Medication in Japan

I can only mention about our experiences as a family that frequently visits Japan. and that would be that during simple illnesses such as flu and fever and having visited a hopsital in the area of Numazu in Shizuoka Prefecture, that of the three large hospitals in the area, the first one we visited was closed. The second was better and we managed to find a receptionist who could speak a little English and also a doctor who could speak very little English but enough.

The medicine prescribed for my wife's flu was nothing that we had heard of and we assumed it was totally Japanese. However, the results were excellent and that has given us a very good impression of medicines and healthcare in Japan.

There are drugstores and minimarts everywhere and you can always easily buy medicines for simple ailments, as long as you can find someone who speaks a little English. Minimarts such as 7-eleven and Family Mart have some great lozenges with also have an antibiotic ingredient and as good if not better than those that we find in other countries.

Fortunately we have not had any serious incidents in Japan and as we are not yet living there we have no need to medical insurance there.

In japan l can find most of the medication l need. Although there are 2 major problems. A lot of medication have a different name, or get a Japanese version of the name. Also l find a lot of medication is weaker than what l used in my home country. For strong medication you need to visit a doctor to get a prescription.