Celiac Disease and Eating Out

ANSWER

Soy sauce is the ingredient most visitors are warned about for wheat avoidance, and it's a fair warning — standard Japanese soy sauce does contain wheat — but it's far from the only obstacle, and arguably not even the biggest one in practice. Udon noodles are made from wheat flour outright, tempura batter is wheat-based, and the crispy coating on karaage (Japanese fried chicken) is typically wheat flour or a wheat-cornstarch blend, none of which is optional or substitutable in a normal kitchen. Restaurants with a dedicated gluten-free fryer, to avoid cross-contamination from wheat-coated food cooked in the same oil, are rare rather than standard, so even a dish that sounds wheat-free on paper can pick up wheat through shared frying oil. The most reliable path for celiac travelers is seeking out restaurants that explicitly advertise gluten-free preparation, rather than assuming a dish is safe just because wheat isn't a listed ingredient.