Needing medicine in a new country is stressful, especially when the shelves, the labels, and the system all feel unfamiliar. The good news is that Japan's pharmacy system is well organized once you know the two basic types of shop and a few words to look for. This is an orientation guide only, not medical advice. For anything about your symptoms or what to take, always ask a pharmacist or a doctor.
Two kinds of pharmacy
- Drugstore (ドラッグストア, doraggu-sutoa): a general store for over-the-counter (OTC) medicine plus daily goods like toiletries, cosmetics, and snacks. You can buy common OTC medicine here without a prescription. A licensed pharmacist or registered seller is on hand for some categories of medicine.
- Dispensing pharmacy (調剤薬局, chouzai-yakkyoku): this is where you fill a doctor's prescription. They are usually clustered right next to clinics and hospitals, often marked 処方箋受付 (we accept prescriptions). Many also sell some OTC items, but their main job is preparing prescribed medicine.
- OTC medicine in Japan is sorted into classes. For some classes a pharmacist must give you information before you buy, so you may be asked a question or two at the counter.
Filling a prescription, step by step
- 1See a doctor at a clinic or hospital. If you need medicine, they issue a paper prescription (処方箋, shohousen).
- 2Take that prescription to a dispensing pharmacy (調剤薬局), often the one right outside the clinic.
- 3Hand over your prescription, your health insurance card, and your medicine notebook if you have one. The pharmacist prepares the medicine and explains how to take it.
- 4Pay and collect your medicine. With Japanese health insurance you usually pay a portion of the cost; the exact share depends on your coverage.
A Japanese prescription is valid for exactly 4 days, and that count includes the day it is issued, weekends and holidays and all. This is a firm legal deadline, not a rough guideline: once those 4 days pass, the prescription can no longer be filled and you generally have to see the doctor again. A doctor can specify a longer validity period when there is a reason to, so if you know you cannot reach a pharmacy in time, ask about this at your appointment.
The medicine notebook (お薬手帳)
The お薬手帳 (okusuri-techou) is a small booklet, or an app, that records every medicine you have been prescribed. Pharmacies add a sticker each time. It helps any pharmacist or doctor see what you are already taking and avoid dangerous combinations, which matters most in an emergency or when you switch clinics. Ask for one for free at any dispensing pharmacy and bring it with you each visit.
- Bring your health insurance card and, if you have one, your medicine notebook every time.
- You do not have to speak Japanese: point to the symptom, use a translation app, or ask the pharmacist, who is trained to give advice.
- Generic medicine (ジェネリック) is often offered as a cheaper option; you can say yes or no.
- Pharmacy hours can be shorter than the clinic's, so do not leave a prescription until the last minute given the short validity.
- Keep medicine in its original packaging, especially anything you carry across the border.
Important: some medicines that are normal where you come from are regulated, restricted, or simply unavailable in Japan, and a Japanese product with the same name may contain different active ingredients. Bringing certain medicines into Japan, or larger quantities, can require advance permission (a Yunyu Kakunin-sho, formerly called yakkan shoumei). Rules depend on the exact drug and amount, so always check the official MHLW and Customs sources below before you travel rather than guessing.
- Can I just buy my usual medicine from home at a drugstore here?
- Not always. Some active ingredients are regulated or unavailable in Japan, and a same-named product can differ. Show a pharmacist the original package or the generic ingredient name and ask what is available. They cannot replace a doctor for prescription medicine.
- My prescription is in a foreign language. Will a pharmacy fill it?
- Japanese dispensing pharmacies fill prescriptions issued by doctors in Japan. A prescription from abroad generally cannot be filled here; you would usually need to see a doctor in Japan. For bringing your own supply in, check the import rules below.
- How much medicine can I bring into Japan without paperwork?
- It depends on the medicine and the quantity, and the rules change, so we cannot give a figure for your specific case. Check the official MHLW import-confirmation site and Japan Customs page below, or email the MHLW contact listed there, before you travel.
