We recently visited Fuji-Q Highland while on our very first trip to Japan. Luckily when we visited the weather was absolutely perfect (albeit cold!) so we had stunning views of Mount Fuji the whole time we were there.

I was a little nervous ahead of our trip as Japan is known for it’s lack of coeliac safe food generally, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect inside the park.

Before we went out to Japan I did as much research as possible so I knew how to read packaging to check for gluten (this was trickier than in the UK!) and was clued up on how to navigate the trip as a coeliac.

I’m hoping this post will give you an insight into how I found Fuji-Q Highland as someone with coeliac disease and reassure you that it’s possible to survive the trip without completely starving!

Highland Resort Hotel & Spa

We stayed at Highland Resort Hotel & Spa which is just outside the park entrance, so we were really well located. We even had a room with a view of the park which was super cool. The room was stunning and had everything we needed, including aluminium bottles of Fuji water!

We actually sent our cases on to our next location without us so we stayed here for one night with just a rucksack each, but the hotel was so well stocked and set up it was no bother at all.

Originally we had booked to stay in a small house not far from the park as I was aware there weren’t many restaurants in the area that offered gluten free options so wanted the kitchen facilities to be able to cook dinner, but I’m so glad we changed our booking to here. We had access to a microwave in the hotel and kettle in the room which meant we had options to make food at the hotel if needed, and the convenience of being right next to the park was great.

Breakfast buffet

Our stay included breakfast at the Fujjyama Terrace, which was an incredible setting for breakfast with a beautiful view of Mount Fuji. Breakfast was buffet-style but there was loads of variety and everything looked great quality.

Obviously being a buffet I was a little careful with what I chose, but I had some fruit and yogurt followed by salmon and rice. All the items on the buffet were clearly marked with all allergen information so it felt safe enough for me personally.

I found generally there didn’t seem to be cross-contamination red flags with people using the wrong serving utensils for buffet items, it seemed like everyone made sure to use the correct utensils, but of course there’s no way to know for sure!

A side note on the buffet situation: Usually I would avoid buffets and ask for fresh items from the kitchen, but having gotten used to the way things were working for me in Japan I was confident in making my own selection from the buffet. In places not specifically offering gluten free options I found it difficult to clarify details on cross-contamination without getting a default response that the food is not safe for me (even though sometimes this felt like a misunderstanding). So I started to make decisions on what to avoid myself. Most of the time on our trip we ate at places that I had researched and knew were coeliac safe, but being at the parks meant sometimes there were no 100% safe places available!

Evening meal

Since there was nothing substantial in the park that I could find to eat (more on this later!) we decided to pick up some bits from the 7-Eleven located literally opposite the park entrance. I had also brought some instant gluten free pasta meals from home, which I made for dinner using boiling water. So dinner consisted of some snacks and my pasta meal from back home!

I didn’t look too much into the hotel restaurant offerings as generally in Japan I found if there weren’t any gluten free options obviously available, it was probably going to be difficult to eat there. But who knows, the hotel may be able to cater for coeliacs if you’re looking for a larger meal.

Fuji-Q Highland

In the park itself I struggled to find gluten free options. I used the 7-Eleven just outside the park to stock up on my usual safe snacks like Soyjoy bars and Calbee crisps. They of course also had the usual Onigiri as well.

In the vending machines I found a few drinks I liked, but I found it hard to see the ingredients before buying a drink so it was a bit of a gamble sometimes trying a new one. Special mention to Kirin Lemon which was our absolute favourite drink and was available at some of the vending machines on park - you had to hunt for them!

Starbucks

Near the park entrance was a Starbucks which obviously served the standard Japanese Starbucks menu. I had an iced matcha drink in there and it was nice to have the option to grab something familiar.

It was definitely a strange sight seeing a Starbucks, in a theme park, with Mount Fuji in the background!

Mos Burger

This was a disappointing one! I had my hopes on being able to rely on grabbing a ‘low allergen’ burger from Mos Burger in the park, but when we got there we realised they were offering a reduced menu which didn’t include the low allergen items. Gutted!

In all honesty the low allergen burger was not super appetising anyway (I tried it elsewhere in Japan) but it’s always nice to know there’s a safe meal option. They heat up the low allergen burgers in their packaging so there’s no risk of cross-contamination either. A shame they weren’t on offer at Fuji-Q Highland!

They did have signage detailing allergen information for all items on the menu, just no gluten free meal options disappointingly.

Candy Apple

There are lots of little food outlets and stands throughout the park. I was keeping an eye out for signs and options that might potentially be gluten free. I asked a few places if their fries were gluten free (including the place that sells those super long potato curls) but no joy finding anything safe. Lots of stands used shared fryers, I imagine as there isn’t much room!

The only stand I tried that had gluten free options was Candy Apple! They sell, surprise surprise, candy apples, in a variety of different flavours. I believe this is a chain as we saw other Candy Apple stores across Japan.

I showed my gluten free Japanese allergy card to the person on the stand and they confirmed that all the flavours were safe, so I didn’t have concerns about cross-contamination. I chose the cinnamon sugar chopped apple pieces which were delicious. So great to be able to have a lovely snack in the park which made a change from my usual 7-Eleven options!

Overall, I’d say eating gluten free at Fuji-Q Highland is very similar to eating gluten free in Japan generally - no surprises there! If you do your research and get clued up about how to check packaging and ask the right questions you will do better than going in unprepared.

There weren’t many option I managed to find while in the park, but I knew it would be a struggle going in so was able to get prepared with snacks and bringing back up meal options from home.

I remember reading that the restaurant in the Thomas the Tank Engine area offered gluten free options for children, but didn’t check that out as the information suggested adult meals were not on the cards. So potentially for children there may be some more substantial options there.

If you’re planning a visit to Fuji-Q Highland I’d recommend doing as much research as possible before heading out there. Keep in mind that gluten free options are few and far between so you’ll have to work a little harder than normal to find safe meals and snacks. Perfect having a 7-Eleven right outside the park as back up in case you get stuck.

I wouldn’t let it put you off though - our trip to Japan was incredible despite the research and effort I had to put in to be able to eat safely while out there. We enjoyed our time at Fuji-Q but enjoyed the views of Mount Fuji even more. It’s well worth it!

- Zoe

Eating gluten free at Fuji-Q Highland, Japan