Japan is not the easiest place to be a celiac. Gluten-free “fad” hasn’t quite caught on yet, and most products are too modest to claim themselves gluten-free even when they are.
I had a hard time figuring out what I could and couldn’t eat when I moved here from the States in 2014. I almost fainted a couple times during my outings because I was out of energy but simply didn’t know what to get. Oh, good ol’ days.
If you are a seasoned pro at being a celiac, you probably have a stash of safe snacks or energy bars to munch on while on the go. Well, if you ever run of it in Japan, don’t worry, I have just the thing for you.
These bars are called Soyjoy. You might have seen them back at home as they are sold overseas, but if you’ve never, now is your chance to know this awesome goodie.
What’s great about them is that they are tested and proven gluten-free; it just doesn’t say so on the package, but it is declared on their official website. And you can almost always find them at any convenience store, drug store, or supermarket, so you can get a quick energy boost when you are low.
Flavors come and go, and they discontinued some of my favorite flavors recently, but the remaining kinds are still very good. Depending on where you buy them, the price ranges from around 90~130 yen each, and they keep long time, so I usually have a dozen at home as my emergency ration.
Soyjoy saved my day on so many occasions, like when the airline didn’t serve any gluten-free meal on my 9-hour flight to Hawaii, or when I visited Odaiba and they didn’t have ANY gluten-free option in the building we were in.
So why should you get these Soyjoy bars?
- They are gluten-free
- They are sold pretty much everywhere
- They are affordable
- They come in many flavors and are oh so delicious!
I know these are not the most fanciest snacks by any means, but they are great to keep one or two in your bag.
