Free Celiac Translation Card for Japan

A wallet-size card in natural, polite Japanese that tells restaurant staff exactly what you can't eat — including the hidden sources (soy sauce, dashi, panko) that generic translation apps miss. Print it, cut it, keep it in your wallet. Or save the image to your phone.

What the card says (English translation)

"I have a wheat allergy (celiac disease). Even a tiny amount of wheat makes me ill. I also cannot eat seasonings that contain wheat — soy sauce, miso, dashi, panko breadcrumbs, tempura batter. Do you have any dishes made without wheat? If you have tamari soy sauce (wheat-free), I would appreciate you using it. I would also be grateful if you could avoid shared fryers and utensils. Thank you very much for your help."

How to use it

Hand the card to staff before ordering, ideally when you're seated. Japanese service culture responds far better to written Japanese than to spoken English — the card does the explaining, and the polite phrasing (asking for help rather than making demands) matters. If the server seems unsure, ask them to show it to the kitchen (chuubou no kata ni misete itadakemasu ka?).

Why it's free

This site exists to make Japan safer for celiac travelers. The card is free, with no email signup. If it helped you, sharing it with other travelers — or linking to this page from your blog, group, or forum thread — is the best thank-you. See how we verify our venue information for the rest of what we do.