Gluten Free

Gluten Free Curry - Tokyo

CURRY HOUSE CoCo ICHIBANYA We arrived in Tokyo at about 6PM. After our 13 hour flight we settled in and had our goals set on getting some food and then maybe a drink and going to bed by 9PM. We decied to try because they were going to be quick without much wait and we wanted to try the gluten free curry. They have an allergen free curry that is issentially the curry base with vegtables on top of rice and the curry comes in its own seperated packet so you can be sure that its safe to eat. This was a great dish that only needed extra spice but it was a great option for quick hot meal.

Gluten Free Pancakes - Tokyo

Riz Labo This place was amazing! We got some gluten free pancakes here but they also do gluten free crepes. Their menu changes based on the day and ingredients that are in season. We got some strawberry matcha pancakes that were the fluffiest pancakes we have ever had! The matcha was a delicous combination and the strawberries tasted so fresh and sweet. I suggest going to the website and looking at the menu. The location was a little inconspicous to find however after some google images and maps we were able to find it. They opened at 12 and there was already a line so I suggest getting their a little bit earlier to avoid waiting to long.

Gluten Free Ramen - Tokyo

Gluten Free T’s. We went here for some gluten free ramen that was in a dedicated gluten free kitchen. I think we can all relate to feeling at ease in a place that is dedicated gluten free. We can keep those dreaded antibodies down in a place like this. The menu had Cajun Friend Chicken and Gyoza so we made sure to pick up those in addition to the the ramen and chicken. We also decided to wash it all down with a cocktail and some beers. It was a delightful experience and I recommend adding some spice to your meal with their in house hot sauce. The server we had spoke fluent english so communication for us was quite easy. This was overall a very relaxing and delicious experience and with little anxiety for us celiacs with an all gluten free kitchen.

Gluten Free Sushi - Tokyo

Otsuna Sushi This sushi place was delicious! We messaged them on instagram to reserve seating and prepicked our menus. They have a specific gluten free menu you can order from. We ordered the OMAKASE special. The sushi was so fresh and delicious. The assortment of tastes was wonderful and I especially enjoyed the tuna belly. We also ordered a bottle of wine and some sake to go with this meal and really enjoyed the presentation, the abmience and overall atmoshphere of this place. Highly recommend reaching out and getting a reservation and menu picked and check this place out.

Gluten Free Okonomiyaki - Osaka

Oko Osaka This place has some character!! WOW! I really enjoyed this spot, there owner is also the cook, the server, the bartender(sorta), and the cashier. I would recommend getting here early and prepare your self for a good time. From the writing covered walls, to the chicken you squeeze when you pay for drinks, this place was truly unique and the food is hearty and delicious. Okonomiyaki is a japanese pancake made from wheat flour batter and other ingredients cooked on a teppan. Common additions include cabbage, meat, and seafood, and toppings include okonomiyaki sauce, aonori, katsuobushi, Japanese mayonnaise, and pickled ginger. This place however uses soybean flour so its gluten free for a lot of options. There are some meats that are marinated in gluten containing sauces but you can easily avoid them and get a delicous meal. There are also vegan and vegetarian options.

Gluten Free Soba - Osaka

https://genjisoba.co.jp/menu This was a cool little spot right in Namba city. We were determined to try some gluten free soba noodles in Japan since we often make them at home. Soba noodles can very easily be made without gluten as they are made primarily out of buckwheat at 80% buckwheat and 20% wheat. Be sure to look at their menu for the gluten free options and they will accomadate. They will even boil the noodles in specific gluten free pot if its not busy so I recommend going early if you are sensitive or celiac. You can also point at the items you want on the menu as they are marked gluten free and that worked for us.

Gluten Free Beef Plate - Osaka

Matsusaka M Umeda Fukushima Branch We have never had the quality of beef like the cuts that were served here. It was incredible! We reached out before hand and they let us know that they did have some gluten free options where the meat was not marinated. We had to reach out through whatsapp which may be fine for others but not something we use often. The staff was super accomadating and helped pick out what our options were. We had never been to a Japanese BBQ place before and were suprised to see the grill in the middle of the table where you cook the cuts of meat they give by yourself. This was an awesome change of pace and we really enjoyed this aspect of the restaurant. It was not difficult to cook the meat as it cooked quickly and was so tender and delicious. If you are a meat eater please please please go checkout this place for yourself.

