Traveling to Japan with Nut Allergy

Hi all! I am traveling to Japan for two weeks this July and am planning the itinerary with my friend currently. The three main cities we will be visiting are Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. I have a peanut and tree nut allergy that ranges from mild to severe depending on the nut, and also has some notable exceptions (aka nuts that I can eat).

These exceptions are:
Almonds
Macadamia Nuts
Pine nuts

I am particularly allergic to peanuts and walnuts, and (though it has improved in recent years) ingesting peanuts will likely cause me to go into anaphylactic shock and require a trip to the hospital.

I have heard that in general nuts are not super common in Japanese food, however I have heard a few anecdotal horror stories over the years that made me want to post here to get some advice/guidance on how I should handle my nut allergy while I am in Japan.

I am planning to get an allergy card to bring with me on the trip, and was considering purchasing this card to help me: https://equaleats.com/collections/japanese-food-allergy-translation-ca...

I have heard street food can be riskier while traveling in Japan, however there are certain street foods that my friend and I would really like to try (such as Takoyaki when we visit Osaka). Does anyone have any experience trying street food with an allergy? Or does anyone know any alternative safe spots to try typical street foods?

Despite my allergy I am generally rather adventurous when it comes to trying food and am very much a foodie, and I would like to be that way in Japan as well.

Once again, I am just hoping to get guidance, advice, recommendations, etc. on what I can do to stay safe. Any safe places to eat would also be incredibly helpful. Anything y'all might have for me would be so incredibly appreciated! Thanks!

Don't don't remember eating nuts in Japan other than those sprinkled on top of fancy desert cakes. I doubt you'll have issue. And the card with your allergy details in the language is great.

Hi Cranelot, I know this is an old thread but just wondering how you went with your trip? My friend is allergic to some seafood and nuts and I wanted to see if your allergy card was helpful for you ? Was there any time where it wasn't helpful or you hit a snag?

Hope you had a great trip :)

Thank you!

Hi, I am also curious about your experience. I am traveling there in July. Two of my children have severe allergies to all nuts (anaphylaxis) and I would love to hear more. Thank you!

@Patrick

When you travel to Japan, you don't have to worry too much about nuts being in tons of foods. If you're really worried about it, I'd just bring some kind of allergy card to inform any restaurant or place you're buying food from if it contains the nuts they may be allergic to.

Tom,

Patrick is aware of that, and wants to hear about first-hand experience so that we could learn how it really works. I am curious too.

By the way, having nut allergy or any kind of food allergy in your family is a serious problem that requires extra precaution, even in Japan. Like many other things, you can't really tell unless you've experienced it yourself (like me, but I'm a resident speaker of Japanese). It's not just about avoiding certain food, and it certainly has nothing to do with the quantity of that food when you have a risk of anaphylaxis. The scariest thing that could happen to you is when the allergen is hidden by accident.

With the extra precaution, usually everything works fine, but it really helps when you know what to expect.