Having an MSG allergy in Japan

It can be really hard to have an MSG allergy in Japan. MSG was originally discovered in Japan, and it’s everywhere here. It’s so common that most people in Japan don’t even know its formal name, they just call it “flavor salt” or 味塩 (aji shio). It’s so common that you can buy it at the supermarket right next to the table salt.

The the red cap is for table salt, the blue cap is for MSG.

I’ve been in Japan for over 13 years, and I have an MSG allergy. I’ve learned a lot of my tips and tricks for avoiding MSG here through trial and error, but hopefully this guide will help some people so that they won’t have to experience the same hardships I did.

TIP #1: Avoid the four S’s of MSG

The four S’s of MSG are: Soups, Sauces, Seasonings, and Salad dressings. If you’re looking to eat something that includes one or more of these things, your first assumption should be that it has MSG.

TIP #2: When in doubt, eat freshly prepared fried food, Italian, or Indian

If you’re on the road and you don’t have much of a choice, fried food (with no sauce/seasonings) and Italian food are the safest bets for eating out. You can be 99% sure that fried food and Italian will be relatively safe, and Indian curry (not Japanese curry!) is 95% safe. The prepackaged stuff, however, is 50/50. Proceed at your own risk.

If you can’t find any of these things and you’re desperate, grab a Snickers. Sweets/chocolates are almost always MSG free.

TIP #3: Know the keywords for avoiding MSG

The keywords for avoiding MSG are “no additives” or 無添加 (mutenka) and “organic” or 有機 (yūki). Any food label or restaurant which shows either of these two words off will probably be OK.

Also, for ramen specifically, sometimes the word “no chemical seasoning” 無化調 (mukachō) is used.

TIP #4: Come prepared – restaurant staff will probably not know if something has MSG in it

As mentioned before, MSG is just called “flavor salt” 味塩 (aji shio) here, but it’s in so many things that even if the restaurant doesn’t specifically add MSG to their food, chances are it will be in one of the ingredients they add. The hard part about this is that MSG is not called “flavor salt” when its added to a food or seasoning on a food label, it’s called “flavoring (amino acid)” or 調味料（アミノ酸）(chōmiryō (amino san)), and most Japanese people do not know what this is. They probably think it’s an extra amino acid and therefore must be good for you.

Because of this, when you go out for sushi, yakiniku (Korean BBQ), tonkatsu (pork cutlets), or any other dish where a sauce or seasoning is optional, you should just bring your own sauce from home and use that.

TIP #5: Read labels

Now that you know what MSG is on a food label – 調味料（アミノ酸）- you can look for it when you buy food at the supermarket. It will be faster and easier to search for 無添加 and 有機, as they will be proudly displayed on the front, but if you really want to be sure, read the ingredients list and check for 調味料（アミノ酸）. If it’s not there, you’re in the clear!

Tip #6: Use my list of “safe” restaurants and items

Here is my list of safe places to eat that I’ve accumulated over the years.

Restaurants:

• Ootoya – A traditional Japanese dining restaurant that’s relatively common throughout Japan. All menu items are safe.
• Saizeriya – A common Italian restaurant chain. Most items are safe, but avoid salad dressings and side sauces for the meat.
• Most Indian restaurants – They’re everywhere, but there’s no one specific chain that’s safer.
• Denny’s – Only eat the clubhouse sandwich.
• Sushi places – They should be fine if you bring your own MSG-free soy sauce; it’s easy to get organic (有機) soy sauce in Japan for relatively cheap in most supermarkets.
• Tempura places – They’re safe if you avoid the sauce or bring your own.
• Katsu (cutlet) places – Avoid the sauce or bring your own.
• Drink & Food places or “Izakaya” – Order the karaage (fried chicken) and french fries plus whatever alcohol you want.
• For fast food, MOS Burger and Burger King are generally MSG-free if you avoid the sauces. (McDonald’s has MSG in a lot of stuff; I generally only trust the french fries to be MSG-free there.)
• Pizza – Most places are OK. Just avoid weird ingredients.

Convenience store items:

• 7-11 brand salmon onigiri (rice ball)
• Convenience store bread may contain MSG if it has additional items in it. Look for plain or sugary bread.
• Chocolates/sweets
• Most drinks – but avoid sports drinks. Some have MSG.

Sauces at the supermarket:

• Bulldog tonkatsu sauce – The regular version is MSG-free, but there’s also an organic version.
• Organic Soy Sauce 有機しょうゆ – There are many brands.
• Read the labels or look for 無添加 or 有機 for other sauces.

You are now reasonably prepared for Japan if you have an MSG allergy!

Good luck out there! For all other allergies, please refer to this article: https://livejapan.com/en/article-a0001856/