This is the one category where getting the words right genuinely matters. Japan’s allergen labelling law is strict, but it covers packaged food — a restaurant is not required to tell you what is in a dish, and small kitchens often cannot.

The word to learn is dashi. The stock made from bonito and kelp is in miso soup, simmered vegetables, tempura sauce, savoury custard and much else that looks vegetarian. Kombu dashi is the kelp-only version, and shoujin ryouri is the temple cuisine that contains no animal products at all.