A Local’s Guide to Buying Medicine in Hokkaido

Hypothetical situation - you’ve just finished a fantastic hike in Hokkaido and now that the day is done, you take a soak in a nearby onsen before relaxing in your cozy ryokan room… when suddenly, that scratchy throat that had been bothering you all day turns into a persistent cough. By the time you’ve finished dinner, you can feel a sore throat and mild fever coming on. You know you need to sort this out - the rest of your Hokkaido adventure is on the line!

But when you’re travelling in a foreign country, especially one like Japan with a completely different writing system, it can be hard to find the medicine you need on the shelves of drug stores or communicate with pharmacists. In this blog, I’ll help you to navigate buying medicine in Japan so that you’ll be back on your feet and on the hiking trails in no time at all!

Many visitors to Japan these days carry prescription medications with them from home. In the majority of cases, you can bring them in and out of the country with no problem.

However, there are some medications commonly prescribed overseas and also some even available without a prescription that are flat-out banned in Japan. Common examples include pseudoephedrine, a decongestant often found in cold-and-flu and allergy medicines in the West, codeine, an opioid painkiller, as well as amphetamines which are commonly prescribed outside of Japan to treat ADHD.

Remember - as the traveller, you are ultimately responsible for anything found in your possession when you enter Japan. So, if you are bringing prescribed medicine for any condition into the country, please check that the active ingredients in the medication are not going to fall foul of Japanese laws. If you are in any doubt or cannot find the information you need, the US Consulate in Japan has a great web page summarising how you can go about checking or obtaining the permission you may need to bring restricted medication into the country. If you need further advice or have any doubts, it's best to contact the Embassy of Japan in your home country.

This is a question that visitors from countries with very expensive healthcare often dread! But the good news is that drug store medication in Japan is very reasonable. Depending on the amount of pills in the package as well as its potency, you can expect to pay somewhere around 500yen ~ 2000yen. An average pack of painkillers will be somewhere around 800yen ~ 1000yen.

It is a different story if you see a doctor and receive a prescription, however. Without Japanese national healthcare coverage, even just a week’s worth of medication will cost somewhere between 3000 ~ 5000yen. This is why we strongly recommend that visitors to Hokkaido purchase travel insurance ahead of their holiday.

Generally, anything that you would need a prescription for in your home country will not be easy to find in Japan. While it’s recommended that you bring a copy of your prescription with you in case of emergencies, it will not be valid here in Japan, where the only person who can write you a prescription is a Japanese doctor. Even then, your regular medicine still might not be available in Japan.

Additionally, certain types of allergy and intolerance-managing medication might be available off the shelves in your home country while being surprisingly hard to find in Japan. A common example our guests have encountered are lactose enzyme supplements. It’s never fun to run out of those when you’re in the land of delicious ice cream!

If you require any of the following medication, it’s a good idea to prepare a little extra stock to bring with you:

Be careful not to exceed the maximum amount of 30 days as stipulated by Japanese customs and of course, make sure any active ingredients are not on the list of those banned in Japan.

Here are some chains to look for on your travels. Given that they sell Japanese cosmetics and beauty products that are popular with travellers, they are often large and appear quickly on smartphone maps in English - so you can’t miss them!

Note that there is a difference between drug stores and pharmacies in Japan. A drug store, known in Japanese as ドラッグストア (doraggu sutoa) tends to be larger and sells cosmetics, home necessities (such as tissues and washing up liquid) and snacks and drinks as well as medicines.

On the other hand, pharmacies, known as 薬局 (yakkyoku) are smaller and located closer to hospitals and medical clinics. The latter often has no medicines on display for general sale and requires a written prescription from a Japanese doctor in order to make a purchase.

We’ll only focus on drug stores in this blog.

Tsuruha Drug - A large chain common across Hokkaido, even in fairly rural areas.

Sapporo Drug Store - Sometimes known as “Satsudora” colloquially. These large drug stores seem to be more common in big cities and are often quite close to travel hubs like train stations.

Sun Drug - A fairly large chain that seems to be limited to larger cities.

Matsumoto Kiyoshi - While common across the Japanese mainland, you’ll struggle to find these outside of Sapporo.

Keep in mind that staff in Hokkaido’s drug stores may only speak limited English or none at all. If you need to ask for help in locating a medicine, apps like Google Translate or Chat GPT can be particularly helpful. You can also use Google Lens to translate active ingredients on the back of packaging, too.

