Guides
Guides from a pharmacist licensed in Japan: how Kampo formulas are used and obtained in Japan, what clinical trials have shown, and what to ask your doctor.
- Is Healthcare Free in Japan? Costs for Visitors and Residents Explained
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-14
Healthcare in Japan is not free. What residents pay through public insurance, what visitors pay in full, how travel insurance works, and which receipts to keep — from a licensed pharmacist in Tokyo.
- Prescription for Foreign Visitors in Japan: What the October 2026 Ministry Statement Means for Travelers
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-13
Can tourists get a prescription in Japan? What Japan's health minister said on October 9, 2026, how clinic visits work for travelers, and why ongoing treatment stays with your doctor at home.
- Can I Bring Mounjaro to Japan? What Travelers Need to Know
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-24
Prescribed Mounjaro or Zepbound and flying to Japan? A pharmacist in Japan explains the one-month rule for injection pens and when you need an Import Confirmation.
- Prescription refill in Japan: how to keep taking your medicine after you move here
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-09
A Japanese pharmacy can't refill a prescription from home. A pharmacist licensed in Japan explains what to bring to a clinic, and what changes in Japan.
- Flu in Japan: where to go, how the clinic visit works, and what the drugstore can't do
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-12
Flu medicines in Japan are prescription-only: suspected flu means a clinic, not a drugstore. A pharmacist licensed in Japan on where to go, and calling first.
- Pharmacy in Japan: drugstore or pharmacy, what each can sell you, and how to ask
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-08
Japan has two kinds of shop that look alike: drugstores for over-the-counter medicines, pharmacies for prescriptions. A pharmacist licensed in Japan explains.
- Cold medicine in Japan: what's on the drugstore shelf, and what to check before you take it
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-08
Most Japanese cold medicines are all-in-one, so doubling up with medicine from home is the main risk. A pharmacist licensed in Japan explains the box labels.
- Sore throat medicine in Japan: tablets, powders, lozenges and sprays, and how they differ
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-08
For a sore throat alone, Japanese drugstores have options besides cold medicines. A pharmacist licensed in Japan on their labeled uses and when to see a doctor.
- Bringing birth control to Japan: the pill, Plan B and what's available here
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-28
The pill and emergency contraception are prescription medicines in Japan. A month's supply needs no paperwork; a three-month pack needs an Import Confirmation.
- Bringing your medication to Japan
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-28
Adderall, Vyvanse, Concerta and everyday prescriptions: what you can carry into Japan, when you need an Import Confirmation, what to do if yours can't come in.
- Can I bring Adderall to Japan?
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-09-25
No. Adderall and other amphetamine medicines can't be brought into Japan, even with a prescription. The rule, what happens if you try, and what to do instead.
- Can I bring Ambien to Japan?
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-28
Yes. Zolpidem is a psychotropic in Japan: up to 300 mg total needs no papers, more a doctor's certificate, over a month's supply an Import Confirmation.
- Can I bring CBD to Japan?
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-09-25
CBD is legal in Japan, but THC limits are among the strictest: 10 ppm for oils, 1 ppm for gummies and vapes, 0.1 ppm for drinks. CBN is banned from June 2026.
- Can I bring Klonopin to Japan?
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-28
Yes. Clonazepam is a psychotropic in Japan: up to 180 mg total needs no papers, more a doctor's certificate, over a month's supply an Import Confirmation.
- Can I bring melatonin to Japan?
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-28
Yes, within limits. Melatonin is a supplement in the US but a medicine in Japan; one month's supply is the amount you can bring without extra paperwork.
- Can I bring Sudafed to Japan? Cold and allergy medicines that don't travel well
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-28
Sudafed, Claritin-D and Zyrtec-D count as stimulant raw materials in Japan above 10% pseudoephedrine; the Vicks VapoInhaler should be left at home.
- Can I bring Vyvanse to Japan?
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-28
Yes, but only with a permit from Japan's Narcotics Control Department, applied for at least 14 days before you travel. How the permit works and what to send.
- Can I bring Xanax to Japan?
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-28
Yes. Alprazolam is a psychotropic in Japan: up to 72 mg total needs no papers, more a doctor's certificate, over a month's supply an Import Confirmation.
- Concerta in Japan: bringing it in, and getting it prescribed here
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-28
Methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin) needs no permit to bring into Japan, but a quantity line and one-month rule apply, and prescribing here needs registration.
- Japanese herbal medicine for menopause: what Kampo actually offers, and what the evidence says
By Natsuko Shibata, pharmacist licensed in Japan · Updated 2026-10-08
A licensed Japanese pharmacist on Kampo formulas used in Japan for menopausal symptoms: what the research does and doesn't show, and how they're prescribed.
KAMPO COMPASS (漢方コンパス) is developed by Natsuko Shibata, a pharmacist licensed in Japan.