Pollen Allergies in Japan

ByRay Proper

Allergies, April, Login, March, May

Mar 20, 2019

Pollen Allergies in Japan

The proportion of people who have problems with allergies in Japan is startlingly high.  People who suffer from allergies will suffer severe reactions from the pollen such as:

• Nasal congestion
• Sneezing
• Cough
• Watery eyes
• Runny nose
• Scratchy throat

The most common culprit for producing allergy symptoms in Japan is the Japanese cedar, or Sugi Tree. It is said that 1 in 3 people in Japan suffer allergy symptoms as a direct result of Japanese cedar tree’s pollen. It is also common for people to arrive in Japan with no allergies, but develop them over time as a result of the extreme onslaught of pollen from Japan’s usual suspects:

• Japanese cedar         (Sugi)                    (From February to April)
• Japanese cypress     (Hinoki)                (From mid-March to early May)
• Rice plant                    (Ine)                      (From May to mid-July, and mid-August to mid-October)
• Ragweed                     (Butakusa)         (From mid-August to October)
• Artemisia                     (Yomogi)             (From mid-August to October)

The best advice for dealing with pollen is to avoid exposure to the pollen as much as possible.  You will see Japanese people, especially ladies, bundled up from head to toe; including face mask and goggles to avoid any contact with the dreaded little grains of pollen.  It looks a little strange, but it is a testament to the allergy or allergies they are suffering that they go to such extremes, and it is actually recommended by doctors.

If you find that you have a particularly bad reaction to the pollen in Japan, we recommend you try the following remedies:

• Wear a Mask and Goggles
• Take Allergy Medicine (Amazon link)
• Green Tea
• Sinus Cleansing
• Use an Air Cleaner/change filters regularly

For more information, please find take a look at the following links:

• Allergies in Japan – how to deal – Surviving in Japan http://www.survivingnjapan.com/2010/07/allergies-in-japan-how-to-deal.html
• Staying Healthy in Japan http://www.tokyo-icc.jp/guide_eng/preinfo/02.html
• Tokyo Weather and Pollen Levels http://www.accuweather.com/en/jp/tokyo/226396/allergies-weather/226396

Image by MrPanyGoff (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons