistent and has conditions. He withholds money from me as punishment for anything he wants. Since being diagnosed, he’s gained a new control tactic to use as punishment. He now is in control of when I get to eat. He asked for proof of my diagnosis and diet bc he said I made it up just to be able to eat expensive organic foods. Then after I sent him my file from my doctor he then said she wasn’t a real doctor. 😡. I go days upon days starving, sometimes breaking down and eating things I shouldn’t bc I’m so sick then I pay horribly while he gets annoyed and angry bc I’m not keeping up with all the duties I’m supposed to be doing. His abuse turns full on when I’m down and it’s in these desperate times when I need his support and care the most that I’m punished with silence, being starved, ignored, belittled. He will create more of a mess just bc I’m unable to get up and clean so that when I am better, I’m so overwhelmed with chores to catch up that the stress causes me to go right back into a flare from hell and the cycle repeats. I’m punished for being sick. I’m belittled for starving and asking for healthy clean water. I’m purposely left out of his life. He won’t even tell me he’s going to the grocery or to get dinner bc he doesn’t want me to ask him for anything. I have no one. I have nothing. Im not better. My supplements ran out and I desperately need Vitamin D3 and a methylated B complex at the very minimal just to function….he stares at me blankly…no, a slight smirk, no words. He’s happiest when im miserable and I am miserable.  this is so long and im condensing as much as I can but this situation is so complicated and disgusting. And it’s currently my life. The “IT” girl, the healthy, beautiful, perfect skin, perfect teeth, thick and curly locks for days, creative and talented IT girl….now I won’t even leave this house bc Im ashamed of what this has dont to my body, my skin. Im disgusted. The stress is keeping me from healing and I think he knows that and that’s why he continues to keep me in that state. He doesn’t want me confident or successful. He doesn’t want me healed and healthy bc then how would he put the blame of all his problems on me? This journey has been hell and I’ve been in Hell before. I’ve been killed by an ex, I’ve been raped, robbed, held hostage, abused beyond nightmares but the cruelty I’ve experienced from him bc of this disease is the coldest I’ve ever experienced. I’ve wanted to give up. Starving and in tears, desperate…I found a local food pantry in our small town so I reached out just saying I had Celiac and was on hard times. This woman is blessing me daily with prepared gluten free meals, donations, educational info, people who know this disease and how they manage life and the blessings just keep coming. But it’s overwhelming and I feel like I don’t deserve it at all. He just glared and I know he’s going to sabotage it somehow. I don’t even know what to do anymore. I’m so broken and just want peace and healing. 
    • cristiana
      Ibuprofen

      By cristiana · Posted

      @Colleen H   I am just curious,  when you were tested for coeliac disease, did the doctors find out if you had any deficiencies? Sometimes muscle pain can be caused by certain deficiencies, for example, magnesium, vitamin D, calcium, and potassium.   Might be worth looking into having some more tests.  Pins and needles can be neuropathy, again caused by deficiencies, such as iron and B12,  which can be reversed if these deficiencies are addressed. In the UK where I live we are usually only tested for iron, B12 and vitamin D deficiencies at diagnosis.   I was very iron anemic and supplementation made a big difference.  B12 was low normal, but in other countries the UK's low normal would be considered a deficiency.  My vitamin D was low normal, and I've been supplementing ever since (when I remember to take it!) My pins and needles definitely started to improve when my known deficiencies were addressed.  My nutritionist also gave me a broad spectrum supplement which really helped, because I suspect I wasn't just deficient in what I mention above but in many other vitamins and minerals.  But a word of warning, don't take iron unless blood tests reveal you actually need it, and if you are taking it your levels must be regularly monitored because too much can make you ill.  (And if you are currently taking iron, that might actually be making your stomach sore - it did mine, so my GP changed my iron supplementation to a gentler form, ferrous gluconate). Lastly, have you been trying to take anything to lessen the pain in your gut?  I get a sore stomach periodically, usually when I've had too much rich food, or when I have had to take an aspirin or certain antibiotics, or after glutening.  When this happens, I take for just a few days a small daily dose of OTC omeprazole.  I also follow a reflux or gastritis diet. There are lots online but the common denominators to these diets is you need to cut out caffeine, alcohol, rich, spicy, acidic food etc and eat small regularly spaced meals.   When I get a sore stomach, I also find it helpful to drink lots of water.  I also find hot water with a few slices of ginger very soothing to sip, or camomile tea.  A wedge pillow at night is good for reflux. Also,  best not to eat a meal 2-3 hours before going to bed. If the stomach pain is getting worse, though, it would be wise to see the doctor again. I hope some of this helps. Cristiana    
    • Me,Sue
      Knowing what to do when feeling unwell.

      By Me,Sue · Posted

      I was diagnosed with coeliac disease a couple of years ago [ish]. I love my food and a variety of food, so it's been hard, as it is with everyone. I try and ensure everything I eat doesn't contain gluten, but occasionally I think something must have got through that has gluten in. Mainly I know because I have to dash to the loo, but recently I have noticed that I feel nauseous after possibly being glutened. I think the thing that I have got better at is knowing what to do when I feel wiped out after a gluten 'episode'. I drink loads of water, and have just started drinking peppermint tea. I also have rehydration powders to drink. I don't feel like eating much, but eventually feel like I need to eat. Gluten free flapjacks, or gluten free cereal, or a small gluten free kids meal are my go to. I am retired, so luckily I can rest, sometimes even going to bed when nothing else works. So I feel that I am getting better at knowing how to try and get back on track. I am also trying to stick to a simpler menu and eat mostly at home so that I can be more confident about what I am eating. THANKS TO THOSE WHO REPLIED ABOUT THE NAUSEA .
    • Francis M
      The Happy Tart review

      By Francis M · Posted

      Thanks. Since the back and forth and promises of review and general stalling went on for more than six months, the credit company will no longer investigate. They have a cutoff of maybe six months.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.