No vaccinations are needed and the tap water is drinkable throughout. The catch is medication. Amphetamine stimulants such as Adderall and Vyvanse are banned outright, with no permit route at all, and people have been detained for cold remedies containing pseudoephedrine. Prescription medicine is limited to a month's supply without an import certificate.
- No vaccinations are required, there is no malaria or dengue, and the tap water is drinkable everywhere.
- Amphetamine stimulants - Adderall, Vyvanse - are banned outright. There is no certificate that makes them legal, and people have been arrested at the airport carrying a valid foreign prescription.
- Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) is treated differently - it is a controlled psychotropic with a permit route, so check the current MHLW rules well before you travel rather than assuming either way.
- Cold and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine are prohibited - Sudafed, Actifed, Vicks inhalers - as are over-the-counter painkillers containing codeine. The FCDO records foreign nationals detained and deported for exactly this.
- Without an import certificate you may bring one month of prescription medicine, two months of over-the-counter medicine and four months of vitamins.
- Beyond those limits you need a Yunyu Kakunin-sho (the former Yakkan Shoumei), applied for online before you fly.
- English-speaking care: St. Luke's International in Tokyo, and the university hospitals in Kyoto and Osaka.
The easy part
- No vaccination is required to enter Japan.
- Neither malaria nor dengue is present.
- Tap water is drinkable across the whole country and meets strict standards.
The medication rules, which are the real risk
Japan enforces its anti-stimulant law more strictly than almost anywhere, and the penalty is arrest rather than a fine. The FCDO records that foreign nationals have been detained and deported for carrying medicines that are unremarkable at home.
Banned outright, with no permit route:
- Amphetamine-based stimulants - Adderall and Vyvanse among them. A valid prescription from your own doctor changes nothing: import is prohibited under all circumstances, and there is no certificate that makes it legal.
Prohibited over a threshold, and commonly carried by accident:
- Cold, sinus and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine - Sudafed, Actifed, Vicks inhalers.
- Over-the-counter painkillers containing codeine.
Controlled, but with a route:
- Methylphenidate - Ritalin, Concerta - is handled as a psychotropic rather than a banned stimulant, and there is a permit process for it. The thresholds are tight and they change. If you take it, check the current Ministry of Health rules and apply well before departure; do not assume either that it is fine or that it is banned.
How much you may bring without a certificate
| Category | Allowed without a certificate |
|---|---|
| Prescription medicine | 1 month's supply |
| Over-the-counter medicine | 2 months' supply |
| Vitamins | 4 months' supply |
Above those limits you need a Yunyu Kakunin-sho - the import certificate formerly called the Yakkan Shoumei - applied for online in advance. It is free, but it is not instant, so it is not something to start the week you fly.
Carry everything in its original packaging with the prescription, whatever the quantity.
Where to be treated
- Tokyo - St. Luke's International Hospital (Chuo-ku), Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital (Shibuya-ku).
- Kyoto - Kyoto University Hospital.
- Osaka - Osaka University Hospital.
The ambulance is free; the hospital is not. Carry insurance that covers treatment.
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