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Bringing Your Meds To Japan? Study The Laws A Little.
For a long time, the ubiquitous sinus medicine Vicks Inhaler was the butt of jokes among resident foreigners in Japan. Signs used to grace airport terminals with the familiar cream-and-green device with a big red "X" imposed over it. The reason, though was rational. Over-the-counter Inhalers so…(1300 words)
jdlawrence
Know your Receipts in Japan!
Are you in Japan on business and working with a Japanese firm? Will you be taking your clients out for a meal?Recently I have been doing some consulting work for one of Japan’s eminent Chinese cuisine restaurants, Ginza Aster, and I learned that many of the international clients are confused by t…(1173 words)
HOW I BUY CONTACTS !!!!!
To buy a contact lens in Japan is very easy .You can get one at any drug store ! but the best drug easiest you can see in town is the MATSUMOTO KYOSHI DRUG STORE is allover Japan !!!(37 words)
Pop
100 Yen Shop Listing for Yokohama
I was recently asked by a group of tourists, “Can you tell us where the nearest convenience store is?”“Why bother with a conbini?” I replied. “There’s a 100 yen shop just down the street. They’ll have whatever you need. And for less.”Cue the sound of joy and jubilation. Oh happy day.100…(264 words)
Former Deep Japan Writer
Don't Wear Black in Japan
In Japan, the color white is attributed to happiness and good times. Death is a time of mourning and so people must dress in the color of depression, black. Men usually wear a black suit with a black tie (dress shirt is usually white). Women are also usually in a black dress. Wearing a formal black…(129 words)
GenS
Need Contacts in Japan? Find an Opthamologist!
In Japan, you need a doctor's prescription in order to purchase contact lenses at a store. The easiest way to buy them is to go to your nearby ophthalmologist. There, you will be able to get a prescription and also buy purchase contact lenses. There is also the option of purchasing online but that …(66 words)
GenS
Need Aspirin in Japan
Bufarin is a type of aspirin that works very well as a pain killer. It wil help you with a headache, fever, or any pain in general. It is one of the most popular medicines and is available at any pharmacy. Just ask for Ba fa rin. The pharmacist should be able to understand. In comparison to in th…(124 words)
GenS
Getting contact lenses in Japan - Megane Super
There are a lot of contact lens and eye glasses super stores around Tokyo, but I have always had a good experience at Megane Super. You do need to get an eye exam the first time, but that is easy enough and not too expensive, probably about 3500 JPY.Then they fit you for your lenses, most l…(103 words)
William Nealy
You can show your gratitude for the long-lasting favorable relationship!
When you write a Japanese business email to your customer (client), the sentence often begin with a greeting phrase "Itsumo osewani natte orimasu," meaning that "I am grateful of your kind service, always." And the same phrase can be used when you receive a phone call from Japanese client. The …(162 words)
KenjiTee
Kawasaki St Clare's Church
7:30 PM Dec 24 the Christmas eve service.The church is location near to Chin Kawabashi hospital about 15 minutes by walk from the Kawasaki JR station 20 minutes from Kawasaki Keikyu station.Location: http://4sq.com/uilyuaKaizuka Kyoukai 〒210-0014 Kawasaki City Kawasakiku Kaizuka 1-8-9 r…(52 words)
idivilayil
Junkudo Books - Ikebukuro Station East Exit
Junkudo is a very big bookstore (about 10 stories high) with everything from magazines to children's books to best sellers to the classics. There is a whole floor given over to English books only. One nice feature in this very nice store is that there a chairs dotted around the whole building on ev…(113 words)
Andrew Grimes
How to choose medicines when sick or injured
It depends on the symptoms or conditions, but here are some good general medicines:* Makiron （マキロン） is a disinfectant; use on cuts, scrapes, or small wounds.* Oronine （オロナイン） is an ointment with disinfectant properties; use on cuts, scrapes, or small wounds to aid healing.*…(155 words)
Andrea Miyata
Eyecity
In Japan you can't purchase prescription contacts without a doctor's visit. Eye exams are fairly simple and the prescription is usually valid for 6 months. There are many places to buy contacts and lots of train stations seem to have a Eyecity nearby. (http://www.eyecity.jp/)Non-prescriptio…(65 words)
