It is unlikely to change in your lifetime. Japan is many things but they are far from progressive, and the majority of Japanese don’t support legalisation at all so there is no reason why this would be pursued by any lawmaker in the near future
Guess you’re not moving to Japan then.
People can and do smoke 大麻 (weed) here I believe last year there was a record number of convictions for possession. Is the law likely to change? Not for the foreseeable future.
Before moving to Korea and then moving to Japan I was a daily smoker. But I just stopped all together and it was surprisingly easy. I don’t miss it at all to be honest.
If you get caught at the least you will be arrested charged and barred from Japan. More likely you will be sentenced and incarcerated for a year or two ( Japanese Prison very horrible place) then be barred from Japan.
If you are happy to potentially be held in jail for 23 days at a time with minimal contact to the outside world while enduring hours of interrogations for just being suspected of having weed, then it’s a great place to be!
If you are caught just for possession, you face up to 5 years in prison followed by deportation at your own expense and a lifetime ban from entering the country. This isnt changing anytime soon.
Very expensive comparatively speaking.
Very much illegal with strict (Though not Sharia level of strict or Singapore strict) laws and regulations, especially for foreigners.
Very unlikely to change soon.
​
But, much like everywhere, yes people do smoke in Japan. Though for you, I’d say figure out which you’d like to do more:
1. Move to Japan.
2. Be a stoner.
Pick one. =P
If you love your weed then please consider another country. In fact, most of Asia may not be the best for you. I guess maybe Thailand or the Philippines may be OK.
Japan is definitely not the place for you. I recommend moving either to Canada or to certain places in the US such as DC or Colorado.
i have walked down the streets of shinjuku many times and smelt the unmistakable scent of someone blazing up but i still would not reccomend it. japan is the land of all you can drink for 2 hours for 2000 yen. i suggest you switch your vice to alcohol for the extent of your stay.
I suggest you watch some YouTube videos from something like Banged Up Abroad in Japan to familiarise yourself with what happens to foreigners caught with drugs 🙂
If you’re very lucky you’ll just get deported, but mostly they will throw you in prison.
Spoiler: Japanese prison fucking sucks
I’m sorry but Japan doesn’t sound like a good fit for you if you’re that reliant on marijuana
Just visit sometimes instead. Weed is seen the same as heroin here. Just don’t.
My wife is Japanese and she wouldn’t even eat edibles…I’m Canada (where it’s legal), camping, in the woods, not in a campground, with no one around, because the Japanese government might find out. In other words, it’s a sacrifice you’ll need to make / have some growing up to do, live in Japan. It’s super illegal here
It’s expensive (dime bag for well over $40), and the quality is really low. like VERY low. Most of the time it’s just indica too. I’ve gotten high in Japan and china and both times were definitely not a good high especially compared to the quality you can get in California. Since it’s seen as just as bad as cocaine or other harsher drugs, you also have no idea what it could be laced with. It’s not worth risking deportation and being banned from ever entering again, or worse, jail time for crappy weed.
I work at a dispensary and are a heavy daily user. However, I just accepted a position in Japan and will be leaving July 30th. Weed will always be here when I get back and a tolerance break is well needed. I love weed, but this opportunity only comes around once in a lifetime.
16 comments
Yes. No.
It is unlikely to change in your lifetime. Japan is many things but they are far from progressive, and the majority of Japanese don’t support legalisation at all so there is no reason why this would be pursued by any lawmaker in the near future
Guess you’re not moving to Japan then.
People can and do smoke 大麻 (weed) here I believe last year there was a record number of convictions for possession. Is the law likely to change? Not for the foreseeable future.
Before moving to Korea and then moving to Japan I was a daily smoker. But I just stopped all together and it was surprisingly easy. I don’t miss it at all to be honest.
If you get caught at the least you will be arrested charged and barred from Japan. More likely you will be sentenced and incarcerated for a year or two ( Japanese Prison very horrible place) then be barred from Japan.
If you are happy to potentially be held in jail for 23 days at a time with minimal contact to the outside world while enduring hours of interrogations for just being suspected of having weed, then it’s a great place to be!
If you are caught just for possession, you face up to 5 years in prison followed by deportation at your own expense and a lifetime ban from entering the country. This isnt changing anytime soon.
Very expensive comparatively speaking.
Very much illegal with strict (Though not Sharia level of strict or Singapore strict) laws and regulations, especially for foreigners.
Very unlikely to change soon.
​
But, much like everywhere, yes people do smoke in Japan. Though for you, I’d say figure out which you’d like to do more:
1. Move to Japan.
2. Be a stoner.
Pick one. =P
If you love your weed then please consider another country. In fact, most of Asia may not be the best for you. I guess maybe Thailand or the Philippines may be OK.
Japan is definitely not the place for you. I recommend moving either to Canada or to certain places in the US such as DC or Colorado.
i have walked down the streets of shinjuku many times and smelt the unmistakable scent of someone blazing up but i still would not reccomend it. japan is the land of all you can drink for 2 hours for 2000 yen. i suggest you switch your vice to alcohol for the extent of your stay.
I suggest you watch some YouTube videos from something like Banged Up Abroad in Japan to familiarise yourself with what happens to foreigners caught with drugs 🙂
If you’re very lucky you’ll just get deported, but mostly they will throw you in prison.
Spoiler: Japanese prison fucking sucks
I’m sorry but Japan doesn’t sound like a good fit for you if you’re that reliant on marijuana
Just visit sometimes instead. Weed is seen the same as heroin here. Just don’t.
My wife is Japanese and she wouldn’t even eat edibles…I’m Canada (where it’s legal), camping, in the woods, not in a campground, with no one around, because the Japanese government might find out. In other words, it’s a sacrifice you’ll need to make / have some growing up to do, live in Japan. It’s super illegal here
It’s expensive (dime bag for well over $40), and the quality is really low. like VERY low. Most of the time it’s just indica too. I’ve gotten high in Japan and china and both times were definitely not a good high especially compared to the quality you can get in California. Since it’s seen as just as bad as cocaine or other harsher drugs, you also have no idea what it could be laced with. It’s not worth risking deportation and being banned from ever entering again, or worse, jail time for crappy weed.
I work at a dispensary and are a heavy daily user. However, I just accepted a position in Japan and will be leaving July 30th. Weed will always be here when I get back and a tolerance break is well needed. I love weed, but this opportunity only comes around once in a lifetime.