How horrible for you. I'm sure this is not fun at all. Best news that I can offer is that you will probably have more options in Japan than anywhere else I can think of.

That's primarily because a huge source of food for tourists in Japan is from department stores. Virtually every department store in the cities has a food hall in the basement, and in these food halls you'll find a wealth of prepared foods, groceries, snacks, and most anything else you can imagine. Plus, I am sure that the Hyatts will try to provide whatever you need.

Do keep in mind, though, that vegetables might have the same names in the US and Japan, but those vegetables might be slightly different. I believe that Japanese sweet potatoes, for example, are much stickier than those found here.

That said, I do wish you the best in finding a solution. I was in a similar situation a few years ago -- I'll spare you the details, but would up returning home (I was on safari in Kenya at the time) when it became too difficult to continue. I am in no way trying to compare what I had to your current ills or trying to diagnose your ills, but I eventually learned that I had some nasty bacterial infection, and a sourse of antibiotics cleared up the problem within a few days. The suggestion of the antibiotics came from the 3rd Dr that I saw. Wish it had been one of the first two, whom I'd seen before the trip.

Good luck.

Don,
Thank you for the encouraging words and advice. Sorry, to hear you've been in the same boat or at least a similar vessel on a prior trip..

I'm hoping I don't have to resort to buying a microwave in Tokyo to cook my own soup but it's good to know that groceries are widely available in the department stores.

I didn't plan to shop on this trip but I might have to!

I would think an international chain like the Hyatt can be very helpful to you. I would email the concierge a week or so ahead of your arrival and explain exactly what you think you will need and politely ask if there is any way they can accomodate you perhaps with special meals.

yaki-imo (roasted sweet potato)one of my favorite things to eat from a basement depato. Okinawan sweet potatoes(purple) are even better(sweeter).
The Hyatt in Shinjuku should have a microwave you can use(rent)in your room as should the PH. Take food with you to Hakone as you will be in an isolated situation there with not much to choose from when at the hotel.
You will be in a strange and different country but luckily not a third world situation so you will be able to fine the food you need just as you do at home with the difficult part being the cooking of it. You can either take your microwave containers to cook or stop off at the Tokyu Hands store east side of the JR Shinjuku Station to buy some cheap alternatives. The Tokyu Hands should be on your to do list anyway if you are a shopper. Good luck!

http://shinjuku.tokyu-hands.co.jp/en/index.html

Aloha!

yaki-imo (roasted sweet potato)one of my favorite things to eat from a basement depato. Okinawan sweet potatoes(purple) are even better(sweeter).
The Hyatt in Shinjuku should have a microwave you can use(rent)in your room as should the PH. Take food with you to Hakone as you will be in an isolated situation there with not much to choose from when at the hotel.
You will be in a strange and different country but luckily not a third world situation so you will be able to fine the food you need just as you do at home with the difficult part being the cooking of it. You can either take your microwave containers to cook or stop off at the Tokyu Hands store east side of the JR Shinjuku Station to buy some cheap alternatives. The Tokyu Hands should be on your to do list anyway if you are a shopper. Good luck!

http://shinjuku.tokyu-hands.co.jp/en/index.html

Aloha!

Good suggestions from ht re: Hakone.

I'd also suggest that you see if you can tolerate Miso soup. If so, it will help a lot as you can get miso soup **everywhere** (often, whether you want it or not).

HT and laurie-ann,
Thanks for the advice re the Hyatt and the depato. I will ask about a microwave for the room.

Don, I've never been a fan of miso; I've tasted better dishwater! It's definitely a no go though as I've been told to stay clear of onions and anything fermented (soy sauce, etc).

It's frustrating as I can't eat something as simple and readily available as yogurt (as it's fermented).

I forgot to mention I can tolerate a little milk and vanilla icecream but less than 1 cup per day of dairy is recommended.

Noodles? ramen, udon. soba
Grilled fish?

Sashimi? No vinegar or hidden wasabi like in sushi.

What about congee? I know it's Chinese, but I would guess you could order Chicken congee in Japan and get it. It's a chicken and rice soup, and is what the hotel manager sent to Cheryl when she was sick with food poisoning.

I was recently in Japan and had noticed that several grocery stores have sweet potatoes cooking/baking on some sort of a grill. They are ready to eat---already cooked and even warm!

There was a variety of cheese available.

I enjoy cheese for snacking so I actually carried a few small packages and stored them in the small refrigerator in the hotel. They came in handy everyday with some crackers or bread. Not sure if you are able to eat crackers and bread.

In addition, many grocery stores also sell a wide variety of soups ---Campbells, Knorr's etc. So if there is one you like and are able to eat, you can buy there.

Lastly, I have sometimes used a teacup that is often in the hotel room to warm up some canned soup when I am a little sick. Soup is a life saver sometimes. Have you tried using some chicken broth mixed with some cooked rice. I know it may sound terrible, but sometimes such simple, dull food item is required by an ailing stomach. Chicken broth made from those little cubes can be handy too if you like the taste.