Gluten Free Pastry - Osaka

comeconoco This little cafe was a two for one! We also scheduled a cooking class with the owner which we did so by messaging on instagram. In the cooking class we made sushi, chicken karage, sesame salad, and seaweed seasoned potatoes. We learned so much about how to make these dishes that we were able to replicate it once we got back home and also learned some interesting tricks to cooking such as how to judge the temperature of cooking oil with chopsticks! Huge fan of the cooking class and we decided to go check out the cafe on another day. We ordered the lunch and some cheesecake, the lunch consisted of a ham and cheese sandwhich, tomatoe bisque, and two scones. The cheesecake was a traditional new york cheesecake. Everything here is made from rice flour and the owners family owns a farm that produces the rice they utilize. Highly recommend reaching out and taking a cooking class and checking out this wonderful cafe.

Gluten Free Lunch - Kyoto

Gluten Free Sushi - Kyoto

Kikyo Sushi This sushi place was delicious! The staff was also excellent and accomdating. One of the sons of this family owned restaurant spoke english and was very helpful in letting us know what was gluten free and what was not. With this help we were able to order to our hearts content. With this we were able to order a platter that had an assortment of different sushi. The staff also pointed out to us what rolls were gluten free and what we could order from that as well so we topped off with some sake and rolls as well. Highly recommend checking this place out when you visit kyoto.

Tokyo

Tokyo - Day 1

We arrived on Friday, after going through customs the first thing we did was pick up a sim card and then buy some tickets for the Narita Express to Tokyo. After and hour 40 minute train drive we had arrived and used the Tokyo metro to get to our hotel. We had already decided that we would stay up until 9PM so we could adjust to the new daylight hours. We had about 4 hours to kill so we headed to our hotel first. We stayed at JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom in the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo. We got checked in and took some showers and then headed out. We knew we wanted to try a nearby curry house that we knew had a gluten free option and would be relatively quick to get in and get out. We walked from the hotel to the nearest curry house, got our curry and decided to walk around and take in the sights. We walked down some alleyways and there were people all over enjoying themselves on a Friday night. We walked into a random bar that had some space and had some drinks and food. I tried some Japanese whiskey on the rocks and we got some chicken wings and some pickled edaname. When we were done it was about 8:30PM so we headed back to the hotel to get some rest for an event filled Saturday.

Tokyo - Day 2

Saturday we had breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to Meiji Jingu. This was about a 20 min walk from our hotel and was a really beautiful Shinto shrine with epic walking paths to the main shrine. We were lucky enough to see other tour groups and so we were able to eavesdrop on what the tour guide was saying and learn about some of the history of the shrine. We walked to the main shrine and were lucky enough to see a wedding that was taking place there, this was really cool to see and something we just were fortunate with the timing. We also bought these wooden plates and wrote our wishes for the year on them and added them to the wish shrine they had in the main area. On the way out we saw a seperate part of the area that had a garden. We were a little early for the Azalea boom but nonetheless it was an awesome experience and one I would recommend checking out if you end up making your way to the shrine. There is a pond as well that is beautiful and we saw some turtles which was a delight to see and a well that was created years ago that still flows to this day. Afer this we decided to head over to RizLabo and get some delicious gluten free pancakes. After the most delicous pancakes we have ever had we headed over to do some shopping and went to Jordan World of Flight. I bought myself some Jordans and some shirts some of which I had been looking to buy for years. If you are a sneakerhead definetly recommend checking out Jordan World of Flight. We did some more shopping in the general area and then headed back to the hotel. After this we prepared for dinner at Ostuna Sushi. We walked around the neighborhood after dinner and stumbled upon Geronimo Shot Bar, this bar was a alot of fun and in spirit of the bar a couple of guys bought the entire bar a couple rounds of shots. This prepped us for the event after where we wanted to see what a Japanese nightclub was like and decided to go over to Camelot. We generally try and checkout the nighlife when we go to a new place to see what it is like and this did not disappoint. This is a story club with choice of EDM on 1 floor, hip/hop on another, and k-pop on another. Change your scene at a whim. The vibe was good and we had a blast.

