{"id":1276,"date":"2026-10-19T12:44:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T03:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/halalgourmet.jp\/blog\/?p=1276"},"modified":"2026-10-19T12:44:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T03:44:06","slug":"japanese-note-to-show-restaurant-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/halalgourmet.jp\/blog\/en\/2026\/10\/19\/japanese-note-to-show-restaurant-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"A Note in Japanese to Show Restaurant Staff: Pork, Alcohol and Seasonings"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A handwritten menu at an izakaya. Photo: Ryohei Noda from Tokyo, Japan \/ CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At restaurants in Japan, the menu does not always say whether a dish contains pork or alcohol. And when you try to ask, the staff may not speak English.<\/p>\n

This article gives you a short note in Japanese that tells restaurant staff you are Muslim and cannot eat pork or drink alcohol, and asks them to watch out for alcohol in seasonings too. Open this page on your phone and show it to the staff, or save the note as a screenshot so you can show it before you order.<\/p>\n

The note to show restaurant staff<\/h2>\n

\u3010\u304a\u5e97\u306e\u65b9\u3078\u3011
\u79c1\u306f\u30e0\u30b9\u30ea\u30e0\uff08\u30a4\u30b9\u30e9\u30e0\u6559\u5f92\uff09\u3067\u3059\u3002
\u5b97\u6559\u4e0a\u306e\u7406\u7531\u3067\u3001\u8c5a\u8089\u3068\u3001\u8c5a\u7531\u6765\u306e\u3082\u306e\uff08\u30e9\u30fc\u30c9\u3001\u8c5a\u9aa8\u30b9\u30fc\u30d7\u3001\u30cf\u30e0\u3001\u30d9\u30fc\u30b3\u30f3\u306a\u3069\uff09\u3092\u98df\u3079\u308b\u3053\u3068\u304c\u3067\u304d\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3002
\u304a\u9152\u3082\u98f2\u3080\u3053\u3068\u304c\u3067\u304d\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3002
\u3082\u3057\u53ef\u80fd\u3067\u3057\u305f\u3089\u3001\u30a2\u30eb\u30b3\u30fc\u30eb\u304c\u6dfb\u52a0\u3055\u308c\u305f\u91a4\u6cb9\u3084\u3001\u307f\u308a\u3093\u3001\u6599\u7406\u9152\u306a\u3069\u306e\u8abf\u5473\u6599\u3092\u4f7f\u308f\u305a\u306b\u304a\u4f5c\u308a\u3044\u305f\u3060\u3051\u306a\u3044\u3067\u3057\u3087\u3046\u304b\u3002
\u5bfe\u5fdc\u304c\u96e3\u3057\u3044\u5834\u5408\u306f\u3001\u9060\u616e\u306a\u304f\u304a\u77e5\u3089\u305b\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044\u3002
\u3069\u3046\u305e\u3088\u308d\u3057\u304f\u304a\u9858\u3044\u3044\u305f\u3057\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What the note says<\/h3>\n

To the restaurant staff:
I am Muslim.
For religious reasons, I cannot eat pork or anything derived from pork (such as lard, pork bone broth, ham or bacon).
I also cannot drink alcohol.
If possible, could you please prepare my food without seasonings such as soy sauce with added alcohol, mirin and cooking sake?
If this is difficult, please feel free to tell me.
Thank you very much.<\/p>\n

What the note covers<\/h2>\n

Pork is not always served as a piece of meat. It can also go into a dish as lard, pork bone broth, ham or bacon. Even if you have not ordered a pork dish, it may be in the soup or the cooking oil, so the note gives examples to make this clear to the staff. For where pork tends to turn up in ramen, see our guide to where pork and alcohol can hide in ramen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The line about seasonings is especially important for Japanese food. Some soy sauces have alcohol added as an ingredient. Mirin and cooking sake are also common in Japanese cooking. For the types of mirin and how Japan’s Liquor Tax Act treats them, see our guide to what to check before you order<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not every restaurant can change all of its seasonings, so the note asks “if possible.” If the staff say it is difficult, you can choose another dish or look for another restaurant.<\/p>\n

Understanding the staff’s answer<\/h2>\n

When you show the note, the staff may answer in Japanese. Here are three replies you might hear.<\/p>\n