Caught a cold or feeling sick in Japan? Where to buy medicine and how to find a doctor

Over-the-counter (OTC) medicine in Japan is sold by pharmacies (薬局, yakkyoku) and by drugstores licensed to sell it, and a pharmacist (薬剤師) or a registered seller (登録販売者, tōroku hanbaisha) handles the sale. Japan's national tourism organisation (JNTO) points visitors who don't need a doctor to a nearby pharmacy or drugstore, suggests consulting the pharmacist or registered sales clerk if necessary, and warns that some types of medicine can't be bought when the pharmacist isn't there.

Don't count on a convenience store. In a March 2022 submission to the government's regulatory reform council, Lawson said that only 400 of Japan's 57,323 konbini (0.7%, as of the end of February 2022) sold medicine. The same submission found that only a small share of the big drugstore chains' branches in Tokyo were open 24 hours, and none of the branches it counted in Tottori and Kumamoto prefectures, so late at night your options are limited; see the section on finding a doctor below for the phone lines that run around the clock.

JNTO's guide for when you feel ill also links to an English-language search of OTC medicines sold in Japan, searchable by name, affected body part or purpose, which can help you show the staff what you are looking for.

A konbini is still useful for the non-medicine basics. FamilyMart's own daily-goods range, for example, lists non-woven masks (不織布マスク) at 30 for ¥598 including tax, alongside plasters and towels. FamilyMart notes that prices can vary by region and that not every store carries every item.

Konbini are also the easiest place to pick up drinks, soft food and tissues at any hour. If you need a thermometer (体温計, taionkei), cooling gel sheets (冷却シート) or a humidifying mask, a drugstore has a wider choice, or you can order them online (see below).

Every OTC medicine in Japan carries its risk class on the outer package, and the class decides who may sell it and how. Fukuoka City's public health centre summarises the system. Medicines requiring guidance (要指導医薬品) are sold only face to face by a pharmacist. First-class medicines (第1類医薬品) are those with a particularly high risk; only a pharmacist may sell them, the pharmacist must explain them to you, and they are kept behind the counter or in a locked case where you can't pick them up yourself.

Second-class medicines (第2類医薬品) carry a relatively high risk and are sold by a pharmacist or registered seller, who should try to give you information; Fukuoka City's table lists most cold medicines and fever and pain relievers as examples. Designated second-class items (指定第2類医薬品), which need particular care, must be displayed within 7 m of the counter where staff give advice. Third-class medicines (第3類医薬品) carry a relatively low risk. Whatever the class, the pharmacist or registered seller must answer if you ask them a question.

In practice: tell the staff your symptoms, any medicine you already take and any allergies, and ask which product suits you. A useful question is 薬剤師さんはいますか？ (yakuzaishi-san wa imasu ka? Is there a pharmacist here?). Read the leaflet in the box, and ask the staff if you can't read it. Japanese law also allows OTC medicine to be sold online under the same rules, with a pharmacist or registered seller answering by email first, but delivery takes time; this guide links only to non-medicine items.

Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) lets you bring medicine for your own use without paperwork up to these amounts: prescription drugs (and poisons or powerful drugs), up to a one-month supply; medicines for external use, up to 24 of each item; injectable drugs with their syringes (only pre-filled syringes or self-injection kits), up to a one-month supply; and other medicines and quasi-drugs, up to a two-month supply. Disposable contact lenses are allowed up to a two-month supply, and one set of a household medical device.

For more than that, you must apply for an Import Confirmation (輸入確認証, formerly called Yakkan Shoumei), receive it before you leave home and show it at customs on arrival; MHLW says some applications can now be made online. Narcotics such as morphine and fentanyl, and stimulants' raw materials such as lisdexamfetamine, are prohibited unless a patient has a prescription and has received permission from the director of a Regional Bureau of Health and Welfare before entering Japan. Prohibited and controlled drugs can't be brought in at all. MHLW also restricts products sold abroad with claims to boost brain function or other mental effects that contain certain designated ingredients.