Some hotels rent microwaves and if you are able to get one, you can easily cook an egg too!

Good luck. Do share your experience with us on your return.

Thanks for the further suggestions.
I must admit I'm a little leery of eating prepared foods.
I have eaten out just once since I fell ill and although I was very specific about my needs (plain grilled white fish, no seasoning with a baked potato with a little cheese or butter) I was actually served the fish on a bed of cooked greens. Maybe it was to make the dish look more attractive but something aggravated my stomach that night and I suspect the greens were cooked with a little garlic.

I can't eat bread, pasta or crackers and I'm not sure about rice. I'll give it another try!
I've not tried congee but recipes I've read include ginger.. or green onion.
Tinned soups are out. They all seem to contain some thickening agents, onion, spices or herbs.

I can easily survive on baked potatoes for lunch every day with a little cheese and if I can find someplace that cooks plain white fish or chicken..steamed, grilled or baked and make my own scrambled egg and boiled carrots in a microwave then I'll be all set.
I'm actually eating very little so maybe my lack of energy will set me back more on this trip than my diet restrictions.

I'm really hoping this would be the worst case scenario as I should see some improvement within 3 -4 weeks and my trip is 6 weeks away. No guarantees though as I've been told stomachs heal slowly and everyone is unique.

I'll contact the hotels a week or so beforehand and see what accommodations they can make for my diet.

Thanks again and I will let you know what happens..

How about renting an apartment? My friends just spent time in a VRBO in Tokyo and loved having a flat in a "neighborhood." Then you would only have to worry about a few nights in hotels.

Here's a video my friends made about their neighborhood - part of a series of short films about their year traveling around the world. You'll see a modern supermarket, which are all over Tokyo, and would have all your ingredients.

http://www.ayeartothink.com/2012/10/tokyo-morning-coffee-run/

They also rented an amazing place in Kyoto.

crosscheck, while I now think an apartment would be ideal for this trip we booked the hotels months ago and some nights were prepaid (good rate).

I do think I'll be able to cope; after all my dietary requirements are pretty basic items needing no elaborate cooking techniques. Access to a microwave would allay any doubts I have.

You'll be fine then - You should be able to get plain chicken and fish everywhere and standards of cleanliness are impeccable. Just have someone write your restrictions (no spices, etc.) on a business card that you can hand to the servers. Good luck!

Sassy cat--just wondering if you have asked airlines to help you with your meals in the plane.
Or would you be able to carry baked potato, carrot etc. that can be heated by the FA.
You are brave to plan a long-distance trip. But the nice thing is Japan is a very clean country and the people are wonderful and helpful.
So, I think you will be okay since you are doing so many planning ahead of your trip.
Good luck

crosscheck, I will definitely make sure my food restrictions are clear. One bad experience was enough for me!
I enjoyed the short video on your friend's blog.

ileen, the trip to Japan was booked and planned before I fell sick and having already cancelled one vacation (I should be in Hawaii right now) I'm determined to go.

I think I'll be fine on the plane. I can take all I need on board. It wouldn't be the end of the world if I have to eat cold scrambled egg or potato!

You can cook something from home package it and I am sure the FA will warm it for you. They often warm up food for babies, so I am sure they will be helpful.
Try to tell a FA before the service begins and you should get some help.
Are you able to eat 1/2 banana!
Good luck

>> I'm not sure about rice. I'll give it another try!<<

Is there a Japanese restaurant in your area? Try it there.

mrwunrfl,

I think your suggestion to try rice prepared in a Japanese restaurant is a good one when I'm feeling a little braver.
There are a couple of Japanese restaurants nearby so I'll have to try both!

ileen, I'm not fond of bananas even when I'm healthy!

It's good that you're staying at a worldwide hotel brand. They will be able to help with your dietary requests. Since you are staying many nights at Hyatt properties, might I suggest the Hyatt credit card before you go? There are no foreign transaction fees and you would rack up a lot of points if you are dining in their restaurants too.

You can find any food you need in Tokyo, but definitely plan ahead for your trip to Hakone. It's a more rural area, but again, the Hyatt should be able to assist you.

You'll have a great time. Japan is wonderful. It's a great feeling to walk down a street at night and not worry about being mugged.

We're back and we loved Japan!

Still processing all the fabulous experiences along with some of the weird and difficult food hassles (literally!).

I now have a greater respect for people that have severe food allergies. One several occasions I was assured my food restrictions could be accommodated and that the food I ordered was 'safe' for me to eat only to find that the 'steamed' fish was fried in garlic! Or the plain chicken with no pepper or chilli was coated in black pepper!

To be honest sometimes the language difficulties were the main problem. That and the Japanese wish to avoid the word 'no'...

Still I survived and the worst food I had was at Boston Market on the way home from Logan (mashed potato with more black pepper than actual potato).

