How to Eat Low Carb – or Keto – in Japan

If you’re following a low-carb diet in Japan, you will be able to stick to things fairly easily. A stricter keto diet will be a bit more of a challenge – but it’s definitely not impossible. Here are our tips to keep your carb count down.

One obvious challenge of eating low-carb or keto in Japan is that most traditional Japanese meals are built around rice or noodles. Even set meals featuring grilled fish or meat almost always come with a bowl of rice and miso soup, both of which contain carbs.

But sugar also sneaks in where you might not expect it, particularly in sauces such as teriyaki, tonkatsu sauce, and even soy sauce blends, but, as you’ll see below, it can also come in some foods that at first glance look keto-friendly.

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The issue can also be compounded by the fact that you’ll likely be eating out for more meals than usual, and menus aren’t always in English, and exact ingredients aren’t always obvious, which makes more rigid, macro percentage-based keto plans very hard to stick to.

Things aren’t really helped by the fact that it’s not the done thing to ask for menu alterations in Japan, so you can’t just ask for things to be keto-adapted. So, eating out will take a little planning.

Even in stores, labelling might not be that easy to decipher, so sticking to a set amount of netcarbs can be tricky to calculate as quickly as you’re used to.

But none of that makes things impossible.

NB: Before anyone yells, I know low-carb and keto aren’t the same thing (in my old life, I actually wrote an entire keto book, and trust me, that plan would be impossible as a tourist in Japan, as you’d never reach the fat quota it needed).

7 Low-Carb and Keto-Friendly Foods to Enjoy in Japan

When planning where to go for dinner while trying to keep carbs down, these are the options you should beeline for.

1. Yakitori

Yakitori are skewers of meat – usually chicken, but you will often find beef and vegetables – cooked over charcoal. To keep things low-carb, avoid the sauce-topped versions, which often contain sweeteners like sugar or mirin, and ask for shio (salt).

Underneath the arches in Yarakucho in Tokyo is home to a whole load of yakitori joints. I also like Masuya Shiba Daimon in Daimon.

The chain Torikizuka is also good and cheap, and has an entire separate section of the menu for salt-grilled items if you want to spot them easily amid the sauce-topped skewers. They also publish their nutritional information if you want to deep dive into specific macros.

2. Yakiniku

This is Japanese barbecue, where you grill your own cuts of meat at the table. Most yakiniku restaurants offer a wide range of meats like beef (including wagyu), pork, and offal. Stick with plain cuts and season them yourself with salt or wasabi rather than dipping them into sauces.

You’ll find individual yakiniku restaurants all over Japan, but if you want to plan in advance, Yakiniku Gyukaku is the biggest chain, so look out for them near your hotel. You can check their menu here.

Yakiniku Like is worth knowing about, as they are also set up for solo diners. This shows the menu for the Asakusa branch to give you ideas.

3. Sashimi

Sashimi is simply slices of raw fish served without rice. It’s an ideal keto option – just make sure to go easy on the soy sauce if you’re concerned about added sugar. Light soy sauce is likely to have fewer carbs than darker versions.

Most sushi restaurants offer sashimi. If you’re looking for names you might see everywhere, at the budget end of the market, Uobei sushi has a better choice of sashimi than Kura, which sticks to a lower price point. Getting a little more expensive, Sushi Zanmai have good sashimi platters but also grilled fish and seafood like oysters.

You’ll also find good selections of sashimi in Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market and the restaurants that surround it, or the eateries at Toyosu Market. Kanazawa’s Onomichi Market is also a good spot.

4. Shabu Shabu

A hot-pot dish in which you swish thin slices of meat and vegetables through a pot of boiling water or broth. Skip any dipping sauces that include soy sauce blends, sesame sauce, or ponzu unless you’re sure they don’t contain added sugar. Focus on the protein and leafy greens, and season with salt and green onions.

Again, you’ll find independent shabu shabu restaurants all over, but the chains make finding one easy. Look for Mo Mo Paradise in Tokyo (they have a great website in English explaining how to eat shabu shabu) or another chain called Onyasai. Their website is in Japanese, but it clearly shows all the different meal options if you translate it.