Tokyo - Day 3

After a night out drinking and dancing we got a later start than usual but still got up in time for breakfast at the hotel and then headed over to Sensoji Temple. When we got there it wasnt to crowded so that was great and we were able to move around and take pictures with ease. After this we headed to Ginza and were able to walk around without cars on the roads because of the golden week holiday. We went to Itoya a 9 level stationary store that had all sorts of knick knacks and we grabbed some for gifts for our friends and families back home. We the headed back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. We had dinner at Gluten Free T’s where the entire restaurant was dedicated gluten free. This was a relaxed environment and the ramen was good as well as the chicken karage. We washed this down with a gluten free beer and headed over to Shibuya Sky. This had a great view of the city and I recommend everyone check this out. You can see the entire skyline and theres nothing like it!

Tokyo - Day 4

To start this day we had a visit to Team Labs. This was such cool experience and my understanding is they have these interactive art exhibits in cities around the world and they are unique per city. Later this day we also had scheduled a go karting experience on the streets of Tokyo. This was a blast! We did this at Monkey Kart. This was such a good time and a little scary at the same time. Definetly got my adrenaline going but we got to see a side of Tokyo that we would not have seen without doing this activitiy. We got to drive through Shibuya crossing which was an amazing experience with so many lights and people and to see it happen on the road was incredible. People would wave at us and we had a great time ripping the carts through Tokyo. After this we headed over to a ramen place that had gluten free options. After this we ended up going to an arcade.

Tokyo - Day 5

For our last day in Tokyo we had 6 hours from when we wokeup to the train we needed to take to Osaka. We checked out of our hotel and walked around and bought some anime shirts for some friends back home and for ourselves. We did some last minute shopping and then boarded the train to Osaka. We used Klook to get the tickets. We rode the Shinkansen.

Osaka

Osaka - Day 1

Half of the first day in Osaka taking the train. We used Klook to get train tickets for the Shinkansen and we definetly recommend setting this up before you go as we had to phone a friend to get the verification code since we did not have a phone number while in japan only data. The train took about 2.5 hours but it is an experience in and of itself. It goes about 250 mph and its so fast yet so smooth. It was such a pleasent trip and there were some points of really good viewpoints as you passed by the landscape. We got to Osaka and got to our hotel after taking a metro after getting off the train. We stayed at Frasier Residence Nankai Osaka which was a great spot in a central location within walking distance to a metro station. We put away our luggaage and got dinner.

Osaka - Day 2

Our second day in Osaka we had breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to a cooking class we had scheduled with the owner of comeconoco. We scheduled this by messaging them on instagram and met up with the owner at their apartment where we learned how to cook sushi, chicken karage, sesame salad and seaweed seasoned potatoes. This was such a fun and educational experience knowledge of which we have brought back and used in our kitchen at home. Then we headed over to Osaka Castle. This was a beautiful castle with stunning views. We didn’t go all the way into the castle but we did walk up to it but decided to pass on going and walking the permiter since you could already see a ton from walking in. On our way back we did take a stroll through the garden which was beatiful and full of trees. Highly recommend checking it out if you have the time. We had dinner at one of the most unqiue restaurants we have ever been to in Oko Osaka. This restaurant is run by one women who takes the orders and does all the cooking. She even asks you be your own bartender and pay for the drinks you make yourself! This place was beeming with character and we wrote our names on the wall, suggest you do to!

Osaka - Day 3

Kyoto - Day 1

For our day in Kyoto we opted to go with a guide. We booked Nori - Kyoto Tour for an 8 hour tour before we left for our trip. He asked what we would like to see if anything in particular and also had recommendations himself. I highly recommend going with a tour guide for Kyoto because there is so much to see and so much history that it was really nice having a guide to explain the history and get us from location to location.

Nara - Day 1

We took about 4 hours in Nara because we really wanted to feed the deer! We booked a bike tour of Nara through airBNB. This was such an amazing experience and it was nice to get some excercise in to! We got to feed the deer as well as visit Todaiji Temple

Gluten Free Japan

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