Foreign high school exchange to Japan question about fish allergies + vs oceania exchange program

7 comments

1. Oh man, I’m sorry but as someone who has to avoid gluten due to an autoimmune disease, Japan and allergies is a nightmare. And if there is an allergy worse than gluten in Japan, it’s got to be fish.
   The allergen labeling in this country is very difficult to navigate. Legally, manufactured foods in Japan must be labeled with the 7 most common allergens (Buckwheat, Crab, Egg, Milk, Peanut, Shrimp, Wheat). Some companies expand it to the top 20. But notice, seafood in general is not included. Also, I’ve encountered smaller, cottage industry type of food vendors where the labeling has zero allergen information or even limited ingredient information.
   Eating out at anything other than the largest fast food chains is a roll of the dice. It is not normalized to ask for clarification and oftentimes, people don’t think deeply about the minute ingredients that might be problematic. And then there’s the issue of cross-contamination…
   To be safe, you’d honestly have to cook 100% of your food at home. I have a friend who simply dislikes seafood and he swears he’s able to navigate Japan and successfully avoid it. I’ve learned to hold my tongue as he happily eats a dashi containing soup brought to him by a waiter warned of his seafood aversion.

   If you really want to come here, do it on a short vacation. See how it goes, and then try a longer stay.

2. >considering fish and fish sauces are commonly used in Japanese cuisine, would it be difficult to manage if I did go?

   Extremely.

   >I’ve heard many Japanese people find allergies a hard concept to understand.. is this true?

   Correct.

   >and would my host family cater to my food restriction?

   Probably not.

   >I’ve been studying Japanese for about 2-3 years now so I really want to make use of it.

   If the difference between life and death comes down to your ability to successfully articulate your allergy to a total stranger to the point where they can accommodate it with zero ambiguity or uncertainty, exactly how confident do you feel?

3. We hide bonito flakes (used in dashi) literally everywhere. Think your food is safe? It probably contains dashi. I think it’s possible to avoid salmon, but avoiding dashi will be your biggest challenge.

4. damn, fish is everywhere here. It’s gonna be almost impossible to avoid it.
   Japan is not a good place when it comes to food allergy, gluten free, keto stuff, or anything like that.

   Fish is in the bento, noodles, potato chips, and almost anywhere you could think of.

5. My SIL is Japanese, I have a shrimp/shellfish allergy and visited Japan a few times.

   Dashi is in everything and fish soup stock can have God knows what in it.

   Vegans from elsewhere think Japan is this non meaty place. HA! Dashi is everywhere. Fish stock (were shrimp, crab shells etc) is used alot. There is literally no escaping it except home cooking everything.

   For allergies, the cross contamination will get you. I tried to explain to my SIL that if you cut up shrimp, them cut up my tuna, that is an issue for me. Lol. I love her to bits, and she doesn’t get it. “I know no one in Japan with fish/shellfish allergies. I don’t understand this”

   She is a wonderful cook. Like Gram worthy plates. Best I can hope for is some plain rice and cut up fruit/salad/plain tofu/plain veggies. I hate this. I hate standing out.

   I doubt the average, non dealing with anaphylaxis, Japanese family could accommodate you. Maybe, just maybe you could hook up with a host family dealing with food allergies you might have a shot. And even then everyone with anaphylaxis has there own comfy zone, which could be deadly to you.

   The only other country I think is equally as bad, trying to dodge a fish/shell fish allergy, is Vietnam.

6. Not what you want to hear but avoiding fish products is near impossible. I think asking the host family to support such a requirement would be unfair on them. Fish or fish products are in pretty much everything and as you say it is generally not even consciously thought of. Not sure if there is the option of a dorm accomodation and you prepare your own meals? Even then be careful as it is in things you would not expect.

7. I’m allergic to shrimp, crab and lobster. (Anaphylaxis as well.) Shrimp and crab are pretty ubiquitous here, so I need to be extra careful about cross contamination, sauces, broths etc. I assume your allergy would require the same.

   > other types of fish (like white fish, seafood, etc.)

   This is confusing. Seafood isn’t just fish — so are you allergic to ALL seafood, like crustaceans (shrimp, crab) and bivalves (clams, scallops)? Or just fish (things with gills and fins that go “glub glub”)? What about cephalopods (squid, octopus)? You need to be more specific, especially with an allergy. Knowing what you can and cannot eat is SUPER important when people are giving you advice that your life literally depends on. Your post said “fish” allergy, but not “seafood” allergy.

   Allergies to shellfish and crustaceans are common here. Fish, I don’t know (saba IS often listed in allergen lists). But with the former, people are VERY understanding about the serious nature of such allergies. I have never had any issues with asking restaurant staff about whether or not a dish contains shrimp or crab (BEFORE ORDERING!!) or noting my allergy when making ryokan reservations. However, I also have reasonable expectations about what and where I can and cannot eat. I love vegetable tempura, but I can’t go to tempura places because the stuff is all fried in the same oil as shrimp. Lots of ramen, especially tsukemen, use shrimp powder, essence or shells to season and flavor their broth. I have to do a lot of research if I want non-tonkatsu or non-miso ramen, as I’ve found shop staff sometimes aren’t aware shrimp is used in their broth. The one time I got sick here was from ramen.

   With a fish allergy, you’re basically unable to eat anything that uses dashi — which is a lot of stuff. Dashi is made from fish (usually bonito) and kombu and can be found in everything from sauces and marinades to soups and stewed dishes. Things that look safe (ie: shabu shabu or nabe dishes, certain side dishes with vegetables) will almost always use dashi in some form.

   But! If you stuck to western food and vegan food, you’d get by here. It’s not like you’d starve. You’d just have to basically avoid any Japanese food that isn’t, say, tonkotsu (as long as it’s not fried in the same oil as shrimp…if you’re indeed allergic to shrimp). There’s plenty of pasta, burgers, pizza, etc.

   This might be helpful: https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/advice#wiki_food_aversions.2C_allergies_and_specific_diets