mkawamura
Another Way of Doing a Toast: "Otsukare (-sama)"
As everyone knows and some other senpais comment, it's usually the case with a toast that we say "Kanpai" ( as you say "cheers") before we begin to drink at a party. But we have another way of doing a toast.In a casual setting where we go out for a drink after work before going home, we someti…(297 words)
maxnino
McD's In Japan
Charging your electronic devices using any "unofficial" plug will get you into trouble. Trust me, I'm writing from firsthand experience. I was on a 7 day bicycle trip down South to Fukuoka and needed electricity desperately. I was at a hotspring and tried sneaking some juice while I was soaking in …(125 words)
GenS
100 yen shop is a cheap choice
You can buy underwear for 100 yen at a 100 yen shop. They even sell disposable underwear that are made of some sort of plastic, if you like to travel light. You can find every sort of undergarment you could want and a few that you might have a hard time identifying.(53 words)
Kenji
Tokyo Baptist Church in Daikanyama, Shibuya
If you are a Baptist and looking for a church to attend, Tokyo Baptist Church is perhaps one of the prominent one in Tokyo to attend.Excerpt from Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Baptist_Church---Tokyo Baptist Church (organized on January 5, 1958) is an English speaking in…(95 words)
Andrew Soh Chih Jen
Walking Alone at Age 7: Japan’s Independent Kids
Opening with the Japanese proverb kawaii ko ni wa tabi saseyo, which translates to “send the beloved child on a journey” and means something like ‘leave them be, let them try,’ this new mini-documentary from Australian TV channel SBS 2 depicts one of the significant cultural differences between Jap…(462 words)
Japanista
Experience Your Own “Japanese Style Wedding” in Tokyo!
What’s the most romantic place in the world? Paris? Hawaii? Rome? Those may be some of the obvious contenders, but there seems to be an increasing number of people who would name Tokyo as the most romantic travel destination.This idea of Tokyo as a modern day romance capital, combined with the …(238 words)
Japanista
Go to a nearby cellphone store!
When I run out of battery on my cellphones and if I am not carrying along a charger, I often go to a nearby cellphone store and ask them if I can charge my phone. The cellphone store you go to, however, depends on your mobile phone operator (the biggest ones being Docomo, AU and SoftBank). You shou…(83 words)
RieS
This is not an unusual happening in Japan because there are many places to help you out
This problem can be easily solved by getting to any convenience store as they will have basic sizes (S, M, L, LL) and probably just white or black colors. If you are looking for more variety than it will be easy to find a Uniqlo clothing store which has a very good selection for men and women at af…(60 words)
JudithMikami
Preserved alpha rice
Have you ever heard of preserved alpha rice? It is packed in pouch and very useful for disaster cases. Even without gas or electricity, it can be cooked with hot water or water! We joined the children's outdoor event the other day and one of the NPO groups was demonstrating how to cook preseved…(165 words)
EmiOnishi
Tullys or Starbucks
Some Tullys or Starbucks coffee shops provide AC power. They do have WiFi also but normally you have to subsribe to Japanese telecom subscribers to use.(26 words)
Asiantiger
Approach Casually
The police boxes placed all over the cities are not necessarily meant to scare you, or keep constant watch on you. I, as an American, have been conditioned somewhat to be afraid of police officers, and always suspicious that I myself am under suspicion for something. This has caused me to take a gr…(132 words)
KurtisW
Convenience store solves all
If you find that at some point you have no more underwear in your luggage, or you forgot underwear altogether, never fear for there are easy solutions.My favorite convenience store, "Lawson 100" is a slightly different convenience store that can be likened more to an "all around" food store. Wi…(125 words)
KurtisW
Commuting during Rush Hour !
Imagine you have to board your 7:45am train by hook or by crook (so you can arrive in office on schedule). Let's add to this imagination, images of japan train rush and getting shoved by polite train conductors without any apology. So how do you board train now, especially during mad rush on weekda…(303 words)
Samir Bodhe
Be prepared and learn how to survive…natural disaster.
