Looking for a place to buy gluten-free bread in Japan? There are no Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods here but there are definitely grocery stores that carry wheat free bread.
I’m listing the shops that I’ve found to carry gluten-free bread in-store, as well as some great online options. Just make sure that when you buy komeko pan (rice bread) at the store, that it’s not bread with rice flour in it; it needs to be made entirely of rice flour, otherwise it will be heavily glutened.
Contents
Gluten-free bread available at Seijoishii
Official Website: seijoishii.com
Seijoishii’s selections are very unique, with a great number of imported items you rarely find at other grocery stores. They mainly operate in the Kanto area, and their stores are usually located near stations, so you should be able to access them easily if you are in the metro area.
Below is the list of some of the gluten-free bread I know my local Seijoishii always carry in the store. Available selections vary by store, so you should check with the staff if you can’t find what you are looking for.
- タイナイの玄米パン (Brown rice gluten free bread by Tainai)
- タイナイのコシヒカリパン (White rice gluten free bread by Tainai)
- マイセンの玄米ミニパン (Brown rice gluten free mini bread by Maisen)
- マイセンの美味しい丸パンシリーズ (White rice gluten free round bread by Maisen)
Prices usually range from 300 yen to 600 yen, and most of them, if not all, are toast only. They make great pizza toast, so I usually grab a bag every few weeks.
Gluten-free bread at a convenience store?
Official Site: Natural Lawson
Japanese groceries are notorious for being flavored with MSG and artificial preservatives. Most items you see at a convenience store are far from being organic and healthy, but there is one chain store that goes against this major tide.
Natural Lawson is run by Lawson, one of the most popular convenience store chains in Japan. They are the only convenience store that carry gluten-free bread as far as I know. Like Seijoishii, their selections vary by store, so you may come out empty-handed, by it’s still great to know that they are health-conscious and gluten-free friendly.
Other grocery chains that might carry gluten-free bread
Other places that claim to carry gluten-free bread are Daiei, Peacock, and Aeon. Unfortunately, none of these stores are near my place so the information is unconfirmed, but it might be worth checking out if they are near you.
Buying gluten free bread online
I am not a huge fan of buying bread online because of their steep prices and shipping fees. Bread is something you should be able to eat casually, and shouldn’t cost a fortune to indulge. Because of that, the only time I’ve allowed myself to purchase gluten-free bread on the internet is through a furusato nozei, a tax saving program endorsed by the government. Using this program, I’ve met the gluten-free bread of my dreams. I love the bread so much, I’ve donated to their cause (which is what furusato nozei is, a donation to the municipality and you receive a gift in return) a total of three times in just one year.
I’m planning to make multiple donations to them again this year to enjoy their heavenly rice flour bread, so If you are wondering which municipality to make furusato nozei donations to, you should consider getting gluten free bread! By the way, I’ve come to realize that Rakuten is the easiest and best option for furusato nozei, as you get rakuten points so I highly recommend.
