Vegetarian, understood in Japanese.

Dashi stock · だし / かつおだし

Dashi, the base stock in nearly all Japanese cooking, is usually made from dried bonito (skipjack tuna) or other fish, so soups, broths, sauces, and simmered dishes are a hidden source of fish even when no fish is visible.

Bonito-based dashi (katsuobushi, dried skipjack tuna) is the common form and contains fish. Kombu (kelp) and shiitake dashi are fish-free, so the allergen depends on preparation. Travelers should not assume a clear-looking broth is fish-free.

Imitation crab (kanikama) · カニカマ / 蒲鉾

In Japan, stick-type imitation crab (kanikama) used in sushi and salads looks like plain seafood but commonly hides wheat in its starch along with egg white, soy, and real crab extract, so check the label of each brand before eating.

Ingredients vary by brand and product type. The wheat plus egg-white combination is typical of stick-type kanikama used for sushi, but some products are explicitly egg-free and some flake or salad types omit wheat. Crab extract and soy are near-universal, and the surimi base is fish. Always read the per-product allergen label.

Japanese curry roux · カレールウ

Most Japanese supermarket curry roux blocks are built on a wheat-flour roux and commonly contain milk solids and soybean, so a standard bowl of Japanese curry is a hidden source of gluten, dairy, and soy unless you confirm an allergen-free brand.

The wheat roux is universal in standard curry; milk and soy vary by brand. Best-selling blocks like House Vermont Curry declare milk, wheat, and soybeans. Dedicated vegan and allergen-free roux products exist, so milk- or soy-allergic travelers must read each specific package allergen statement.

Miso soup · 味噌汁

A bowl of miso soup that looks like only tofu and seaweed is almost always built on fish-based dashi (bonito or dried sardine), so it contains fish unless explicitly made with kombu or shiitake stock.

Standard restaurant and home miso soup uses katsuobushi (bonito) or niboshi (dried sardine) dashi and contains fish even when none is visible. The fish-free exception is dashi made purely from kombu (kelp) or dried shiitake, common in Buddhist shojin-ryori but uncommon by default. Ask whether the dashi is fish-based rather than assuming a plain-looking bowl is safe.