5. Grilled Fish, Beef and Seafood

While all of these are likely to be found in high-end restaurants, the good news is that it’s not essential to break the bank to find them. You’ll often find grilled fish like mackerel, salmon, and horse mackerel at breakfast in Japan, and at lunch and dinner, it’s often the base of sets in chain restaurants – although you’ll have to navigate around the rice and watch out for sides like pickles or miso soup, which can contain added carbs.

You’ll also find skewers of beef, grilled fish, and cooked (or raw) seafood in markets like Tsukiji in Tokyo, Nishiki in Kyoto and Kuromon in Osaka. Beef skewers are also commonly found in areas renowned for their beef, like Takayama – you can snack your way around these without touching a carbohydrate!

One fun place to try a grilled fish dinner is the Zaou chain of fishing restaurants, where you can catch your own fish dinner! Their website explains how it works, how you can have the fish served once you’ve caught it and where to find their locations.

6. Konbini Dishes

Convenience stores (konbini) like 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart stock a surprising number of low-carb items. Look for hard-boiled eggs (often sold in packs of two), edamame, grilled chicken skewers (yakitori) in the hot food section, and even grilled chicken breasts in vacuum packs.

Salads come with dressings in pourable pots – though read the ingredients carefully, as they do like to sneak pasta at the bottom; don’t just assume the one with chicken on top is only meat and veggies! If you want to be super prepared, you can check the nutritional information for a range of fresh foods.

For Family Mart: To access the nutritional details, click the food category you are interested in, find the item, and then click on the line that says nutritional information.

And in case you’re wondering, Famichiki – the famous Fried Chicken from Family Mart – has 15g of carbs per serving for the boneless variety.

For 7-11: As with Family Mart, choose a food category. For some items, you’ll need to click individual products to check the macros, while others list all the items in that category with their nutritional information underneath, making it quicker to pick good options.

Sadly, the third big convenience store, Lawson, doesn’t seem to have a full list of products online to check in advance – but we have a solution for that in the tips below.

6. Kushi Katsu

This might not work for the very strict keto amongst you, as the items are breaded, but if you’re just cutting back on carbs, this selection of deep-fried goodies on a stick offers the chance for a meal without offending anyone by declining rice or noodles. You can also find salad side dishes in many places.

The Shinsekai area of Osaka is particularly known for Kushi Katsu. Elsewhere, look out for the chain Daruma with its giant angry chef logo. They serve a mixed menu of Kushi Katsu and yakitori that can help cut the carbs further.

Traditionally, kushi katsu is served with a thick brown dipping sauce – this does have sugar, so steer clear.

5 Lower-Carb Foods That Need Caution

There are a few dishes in Japan that might look like they fit a low-carb or keto diet, but watch out for a few things.

1. Tonkatsu

Tonkatsu is giant servings of breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet served with shredded cabbage. It’s not strictly keto because of the panko crumbs, but it works when you’re eating low-carb rather than strict keto, especially if you scrape off the coating. Avoid the sweet tonkatsu sauce it comes with, also ask for no rice or miso to keep the carbs down further.

You can also find beef versions, called Gyukatsu, which use fillets of wagyu instead of pork. Gyukatsu Motomoro is a good place to try this.

2. Karaage Chicken

Deep-fried pieces of chicken thigh fit the protein and fat remit, but they are battered, so you’ll need to allow for that. Watch out for the mayonnaise they are traditionally served with, as this can contain sugar.

The good thing about karaage is that it is often sold as a standalone item on the side menu, so it doesn’t come with rice as standard. You can easily combine it with something like a tomato salad.

3. Tamagoyaki (Japanese Omelette)

I was super shocked when I went on a food tour in Tsukiji Market and they took us to see this being made. The guide explained that every family has their own version of this omelette dish, but most of them contain sugar! Mind blown, I’d never have guessed looking at it. Handle with care if you’re on strict keto.

4. Sukiyaki

Another deceptive dish. This hotpot served with beef, tofu, and vegetables looks similar to shabu shabu, but the broth is different. It’s a sweet soy sauce broth, which contains sugar.

The way you eat sukiyaki means you don’t consume much broth, so it’s okay if you’re limiting starchy carbs, but it’s not the best pick for strict keto.

Mo-Mo Paradise is a good place to try sukiyaki.

