Kosher food in Japan
How to keep kosher in Tokyo: two restaurants, an Israeli grocery, the supermarkets that stock hechshered products, and what to avoid.
Chana’s Place
Kosher meals for every weekday, and challah on Fridays. Order for pickup or through UberEats.
- Order
- Pickup or UberEats
- Challah
- Fridays
David’s Deli
A kosher restaurant a seven minute walk from the Chabad Center — the easy option for weekday meals during a stay in Tokyo.
- Distance
- 7 min walk from Chabad
- Order
- Online
Aretz — Israeli imports
Imported Israeli food and Judaica. Everyone who visits on Friday also receives a fresh challah from Chana’s Place.
- Open
- Fridays 11:00–15:00
- Other days
- Confirm with Chana on WhatsApp
How hard is it to keep kosher in Japan?
It takes some organisation, not heroics. Japan has some of the best fruit, vegetables and fish in the world, and a handful of supermarkets carry imported hechshered products. For a short visit, bring your favourite items from home — groceries here are expensive.
Where to buy imported kosher products
| Shop | Address | Phone | Hours | Delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Azabu | 4-5-2 Minami-Azabu — 2 min east of Hiro-o station, by Arisugawa park | 03-3442-3181 | 9:30–20:00 daily | Within about 20 minutes of the store |
| Nissin World Delicatessen | 2-34-2 Higashi-Azabu — 2 min from Azabu-juban station | 03-3583-4586 | 9:30–20:00 daily | Yes |
Both carry a range of imported goods — kosher frozen bagels, tortillas, bread and pita, chips, wine, tinned tuna, biscuits — at Tokyo prices.
Two things that catch people out
Names matter at the market
Japanese fish names do not map neatly onto English ones, and one non-kosher fish looks very much like tuna. Our list gives you the Japanese characters to show the fishmonger.
Open the fish listIt rarely means what you think
In Japan, noodles are almost always served in a broth (dashi) containing fish or meat, bread is often made with lard, and sushi rice frequently has non-kosher additives. Treat a vegetarian label as the start of the conversation, not the end of it.