If you find that you’re only getting worse or there is no improvement in your symptoms, please seek professional medical help! Outpatient facilities at local hospitals are the best port of call. While doctors may not speak fluent English, they will know enough medical terminology in English that they can make your ailment clear with the use of paper, pen and diagrams. They can then prescribe you with something stronger that will take care of the problem or admit you as an inpatient if they suspect an emergency.

Speaking of which, if you do have a medical emergency in Japan, don’t tough it out! Call 119, the Japanese number for an ambulance.

Many people travelling overseas avoid seeking medical help for fear of the costs it may incur. For any guests booked on Adventure Hokkaido tours, travel insurance is mandatory for this very reason - drug store medication might be cheap, but having to be hospitalised for even just a few days in Hokkaido most certainly isn’t! So, if you are reading this as an independent traveller and you’re on the fence about travel insurance, I encourage you to secure it as soon as you can. It might seem expensive at the time of purchase - but if serious medical troubles befall you in Hokkaido, it will turn out to be the best money you have ever spent.

Click the embedded links to see a picture of the medicine packaging. Please note that not all links will be in English, but where possible I have tried to make sure a picture of the medicine is obvious to help you find it or to show to drug store staff.

Scrapes and cuts are not unusual when you’re out hiking - it happens! And as any good hiker knows, a small, basic First Aid kit is essential to get wounds cleaned up as soon as possible.

With airline luggage restrictions, it’s understandable that you might want to leave the First Aid kit at home. Fortunately, many drug stores in Japan and even some convenience stores and supermarkets will sell wound antiseptic as well as bandages, gauze and plasters very nearby.

Did you know that all of our guides have First Aid training and carry a First Aid kit on our tours? They are also no strangers to helping our guests navigate the shelves of Japanese drug stores! If you would prefer to travel with peace of mind and a little company if you’re feeling under the weather, consider joining one of our Group Tours.

Aspirin, ibuprofen and paracetamol (or acetaminophen for our American friends!) are fortunately very easy to find in Japanese drug stores. One important thing to keep in mind however, is that the dosage of painkillers in Japan is lower than what it may be in your home country. This does mean that painkillers can take a little longer to kick in and then wear off more quickly than what you are used to.

Some popular brands that you’ll be able to find at any drug stores are as follows:

Combined cold-and-flu medication, which has both decongestants and a painkiller in one pill, are available in Japan and are great for particularly stubborn colds. A popular option is Benza Block L (ベンザブロックL).

Many Japanese painkillers tend to contain a low dose of caffeine to combat drowsiness in the drug and also to assist with easing headaches (a small hit of caffeine can contract blood vessels in the brain, releasing tension on surrounding nerves). If you would prefer a caffeine-free alternative, Ringl (リングル) is dose of ibuprofen with no other ingredients.

Another caffeine-free option, and a medicine that is slightly stronger, is Loxonin S (ロキソニンS). This contains the stronger painkiller loxoprofen and as such is sold over-the-counter only. You will need to consult with the drug store’s pharmacist if you wish to purchase this. Once again, it’s best to use translation apps to ask for what you need and keep in mind that the pharmacist might be on vacation when you drop in!

There’s nothing worse than tummy trouble on holiday - especially in a country like Japan with so much great food to try! Luckily, Japanese drug stores have lots of reliable medicines that can take care of the problem.

For more mild stomach troubles, Shin-Biofermin S (新ビオフェルミンS) is a probiotic intestinal regulator that can take care of most abdominal rumbles. I also highly recommend Cabagin Kowa Alpha (キャベジンコーワα), a herbal medicine made from cabbage and shiso leaf. It is very effective at easing indigestion and soothing tummies that have indulged in just a bit too much tasty food. (In fact, I myself have often turned to Cabagin Kowa after Adventure Hokkaido staff parties…!)

Finally, when your metaphorical “tap” either won’t turn off or is, um, blocked up, Japanese drug stores have you covered there too. Stoppa EX (ストッパ下痢止めEX) is a popular antidiarrheal that can be taken without water, while Everschellin (エバシェリーン), made with Senna and Senna berries is a gentle herbal laxative. If you need a stronger laxative to “clean out” more quickly however, Beauluck (ビューラック) is a popular choice!

I have bad news for my fellow hayfever sufferers; you’re not safe in Japan. In fact, with exposure to pollen that your body may have never encountered before, don’t be surprised if you’re sneezing and wheezing a bit more than usual.

