Hi everybody,
I am moving to Japan in August for what will probably be a period of 18 months in the Kansai region.
I have a few questions about allergies in Japan, as I have heard it is a very common problem and I already suffer from dust mites allergy.
My first question would be :
Are allergy medication (I use cetirizin in my case) available over the counter ? Do you have any advice to keep the expense low as my allergy (dust mites) requires me to take medication all year long ?
My second question is:
Luckily, I don’t suffer from pollen allergy (hay fever) yet… I have heard that it is frequent foreigners end up developing it after coming to Japan. Do you have information on that ?
Do you also know if, in the event I do end up developing a pollen allergy, I will also get these allergies back home (with different species of trees)
Thanks in advance for your answers !
6 comments
Claritin is now available in JPN. I used to take it in the US for my hay fever and it fits me well.
I have friends here who have more severe pollen allergies and they go to the doctor and get a shot which they say lasts about 2-3 months.
I don’t know anyone who is allergic to dust mites so have no info there.
going to the doctor and getting prescription allergy medication is incredibly cheap
I got pollen allergy last year (sneezing, clogged nose) and I didn’t know what it was until I took otc meds. It was really cheap, like 700 yen and I haven’t even finished the whole pack yet. So just head to the drug store, there is a whole section dedicated to allergy meds.
I have pollen allergy, it got really bad in Japan. Luckily I brought my medicine from Germany with me (Loratadin + inhaler in case of asthma). I brought enough medicine with me to last the entire stay, but for the inhaler I had to go to a doctor. In the big cities there always is an English speaking doctor and you can just get a prescription there. Compared to Germany a bit more expensive, but you should be able to get the same or an equivalent.
Everyone’s experience will differ but my allergies actually improved when I moved to Japan. I still occasionally use Fexofenadine (allegra) which is easily bought over the counter.
Even for an 18 month stay I would buy an air cleaner. If you get one used be aware most people don’t clean or replace the filters and they can be a bit pricey.
I had horrible allergies in the US and now after 15 years only get mild symptoms occasionally here so you might luck out and be completely fine.