The 7-11 in the basement of the Hyatt Regency was a lifesaver. I pored over tubs of prepared salad noodle bowls, carefully scrutinising the ingredients and then took them back to my room and rinsed off any suspicious seasonings and removed any forbidden items.

All the waiters at the Hyatt Hakone were very helpful.
The breakfast buffet was amazing and I could pick out several foods to eat each day. I admit I was really tempted to cheat here and did so with mixed success. The walnut and fig bread was delicious; absolutely to die for and my stomach confirmed that I might die if I ate any more of it.
They also adapted a couple of things on the dinner menu to suit my needs.

The breakfast at the PH Tokyo at Girandole was also excellent and by the end of the trip I had added a few more items to my 'can eat with gay abandon' list including melon, noodles but still no rice.

Away from the comfort of the hotels I struggled more but the concierge at the Hyatt Regency researched 'baked potato' for me and found that they serve them at Wendys!!
So we combined a trip to the Meiji shrine with lunch at a near by Wendys.

I did try a sweet potato dessert. I think it was billed as 'cheesecake sweet potato' made from Kintoki sweet potato and served in the purple skin. It tasted like a slightly fibrous vanilla cheesecake, quite delicious but unfortunately my stomach rejected this offering violently.

Overall we had a fantastic time and my husband has already been invited back so we might try to join him again possibly in November. He visited Nagoya on this trip and will probably need to revisit the university.
Oh and we did see cherry blossom and even hanami in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. The later flowering varieties were in full bloom along with the azeleas.

Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful advice!

I'm so glad it went (pretty) well for you. Thanks for reporting back!

Thanks Kathie,
It did go better than I originally expected, partly because I was feeling much better by the time the trip came around and partly because I was reassured here that my diet could be catered for.

Also happy here that everything worked out for you and you had a good time.

How did you like Meiji Jingu? Where there any weddings being held the day you went? Did you stay at the Hyatt Regency in Tokyo and the Park Hyatt Tokyo? Isn't the onsen at the Hyatt Hakone wonderful? Hope you had time to give it a try. Love the Hakone area and are returning for a short visit this fall to show Bob and Karen a little of the sights.

Aloha!

Hope by the time you hit Nagoya in November you will be free of your dietary restrictions.

Glad to read you had a fabulous time and managed your dietary restrictions well. You are probably now encouraged to travel more!
Did you take your knitting project? How did that go--any problems with the knitting needles?
Curious to know how was souvenir shopping? Did you find some really unique and exciting items. I love shopping in Japan as everything is so beautiful and often so delicate. Above all, their gift packaging is just so charming.
Have a relaxing weekend.

HT, We really enjoyed our visit to Meiji Jingu.
We went on a sunny weekday around lunchtime and there weren't any weddings but many small groups of school students were visiting. At first we thought they were from the same school but on closer inspection we realised the very similar uniforms had subtle differences. All were in dark colours and the girls all had 'sailor bows' according to my daughter. The bows varied in design, colour and size.
The hand washing before prayer was fascinating to watch.
The big trees either side of the shrine were being trimmed. Ah, so that's how they maintain their perfect symmetry!

We also visited Sensoji on a weekend and it was very busy. Throngs of worshippers and tourists milled around. We saw some pretty girls dressed in kimono wafting the incense fumes onto their clothes for good luck and others rubbing parts of a buddha statue to ease their pain.

Yes we stayed 5 nights at the Hyatt Regency, 2 nights in Hakone and then 1 night at the Park Hyatt then our last 2 nights were at the Sheraton @ Disneyland.
There was a wedding at the Hyatt Regency while we were there and we saw many immaculately dressed guests arriving but we left before the bride and groom arrived. We also saw a bride and groom having photos taken at the Sheraton.

I had very little energy most of the time so in Hakone we more or less hung out in our rooms and relaxed. We walked around the beautiful garden in Gora one morning but the hillside setting wore me out! Luckily there were many benches to rest on.

ileen, Shopping was also very limited as I was only able to walk around for maybe 2 hours or so each day and I really wanted to sightsee but I did bring back some lovely stationary, envelopes, notepads, writing pads, folders and some matching pretty seals.

I did take some frozen soup on the plane with me and was told they didn't have a microwave to heat it. I think they might have been able to help as I later saw a flight attendant eating some hot food that she'd heated in a foil container. Perhaps my plastic pot was the problem!
Oh and I was in business class so I'd hoped for a little more help.
Anyway I forgot about the soup and found it on arrival at the Hyatt Regency!
They didn't have a microwave for the room but sent someone up to pick up the soup, heated it and returned it to the room within 15 mins. We weren't even charged for this service.

Greetings sassy_cat, I am relieved to hear you managed your food problems, especially your luck at finding baked potatoes as I confess in our own ramblings, we never came across potatoes except at McD where of course they were fried. Elsewhere we found rice and pasta a plenty, but potatoes, less so.

I hope the cause of your malaise is soon rooted out and cured, as it sounds really dreary to be kidnapped by one's stomach, as it were.