Sorry for those look for fun items and experiences in Japan. The title won’t be something international tourists expect to find... but as you know, in Japan we often have earthquakes, including very big ones some times, because of that, the government provides a center called “the Disaster Preventi…(613 words)
TomokoI
Appropriate attire for funerals
Everyone in Japan wears black for funerals. For men, this consists of a black suit (no pattern or design), white button-up shirt, black shoes (with no ornamentation), and a black necktie. For women, this consists of either a black suit (skirt or slacks with a jacket) and a black blouse, or a blac…(155 words)
Andrea Miyata
Tokyo Primary Care - 'where all three words ring true 'Tokyo - Primary - Care'
Tokyo Primary Care is the brainchild of Dr Joe Kurosu M.D, and his clinic is a top rank medical international clinic "providing primary care services to the local and foreign resident communities" that truly lives up to it's name. The "Tokyo" you may have heard of and be quite familiar with, and ev…(698 words)
Andrew Grimes
Tokyo Union Church is great for English Language Services in Japan
If you are planning to shop at Omotesando Hills or go to the Oriental Bazaar, Tokyo Union Church is situated just along the main Omotesando road on the left when you have Harajuku ahead of you. This is the church where many expats go and it would be a familiar protestant service for visitors from t…(106 words)
Call 119!
In Japan, the emergency phone number is 119. Ambulances are free in Japan, so don't hesitate to call for one if the there is a significant emergency. If you do not speak Japanese, it is best to ask a Japanese person nearby to explain the situation to the operator for best results.(51 words)
KurtisW
Yuzuyu (bathing with Yuzu) in winter.
There are a lot of customs in Japan and many of them are associated with healthy life. One of the examples is the yuzu bath in winter, known commonly as yuzuyu. It is said to improve blood circulation, guard against colds, warm the body, and cure neuralgia and pain in the lower back. I hope you wil…(96 words)
Hideki Tazawa
Funny souvenirs from Japan
Yesterday, I was screening the cosmetics section of Zakka, the small beauty outlet inside Kyoto station and I found wonderful promises of beauty and youthfullness! These huuuuge sections, that you also find in Loft and Tokyu Hands like shops are wonderful. You spend 5 minutes there and underst…(387 words)
Claire
Tourist Tip #2: Coin Lockers will Free Your Hands (and Mind)
Imagine: your hands are full with bags and boxes of on-sale purchases and more. The only thing is, now you’re on your way to spend hours going temple hopping, and then finish with dinner at a recommended cozy restaurant. What are you going to do with all of those bags and boxes?Never fear, do w…(353 words)
Former Deep Japan Writer
Tokyo Baptist Church in Japan is a great place to celebrate Christmas
Although I have not attended Tokyo Baptist Church personally, I understand they have multiple English services (even one at 7 p.m. on Saturdays!). Here is the link: http://www.tokyobaptist.org/live/services/times.html# However, if you want the ambience of a traditional church building, Tokyo Union…(64 words)
Lost anything? Go to the Koban!
Japanese police boxes are so useful, because the policemen are kind and willing to help people who are having difficulties finding the way. Also, Japanese people tend to be honest and caring for other people – they deliver lost items to the police box, especially if the item looks expensive or is a…(104 words)
RieS
Look for the "Uketsuke", Hospital Care in Japan
Although my experience at hospitals in other countries is limited, I don't think the process at a Japanese hospital is particularly unique. All you have to do when you get to a hospital is to find the "uketsuke" (front desk), which is usually located right by the entrance, and talk to a nurse about…(212 words)
GenS
To avoid spreading germs and to protect from seasonal pollen
In Japan a surgical mask is generally used when people get sick. It is common to see many people wearing such a mask during winter. In Japan, people are sensitive about coughing in trains or in areas with a high number of people. So those who wear masks don't want to spread their germs and don't wa…(125 words)
yukiroryo
What do do on a rainy day in Tokyo
It always feels like such a waste when it is grey and rainy for an entire weekend.So, what DOES one do on a rainy afternoon in Tokyo or Yokohama?Go to the spa, of course!There are several to choose from, depending on your location. LaQua in Tokyo, EAS and Manyo in Yokohama, Oedo Onsen M…(147 words)
Chiara
Nissan Global Headquarters
If you like cars, then the Nissan Global Headquarters in Yokohama is well worth your time to visit. Entry is free and the showroom always has a number of Nissan and sometimes, if you are lucky, they will also have some Infiniti cars on display. Access is just a few minutes walk from Yokohama stat…(167 words)
Kevin