Salt and Sodium Intake Calculator (Japanese Foods) — Add up the salt in soy sauce, miso, sauces and instant foods against daily targets
Total the salt from soy sauce, miso, mentsuyu, sauces, dashi granules, instant miso soup, cup noodles and other Japanese staples, and compare it with the Japanese targets (under 7.5 g men, 6.5 g women) and the WHO limit of 5 g. See how salty a Japanese diet really is.
Pick the seasonings you used and enter the amounts to see your salt total against the daily targets.
Before you rely on thisSalt figures are estimates based on typical values for each seasoning or food. Brands differ, and so do serving sizes. This is not medical or dietary advice. If a doctor has given you a salt limit for high blood pressure or a heart or kidney condition, follow that. Do not cut salt drastically on your own; talk to a doctor or registered dietitian.
Salt Intake Calculator: tips and things to know
- Japanese adults average about 10 g of salt a day, well above the national targets, largely because of soy sauce, miso and pickles.
- Dipping instead of pouring soy sauce cuts the salt by 30 to 50 percent.
- A bowl of miso soup with more vegetables means less broth and less salt.
- Leaving the soup of instant ramen cuts its salt by about 40 percent.
How to use the Salt Intake Calculator
Choose seasonings
Pick the seasonings and foods you used. Press "Add" for more rows.
Enter amounts
Type the quantity in teaspoons, tablespoons or pieces as shown.
Read the result
The total salt appears with bars comparing it to the Japanese and WHO daily targets.
Daily salt targets in Japan
Japan's Dietary Reference Intakes (2025 edition) set a target of under 7.5 g of salt a day for men and under 6.5 g for women. The World Health Organization recommends under 5 g.
The 2023 National Health and Nutrition Survey found actual intake averaging 10.7 g for men and 9.1 g for women, about 3 g above target.
For people with high blood pressure, the Japanese Society of Hypertension guideline recommends under 6 g a day.
Where the salt in Japanese food comes from
Japanese cooking uses little table salt but a lot of salty seasonings: soy sauce, miso, mentsuyu noodle broth, sauces and dashi granules. Many newcomers underestimate them because the food does not taste especially salty.
Typical amounts of salt in common seasonings:
- Soy sauce (koikuchi), 1 teaspoon: about 0.9 g
- Miso, 1 tablespoon: about 2.2 g
- Mentsuyu (3× concentrate), 1 tablespoon: about 1.4 g
- Consommé cube, 1 cube: about 2.5 g
- Instant miso soup, 1 serving: about 2.0 g
- Cup noodles, 1 cup including the soup: about 5.5 g
Cutting salt without cutting flavour
Reducing salt in Japanese food is mostly a matter of technique rather than giving things up.
- Dip sushi and sashimi in soy sauce instead of pouring it over.
- Leave the broth of ramen, udon and soba. With cup noodles this alone makes a big difference.
- Load miso soup with vegetables so there is less liquid per bowl.
- Use dashi, vinegar, citrus (yuzu, sudachi, lemon), spices and aromatics such as ginger and shiso for flavour.
- Watch processed foods such as pickles (tsukemono), fish cakes (kamaboko, chikuwa), ham and umeboshi.
What too much salt does
A high salt intake over years raises blood pressure, and high blood pressure in turn raises the risk of stroke, heart disease and kidney disease.
Sensitivity varies between people, so do not judge from this tool alone; look at it together with your health-check results and a doctor's advice.
Salt can also run short, for instance after heavy sweating in a Japanese summer. Less is not always better.
Sources
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2025) (日本人の食事摂取基準)
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, National Health and Nutrition Survey 2023 (国民健康・栄養調査)
- Japanese Society of Hypertension, Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension 2019
- World Health Organization, guideline on sodium intake
Salt Intake Calculator FAQ
How much salt should I eat per day?
Japan's targets are under 7.5 g for men and under 6.5 g for women. The WHO recommends under 5 g.
What happens if I eat too much salt?
It raises blood pressure, which increases the risk of stroke, heart disease and kidney disease. Japanese adults average about 10 g a day, above the targets.
Does the tool include salt already in foods?
No. It counts seasonings and the listed processed foods only. Bread, ham, cheese and similar foods add more, so real intake is higher than the total shown.