My recommended non-drowsy hayfever medications are Claritin EX (クラリチンEX), Allegra FX (アレグラFX) and Alesion (アレジオン). For itchy eyes, eyedrops Rohto Alguard Clearblock EX (ロートアルガードクリアブロックEX) are my recommendation.

If you would prefer something familiar, diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in popular Western allergy medicine Benadryl, is sold under the name Restamin Kowa (レスタミンコーワ) in Japan.

Of course, if you experience a serious allergic reaction, especially after eating a food you may not have tried before, it’s better to head to a hospital rather than a drug store.

Sometimes, the itch isn’t in your nose or eyes… it’s in your feet! For those who suffer from bouts of athlete’s foot, topical cream Dermarin L (ダマリンL) is a good option. It can also be used to treat ringworm, an occasional annoyance in the sweatier seasons.

Another common foe of Hokkaido hikers, especially in summer, is insects. Mosquitoes and black flies can leave you with nasty bites that itch like crazy, not to mention ticks, vectors of disease in Hokkaido. Prevention is always better than cure in this case, so using insect repellents is essential. If you’ve left yours at home, the below are popular among Japanese hikers:

These can be sprayed directly onto the skin and will effectively repel mosquitoes, black flies and ticks.

Sometimes however, defences fail and bugs find that one little spot you forgot to spray! For those occasions, a very popular Japanese topical anti-itch cream is Muhi S (ムヒS), beloved by households all over Japan for its ability to soothe itchy bug bites. It is also very effective at soothing mild skin irritations like heat rash, hives or small eczema outbreaks.

Feeling sore after a hike is to be somewhat expected and while Japan doesn’t have a great range of sports creams or anti-inflammatory creams, there are instead a range of soothing sprays and stick-on patches which will do the job for you, in addition to regular painkillers.

A popular product in Japan is Salonpas (サロンパス), which is available both as a spray and stick-on compress patches. Feitas Z (フェイタスZ) is another popular stick-on patch.

However, none of these may be necessary as Hokkaido has its own natural cure for post-hike aches and pains… by that I of course mean its fantastic onsen! As any Adventure Hokkaido guide or guest will tell you, a dip in an onsen is the ultimate cure for muscle aches. Give it a try!

For those not coming from the Asia-Pacific region, jetlag can be hard to shake. I am a very light sleeper myself and I recommend Japanese sleeping aid Doriel (ドリエル) if you are struggling to doze off. Depending on the drug store, this medicine may be sold as empty boxes to be exchanged for the product itself at the cashier or OTC only.

Like painkillers, sleep medication in Japan tends to be at a lower dosage than what you may be used to. For something stronger, you will need a Japanese doctor’s prescription. If you have trouble nodding off in general, you may wish to consult with your GP or doctor to obtain a few weeks’ worth of sleeping aid prescription before you travel (though of course, be mindful of what active ingredients are restricted or banned in Japan).

The world is getting warmer, and Hokkaido is no exception. Dehydration and heatstroke are both very real concerns in the summer and the risk is higher if you’re out hiking in the harsh sun all day. Illnesses like a fever or diarrhoea can also cause dehydration.

In all of these three cases, replenishing lost fluids is essential for recovery. To that end, drug stores across Hokkaido sell OS-1 in the summer, an oral rehydration solution designed to restore the body’s fluids quickly. If you’re succumbing to heat exhaustion or have lost fluids due to a recent bout of illness, a few bottles of this will help you out! It’s also sold in a gel form if you are not feeling well enough to eat.

OS-1 is a cure for those already suffering from dehydration, but it’s not recommended if you are feeling perfectly fine and simply want to avoid dehydration. In that case, popular sports drink Pocari Sweat is what you need!

It’s hard to admire the astonishing views from Hokkaido’s trains if you’re feeling sick and dizzy. A popular choice for Japanese who suffer from travel sickness is Travelmin (トラベルミン) and Aneron (アネロン). Both should cover all kinds of travel sickness - air sickness, seasickness, train sickness and car sickness.

Now that you know what to look for when the lurgy strikes, you should have no trouble buying medicine in Japan! Once you have what you need, then all being well, you’ll start feeling better in no time.

Needless to say however, if you are not getting better, the best course of action is to seek professional medical help from a doctor. Once again, dial the Japanese emergency number for an ambulance, 119, if you suspect a medical emergency.

Happy travels - and take care of yourself!