Japantravel vaccines & health advice · from Calgary

Not being allowed to bring your own medicine in

The Government of Canada limits you to a one-month supply of prescription medication or a two-month supply of non-prescription medication, provided none of it contains narcotics — codeine included — and requires a doctor’s note with your full name, address, reason for use and dosage. It names adderall, amphetamines, codeine, methamphetamines and pseudoephedrine among medications that cannot be brought in. Larger supplies or narcotic-containing prescriptions need import certification applied for in advance, several months before arrival.

Prevention Bring your boxes or your labels to us before you book anything non-refundable. We will print a full medication list with generic names and doses, flag anything that touches the restricted categories, and tell you early if you need the import certificate. Confirm the current rules with Japan’s embassy or consulate — CDC recommends exactly that, and the rules do change.

Earthquakes and tsunamis

The Government of Canada notes Japan experiences thousands of earthquakes of varying magnitudes each year, some of them triggering tsunamis, and that deaths, injuries and significant damage may occur. Japan is prone to tsunamis, and a tsunami can occur within minutes of a nearby earthquake.

Prevention Carry a few days of essential medication on your person rather than leaving all of it in the room. Know your hotel’s evacuation route on the first night. Keep your medication list and insurance details saved offline where you can reach them without a hotel safe.

Typhoons, heat and volcanic ash

Typhoons usually occur between June and October, and the Government of Canada notes Okinawa and the surrounding islands are more vulnerable. Severe heat waves periodically affect Japan between July and September and it says high temperatures can be dangerous; CDC says heat-related illness such as heat stroke can be deadly. There are a number of active volcanoes, and ash clouds can disrupt air travel and cause or worsen breathing problems.

Prevention Build slack into July and August plans and treat the heat as a real hazard, not an inconvenience. If you have asthma or another lung condition, keep your reliever on you rather than in the case. Travel insurance that covers disruption, not just illness.

Ticks

The Government of Canada says tick-borne encephalitis is a risk in some areas of Japan, with higher risk from April to November, and that the vaccine is not available in Canada. CDC covers ticks in its bite-prevention advice for Japan.

Prevention CDC advises a repellent with 20% or more DEET for several hours of protection. Long trousers tucked into socks on trails, a check of skin and scalp after every hike, and prompt removal of anything attached.

Dengue

The Government of Canada describes the risk of dengue in Japan as sporadic, and notes there is no vaccine or medication available in Canada to prevent it.

Prevention The same repellent that handles the ticks. Long sleeves in the evening in the warmer months, and screened or air-conditioned rooms where you have the choice.

Animals, including bats

The Government of Canada says rabies may be present in some wildlife including bats, and advises avoiding contact with animals such as stray dogs, livestock, monkeys, snakes, rodents, birds and bats. CDC says animal bites and scratches can lead to serious diseases including rabies, and that if you wake in a room with a bat you should seek medical care immediately. It also notes that where an exposure does occur, rabies vaccine is typically available throughout most of Japan. The Government of Canada separately flags an increased presence of bears in Akita, Niigata and Hokkaido, including sightings in urban areas.

Prevention Do not feed or handle the wildlife, however tame it looks or however many other people are doing it. Wash any bite or scratch immediately and get seen the same day rather than waiting to see how it looks.

Roads, and which side they are on

CDC names motor vehicle crashes the number one killer of healthy travellers abroad, and notes specifically that traffic in Japan flows on the left side of the road.

Prevention The dangerous moment for a Canadian is crossing a quiet street on foot, not driving — look right first, then left. If you are renting a car, do the first hour somewhere forgiving rather than in Osaka.

A drink you did not watch

The Government of Canada warns about spiked drinks, particularly in Tokyo entertainment districts, and advises caution in Kabukicho, Roppongi, Shibuya, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku and Golden-gai. It also notes crimes against foreigners are low but increasing, with petty crime such as pickpocketing occurring from time to time. Penalties for drug-related offences are severe.

Prevention Ordinary sense, in the same places you would use it anywhere: watch the pour, do not leave the glass, leave with the people you arrived with.

Getting treated

This one is good news and the page should say so. The Government of Canada describes health care in Japan as very good, with service available throughout the country — though services in English may be limited in rural areas. It still advises travel insurance that includes coverage for medical evacuation.

Prevention Carry a Japanese-readable copy of your medication list using generic names, since that is what a pharmacist anywhere can match. Save your insurance policy number offline. Insurance with medical evacuation, because rural is where the language gap is.

One appointment can cover everyone

Bring the whole household to the same consultation. We review each person’s records separately but plan the trip as one, which usually means fewer visits and no repeated explanations. Tell us how many people when you book so we set aside the time.

The import rules apply to the children’s medicine too

Children’s cold and cough preparations are exactly the sort of thing that gets thrown in a suitcase without a second look, and they are exactly where the restricted ingredients live — the Government of Canada names pseudoephedrine and codeine among the medications that cannot be brought into Japan. Bring the children’s boxes as well as your own. The one-month prescription and two-month non-prescription limits apply per traveller.

Hepatitis A and children

CDC frames hepatitis A for Japan as worth considering for most travellers, and recommends it specifically for smaller cities, villages, rural areas and street food. Children tend to do all of those with more enthusiasm and less handwashing than adults. The Government of Canada does not list it for Japan. Ask us at the appointment and we will go through it per child rather than per family.

Animals that look tame, and children who do not stop to think

The Government of Canada advises avoiding contact with animals including stray dogs, monkeys, rodents and bats, and says rabies may be present in some wildlife. CDC says animal bites and scratches can lead to serious diseases including rabies. Small children approach animals, are less likely to mention a scratch, and are more often caught on the face or hands. Agree the rule before you land, and if something does happen, get it looked at the same day — CDC notes rabies vaccine is typically available throughout most of Japan.

Bring what you have, not what you think we need

Any immunisation records you can find, for each traveller. Alberta records we can often look up; out-of-province and overseas records we cannot. A photo of a yellow card is plenty. Photos of medication boxes are just as useful for this destination.