5. Mos Burger Natsumi

Mos Burger is a local burger chain in Japan, and they offer a lettuce-wrapped burger that is likely to make a low-carb eater’s heart sing. However, if you’re on keto, watch out, as the fillings do have coatings that bump up the carbohydrate content.

You can find the exact numbers on the Mos Burger website, but if you’re in a rush, the Natsumi Teriyaki Chicken has the lowest overall carb content at just 7.7g per burger.

If you’re counting net carbs, head to the Natsumi section of the website to do the maths.

A Reminder of What to Watch Out For

X – Sauces: Many Japanese sauces —such as teriyaki, soy-blend sauces, ponzu, and sesame sauce—contain sugar, mirin (sweet rice wine), or other carb-heavy ingredients. When in doubt, skip them or use salt, wasabi, or mustard.

X– Toppings: Watch for unexpected sugar in things like mayonnaise, which is often squeezed on fried dishes. Even Furikake, the famous spice blend that people rave about, has traces of sugar in it – admittedly, you don’t use huge amounts of this, but just be aware.

X- Side Dishes: Sides you might be served with your meal, like pickles or miso soup, can include sugar. And remember to hold the rice – or you could end up with a plate of chicken that looks like the above!

X- Processed Foods: Grilled meats, seafood sticks and salads sold in convenience stores can have hidden sugars or starches. Always check ingredient labels.

Other Tips

The above tips will steer you toward the best low-carb, keto-friendly dishes in Japan, but the following tips can also help you stay on track.

Learn This Phrase

Gohan wa nashi de onegaishimasu – ご飯はなしでお願いします. It means, no rice please, and it will save you the embarrassment of having to leave a bowl of rice if you order set meals. Leaving food you’ve ordered is considered rude in Japan, so this is one adaptation that will be seen as polite.

Related Read: Eight Essential Phrases to Learn Before Your Trip

Consider a Hotel With a Kitchen

That way, you can control carbs tightly at some meals, which might give you a little more leeway at others. The Citadines Shinjuku is a great little apartment hotel that I’ve stayed at four times, as the price can be really good (for Shinjuku) – and it has a basic kitchen. Tokyu Stay is also worth looking at.

Citadines Namba in Osaka has a communal kitchen downstairs.

Many of the hotels in the Mimaru Chain also have cooking facilities in the room. The Kinshicho branch in Tokyo is very popular with members of my Facebook group.

Look for the Microwave

If hotels with a kitchen are a bit above your price range, look for business hotels with a microwave in the public areas – this can open up the bento box section of supermarkets and konbini a little further, though again, check for added sugar in the ingredients.

Visit Supermarkets

Convenience Stores are very tourist-friendly as they are on almost every corner! However, the range of fresh foods is likely to be higher in supermarkets – names to look out for on the map include Aeon and Seiyu – but Google Maps also marks smaller locations with a shopping trolley.

Depachika are also a good place to look for fresh dishes – although again be wary of sauces. These are the giant food halls you’ll find underneath department stores – if you head to these toward the end of the day, you might find many items reduced.

Download Payke

If you are shopping for food, Payke can quickly translate labels on branded processed foods, showing all the ingredients simply by scanning the barcode. Google Translate is your friend in other stores and saves you from having to try to learn kanji!

If you do want to know what to look for, though, carbohydrates will be marked on packaging as 炭水化物.

Related Read: 13 Apps You Need in Japan

Consider Chains and Family Restaurants

While they don’t specifically aim at low-carb eaters, you can usually fashion a dish from the side dishes on the menu – the meal above was from a Royal Host in Nagano and would fit a low-carb diet pretty well.

But the main reason I’m suggesting them is that they usually have clear nutritional labelling.

Find our guide to Japan’s chain restaurants here, and our list of the very handy family restaurants in Japan is here.

By planning ahead and learning how to spot the hidden carbs, it’s entirely possible to eat low-carb and a moderate version of keto while in Japan. My diet in Japan is about 80 per cent ramen, but looking back at my food pictures, I was amazed to see how many dishes that I’d eaten that could work with a low-carb plan like the fresh oysters from Tsukiji market, the fried white shrimp I tried in Toyama or the delicious grilled peppers and crispy chicken skin in Takamatsu, it just takes a little bit of knowledge and planning.

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