Rules can change, so check MHLW's page and its Q&A before you fly; it lists the regional bureaus to contact. Bringing what you normally use also means you don't have to search for an equivalent in a Japanese drugstore.

JNTO's guide for when you feel ill lets you search medical institutions by prefecture, language and department, and suggests contacting the clinic before you go, since services and languages vary and treatment can't always be provided. Its symptom table sends fever, sore throat, cough and runny nose to internal medicine (内科, naika), ear, nose and throat problems to otorhinolaryngology (耳鼻咽喉科, jibi-inkōka) and children's illnesses to paediatrics (小児科, shōnika). JNTO says to visit a clinic or general hospital during regular hours, or the after-hours reception, which varies by region, if you need a doctor.

For phone help, JNTO's Japan Visitor Hotline (050-3816-2787, or +81-50-3816-2787 from overseas) runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in English, Chinese and Korean and covers emergencies such as illness, including introductions to medical institutions where you can consult in a foreign language. In Tokyo, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's HIMAWARI service (03-5285-8181, every day 9:00–20:00) answers in English, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Spanish about which medical institutions can help in your language, what treatment might cost without Japanese insurance and how the medical system works. The service is free, but you pay for the call. In an emergency, call 119 for an ambulance; JNTO suggests showing 救急車を呼んでください (Please call an ambulance) to someone nearby.

At the clinic, JNTO says to ask reception for a rough estimate of the cost, fill in the medical sheet, see the doctor and pay. Only major hospitals take credit cards; clinics generally accept cash only. If you get a prescription, you take it to a pharmacy and pay for the medicine separately, though some clinics hand out medicine themselves.

Without insurance you may be charged the full cost. JNTO notes that some travel insurance can be bought online even after you have entered Japan, with cover of up to ¥10 million, interpretation, help arranging a medical institution and cash-free payment, where the bill goes to the insurer instead of you; conditions vary by insurer. JNTO cites cases in which surgery, a hospital stay and the flight home cost ¥7.5 million and ¥10 million, and warns that visitors who don't pay their medical bills may be refused entry to Japan in the future.

If you feel ill at an inn, tell the front desk early and ask for help finding a clinic or calling ahead. At Ikaho's Omori, an April 2026 family praised staff for finding a paediatric clinic when a child fell ill, and at Takayama's Hiranoya Kofukan a May 2026 guest said the room's reclining beds let an unwell friend rest properly. Some plans allow for illness: Gero's Ogawaya offers a baby plan with no cancellation fee if the baby falls ill. Ask about your own booking's cancellation terms.

If the room feels dry, ask about a humidifier. Some inns provide them: Nozawa Onsen's Sumiyoshiya puts a kotatsu and a humidifier in every room in winter, and the single rooms at Iwaki's Iwaso come with a humidifier. If yours has none, a humidifying mask is one option. Remote inns can be far from any shop: at Gōra's Hanaougi, for instance, there are no vending machines nearby, while Awara's Mimatsu is near shops and a drugstore. Buy what you need before you arrive.

Go easy on the onsen. The bathing notes that Japan's Environment Ministry set for hot-spring facilities (as reproduced by the Hokkaido Government) list the active phase of an illness, especially when you have a fever, among the general reasons not to bathe. They also say to rest when you are very tired, to drink a glass of water before and after bathing, to get out slowly and lie down if you feel dizzy or unwell, and to keep warm and rest for about 30 minutes afterwards.

If you have a few days left, Amazon.co.jp and Rakuten can send non-medicine items such as a compact humidifier, a thermometer or a neck warmer to your inn or a konbini nearby. Check the delivery date at checkout before you order; our guide to delivery to your ryokan explains how it works for visitors.

Ask the ryokan before you send anything. Yamato Transport says it delivers to a hotel or ryokan if the accommodation is willing to accept the parcel, asks that it be sent at least two days before check-in (three, depending on distance), and notes that some inns restrict where and when you can collect parcels. If you're ill and staying deep in the mountains, buying in town on the way is often quicker.