Want to travel outside of your comfort zone? So many times Chase’s peanut allergy has side lined us from adventuring to the other side of the world (literally!) But not this year.
Japan is one of the best travel destinations in Asia for someone traveling with a peanut allergy. Many other countries, including China, Thailand and Vietnam are known for traditional dishes containing peanuts, making us a bit uneasy to attempt a week long stay. As such, we headed for: Japan.
Just a mere 12 hour and 30 minute flight from the East Coast of the United States (Yikes!) and you will find yourself immersed in one of the most unique cultures in the world. There are airlines which have non-stop flights from Newark and New York, but we opted for a layover in Honolulu. Our travels through Japan encompassed too many things for one post, so for now I want to share the most important things about traveling to and through Japan.
Getting to Tokyo from the Airport
Tokyo, Japan has two main airports: Narita and Haneda. Haneda used to be the main airport for Tokyo, however in 1978 switched to serving mainly domestic flights within Japan. In 2010, Haneda became a large international hub once again. We flew into Narita and out of Haneda on our trip to Beijing. Both airports are stunning, immaculately clean and very organized. We found Haneda a bit less crowded, though this may have been due to the time travelled.
When arriving in Tokyo, the one thing I failed to research was how to get to the hotel. We quickly realized how expensive taxi’s are! A thirty minute trip to the Sheraton Miyako Hotel Tokyo was going to cost us about $300 USD, and that was something we were not willing to shell out. So we opted for the train service to Nippori. There is also an airport shuttle bus, but it takes up to two hours to get to most Tokyo hotels.
Leaving the airport, there are multiple exits which take you down to the train station. The Keisei offers non-stop airport express service to Nippori Station, where there are plenty of connections to other subway lines.
The ticket counter is just to the left of the main entrances. Key Tip: We found most machines only take cash, so make sure to find a counter with a ticket agent if you want to use a credit card. The Keisei ‘Skyliner’ Line airport service takes approximately 40 minutes to reach Nippori Station. The train is reserved seating and comes about every 15 to 20 minutes.
Once at Nippori Station, you have the option to transfer to JR East Lines (Joban Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line, Yamanote Line), Keisei Electric Railway (Keisei Main Line) or the Toei Line (Nippori-Toneri Liner). More to come on the Tokyo subway in later posts!
The Food
Let’s all agree that food is probably my biggest fear when traveling outside of the US. However the service in Japan did not fall short of spectacular at every step of the way. There will not be a shortage of traditional food no matter where you travel in Japan, even when you have a food allergy!
In Asia, food allergies are not very common, but because of the increasing amount of tourists many hotels and restaurants are becoming more aware. That being said, we do not recommend eating food that you do not know what is in it. Always ask a server, the chef or a guide to make every effort to ensure food is safe. Cross contamination is always possible, just like within the United States.
We always carry allergy cards with us, and try our best to work with hotel concierge when making dining reservations at local eateries. We primarily stuck to seafood, knowing the low probability of cross contamination. We’ve narrowed down our top two sushi experiences below!
Kyoto – Sushi Naritaya
Sushi Naritaya was a “quick dine” traditional Sushi Bar located in the Arashiyama region in Kyoto. Located just a block off the main road, this little restaurant had a plethora of fresh rolls to select from, which were made to order! We enjoyed some Shrimp Nigiri and Salmon rolls for lunch on our last day in Kyoto.
Tokyo – Sushi Hattori
Sushi Hattori was our first dinner in Tokyo, and by far our best (and most expensive!) If you want an authentic Japanese experience, with stellar service, this is the place to go. For about $150 per person, you can enjoy about 12 pieces of handmade sushi coupled with traditional Japanese side dishes including fantastic Miso Soup! From the moment we entered into the restaurant, Ellie, our server provided superb service and peace of mind. She explained every piece of food to us and even had a sushi book explaining the different fish we were eating, this truly put our minds at ease.
Activities
Activities in Japan definitely do not fall short of expectations. Whether you want to explore UNESCO World Heritage sites, hike beautiful nature trails, shop for traditional sweets, or explore the theme parks your days will be packed from dawn to dusk. We’ve narrowed down our top three experiences below.
Iwatayama Monkey Park
Chase particularly enjoyed spending time hiking up to the Iwatayama Monkey Park in Kyoto. For just a few hundred yen you can take a twenty minute hike up to the park where the monkeys hang out. Heads up! This park serves peanuts to the monkeys, so make sure you carry hand sanitizer and watch out for monkeys throwing the shells. Surprisingly, this was our only encounter with actual peanuts on our entire trip.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
While I also enjoyed the monkey time, my favorite activity had to be exploring the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Be sure to get there early, as in 7AM to beat the crowds….this place is like Disney World by 8:30AM. This is a free activity to do in Kyoto, and an absolute must see. We spent a good part of the morning here taking photos as the sun was rising. There are actually a few ways to enter into the park, one is directly off the main road, the other is through the park and the third is through the Tenryu-ji Zen Temple and Sogenchi Garden.
Japanese Festivals
This is not an activity that everyone will have the chance to run into, but we stumbled upon a local Japanese festival (Matsuri) while visiting the Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo. The shear amount of excitement in the crowd was contagious. Make sure to look up local festivals before you travel, as they are an amazing cultural experience to take in.
The Bottom Line
No matter what you do in Japan you will have an amazing time. There is so much cultural history and natural beauty to keep one entertained for a century. Traveling with a peanut allergy to Japan is fairly safe with the following: allergy cards, google translate and good communication. We do not speak an ounce of Japanese but made sure to communicate it to our hotel concierge (who we used to book all dining reservations), the wait staff and the chef everywhere we went, multiple times. Japan is required by law to list out seven of the eight main allergens on packaging of food, which they do in red. And when in doubt, there is also no shortage of Starbucks, Seven Eleven, or Family Mart – many of which have traditional American favorites like Pringles, KitKats and Oreos; they also have fresh fruit.
~Always be conscious of what you are consuming, but don’t let your allergies stop you from having amazing experiences.
A&C