Dealing with food allergies in Japan

[Kaibutsu]

One problem I'm going to have when I visit, is that I'm allergic to shellfish, something the Japanese eat a lot of. What are some common dishes with shellfish bases(soup stock,paste) I need to avoid? Also,God forbid, but if I do accidentally eat something with shellfish in it, do they have anything like anti-allergic reaction medicine?(My reactions are usually mild, but I'd rather not take chances.)

One more thing: I'm also allergic to pennicilin and it's derivatives, so how would I go about getting a medic-alert tag in Japanese characters?

[Taro Toporific]

What are some common dishes with shellfish bases?

SEA PIZZA!

Look out for the dread Sea Pizza: canned tuna, canned corn, seaweed, vile purple mussels....

[Mulboyne]

Shellfish allergy is surprisingly common in Japan (unhelpfully, I've forgotten the translation) but the onus is firmly on you to avoid consumption. as, indeed, it still is in Europe where we are just getting up to speed on nut allergies.
Miso soup is on the menu so often (breakfast lunch and dinner) that people will generally forget about it when you ask what has shellfish in it. Although there are some non-shellfish miso soups, you might be better off avoiding it altogether.

[Taro Toporific]

Shellfish allergy is surprisingly common in Japan (unhelpfully, I've forgotten the translation) but the onus is firmly on you to avoid consumption...

There's an interesting speculation on how the hell could shellfish allergies are starting to become common in Japan (non-existent in the pre-WWII days). One theory is the fast-food industry is very dependent on using iodine as a food disinfectant. For example one Big Mac has 1,200 times the daily requirement of iodine since the meat-handling processes use very dilute iodine to prevent nasty e-coli, food poisoning, etc.

Now for 98% of people, this excess iodine is just pissed out and the added food safety of iodine-disinfected food save thousands of lives every year. In your case you have to be care of 7-11 bento and the like because the possiblity of food disinfectants used might include iodine.

Finally, atropine or adrenaline shots for people going into allergy shock are available everywhere, but miscommunication is gonna be a problem for you. Save yourself the entire problem and just carry an carry an "Epi-pen", autoinjector.

---Taro, the ex-EMT

[Big Booger]

[Kaibutsu]

Shellfish allergy is surprisingly common in Japan (unhelpfully, I've forgotten the translation) but the onus is firmly on you to avoid consumption...

There's an interesting speculation on how the hell could shellfish allergies are starting to become common in Japan (non-existent in the pre-WWII days). One theory is the fast-food industry is very dependent on using iodine as a food disinfectant. For example one Big Mac has 1,200 times the daily requirement of iodine since the meat-handling processes use very dilute iodine to prevent nasty e-coli, food poisoning, etc.

Now for 98% of people, this excess iodine is just pissed out and the added food safety of iodine-disinfected food save thousands of lives every year. In your case you have to be care of 7-11 bento and the like because the possiblity of food disinfectants used might include iodine.

Finally, atropine or adrenaline shots for people going into allergy shock are available everywhere, but miscommunication is gonna be a problem for you. Save yourself the entire problem and just carry an carry an "Epi-pen", autoinjector.

---Taro, the ex-EMT

Thanks for the help guys. Hmmm, maybe I need to cut down on the McDonald's food as well, after reading how much iodine a Big Mac has.

[Jushin-Thunder-Liger]

I could only imagine that being a Gaijin in Japan, who maybe does not speako de lingo to well, would be 1 long trip to the bathroom.
Must be a real pain