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Kosher card in Japanese

Print a card that states your kosher requirements in Japanese and, just as importantly, spells out the part Japanese kitchens do not expect.

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This tool only prints what you type. It gives no medical advice, makes no diagnosis and guarantees no translation of anything you write yourself.

What the card says

The Japanese side reads 宗教上の理由で、豚肉と、貝類・甲殻類・うなぎ・いかを食べません。 — "For religious reasons I do not eat pork, shellfish, crustaceans, eel or squid.". Beneath it comes the sentence that does the real work: 肉と乳製品を同じ食事で一緒に食べないようにしています。

The part that catches people out

I also avoid eating meat and dairy together in the same meal. Saying only the headline word is what produces a "vegetarian" dish simmered in bonito stock, so the card always prints the caveat with it.

Where to use it

Hand it over when you sit down rather than when the food arrives. Izakaya and set-menu restaurants often cannot change a dish once it is plated, but they can steer you to something else off the same menu if they know first. Ryokan dinners need more notice still — tell them when you book.

Printing and privacy

Ten wallet-size cards fit on one A4 sheet at 91 by 55 millimetres, with cut lines. Print at 100 percent scaling. Nothing you tick or type is uploaded — the PDF is assembled by JavaScript inside your own browser tab.

What this card is not

This page gives no medical advice: the generator prints exactly what you tick and nothing is checked, diagnosed or professionally translated on your behalf.

Frequently asked questions

Is kosher food easy to find in Japan?

It is far easier than a decade ago in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and still difficult in small towns and at ryokan set dinners. Convenience stores, shojin-ryori temple restaurants and the larger chains are the reliable fallbacks; a card makes the difference at everywhere else.

Why does the card print two sentences instead of one?

Because the headline word alone is routinely misread here. I also avoid eating meat and dairy together in the same meal.

Can I combine this with an allergy?

Yes. On the main dietary card page you can tick allergens and a diet together, and both sets of sentences go on the same card in a sensible order.

Does the site keep a copy of my card?

Nothing you tick or type is uploaded — the PDF is assembled by JavaScript inside your own browser tab.

Ready-made cards

Food allergy & diet cardShrimp / prawn allergyCrab allergyWalnut allergyWheat allergyBuckwheat (soba) allergyEgg allergyMilk and dairy allergyPeanut allergyAlmond allergyAbalone allergySquid allergySalmon roe (ikura) allergyOrange allergyCashew nut allergyKiwi fruit allergyBeef allergySesame allergySalmon allergyMackerel allergySoy allergyChicken allergyBanana allergyPork allergyMatsutake mushroom allergyPeach allergyJapanese yam allergyApple allergyGelatin allergyVegetarianVeganHalalGluten free

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