Traveling with Medications in Japan

Typically, we don't look at prescription and over-the-counter medication requirements for travel until the fall before we travel, but as I was chatting with our tour consultant at the first of the year, she mentioned that she had attended a short seminar on travel in Japan. We already know that with COVID-19, there are bound to be travel restrictions depending on where you go. Keep in mind that Japan is one of the few countries in the world that as recently as July 2022 began to open its borders to foreign travelers. 

As we begin to prepare for our trip abroad, not only do we have to be aware of our travel documents needed to exit and enter our country of departure and destination, but we also need to be aware of their restrictions on the types of medications allowed for personal use within the country and how much can be imported or brought with you in your luggage. Thus, of course, the consequences that go along with them. 

Decisions on which medications or prescription drugs can be brought into Japan are made solely by the Japanese Government and subject to control under Japan’s Pharmaceutical Affairs Law.  Many common medications and over-the-counter drugs in the United States are illegal in Japan.  It does not matter if you have a valid U.S. prescription for a medicine/drug which is illegal in Japan:  if you bring it with you, you risk arrest and detention by the Japanese authorities.  The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Japan do not maintain a comprehensive list of prohibited medications or ingredients. Comprehensive information is available only from the Japanese government and is subject to change without notice. 

All travelers are encouraged to check before traveling to Japan at  Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare  (MHLW) website, including reviewing FAQ , or to email yakkan@mhlw.go.jp.

Here is one of the links with information for those who are bringing medicines for personal use into Japan. 

Read more below on the policies and where/how to apply for a "Yunyu Kakunin-sho" certificate.

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/policy/health-medical/pharmaceuticals/01.html

To import medicines from overseas is subject to control by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law and the Customs Law to prevent health hazard caused by defective products.

Therefore, when you enter into Japan, procedures should be done depending on your bringing medicines even if you have medicines for personal use. When you bring your personal medicines into Japan, you have to apply for what is called a "Yunyu Kakunin-sho", a kind of import certificate, and receive it before you leave home, and declare it to the officer at customs.

1. Drugs, Quasi Drugs

2. Cosmetics

3. Medical Devices

4. Narcotics, Psychotropics

Find more information from the Japanese Embassy regarding bringing over the counter medications and prescriptions into Japan. 

https://jp.usembassy.gov/services/importing-medication/ 

I know it's a lot to take in and process, but I wanted you all to have it in the back of your minds now so that if you are on a prescription medication or require over-the-counter medications throughout our trip, we have the proper documents and clearances. I will check the Japanese embassy page again before we travel to ensure that we are traveling with the appropriate amounts of medications. Dionne and I typically bring along a small med kit each day for what may come our way, so this is definitely something to keep on your radars. 

Japanese Language & Culture Lesson 3 - January 9, 2023

 

HAPPY MONDAY! 

It was great to see everyone for another lesson this evening! Michael was very insightful and we were able to take a glance at some of our tour destinations in tonight's lesson. 

I've linked Michael's presentation from this evening's class below as well as a version with his speaker notes. He talked about so many things this evening with multiple recommendations for some of the cities that we will be visiting next summer. I can't believe that it is now truly only a year and a half away! Just 548 days left!

Lesson 3 presentation

Lesson 3 presentation with speaker notes

I think I am finally working out the kinks and nuances of the virtual option for our travelers who cannot attend the classes in person. I'm hoping to perfect our experience before our last class this year! 🤣

View the recording of today's class below. 

It was great timing that Michael had discussed transportation in tonight's class as well. After finally re-opening its borders to the rest of the world and the decrease in COVID cases around the world, tourism is not quite at the same level as it used to be. Things are slowly going back to normal but there are still some restrictions on travel within the country itself. 

Below is a quick video of some of the changes to travel on the Shinkansen and other travel rules post-COVID. 

Mark your calendars for our next three sessions! 

All classes are held at the William Byrd High School library on the second Monday of every month at 5:00 pm until April 2023: 

• Monday, February 13, 2023 
• Monday, March 13, 2023 
• Monday, April 10, 2023

We will send out an email to travelers and post to our pages if there are any changes to the above dates as we are now entering the months when we typically have snow/ice days.

Send us a message if you have any questions! 

Visit our Linktree https://linktr.ee/vintonworldtrekkers to follow us on social media or read our blog! 

Adventure Awaits in 2025!

 

We’ve already had a number of families register for our 2025 Austria, Germany, and Switzerland trip interest meeting and I’m thrilled with how much interest our community has shown in this life-changing experience. All questions about this opportunity will be answered at our meeting.

Registration: https://bit.ly/3Gf0xIG for the meeting is mandatory.

Those who register for and attend the meeting will receive the opportunity for a $200 early enrollment discount!

📅 Wednesday, January 18
⏰ 6:00 PM
🏠 Vinton Library
🔗 Register here: https://bit.ly/3Gf0xIG 

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Nengajo: Japanese New Years Card

 Nengajo: Japanese New Years Card

As I sit here on the first Friday of 2023, I love to see all the different traditions around the world for ushering in a brand new year. While the United States celebrates the new year on January 1st, other cultures like China and other Asian countries wait until the Chinese New Year, which lands on January 22nd, this year. 

If you’re on Twitter, go follow @Travel21JPN. The account posts many informative videos and tidbits of information almost every day. Today’s post is about the Japanese tradition of giving a New Year’s card  watch the video below  

"Recently, e-mail and SNS have been popular, however in Japan, as the new year comes closer, special greeting cards make their appearance."

[Travel Japan: Selected Videos 1829]

#Nengajo #NewYear #年賀状

Video (2:03) https://youtu.be/ky0WvgC1BHw

Source: Twitter @Travel21JPN

Central Europe 2025 - Interest Meeting

 

An age-old folkloric heritage is alive and well in the villages, towns, and big cities of Central Europe. Visiting the Glockenspiel in Munich and the spectacular Alpine mountains of Lucerne conjures up ancient stories and fables. And in Vienna, you can practically hear Mozart and Beethoven’s symphonies as you walk in their footsteps.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Travel is an opportunity to learn and discover new cultures, so we encourage others to travel as a learning experience.

2022 was a year that started with some uncertainty in so many ways when it came to travel but thankfully, we were able to make our July 2022 trip to Europe become a reality. There were some bumps in the road leading to our trip with itinerary changes not only due to the COVID situation but also to the conflict in Ukraine and Russia. Travelers and parents were flexible as we navigated those uncertain waters, but in the end, we had a successful trip with our awesome tour director, Mia Rakocevic, and group leader, Dionne Nichols. 

As we begin 2023, we are making some changes to how often we schedule a trip. Since Vinton Worldtrekkers began in 2016 - Cherry Bell literally decided on the name in the Dulles International Airport as she departed with her first ever group of travelers - trips are planned at least 2 years out to give travelers enough time to make smaller and more manageable payments towards a trip. If you are new to Vinton WorldTrekkers, you may already be familiar with our group leaders Cherry Bell and Dionne; we would like to reintroduce them to you but also introduce our new teacher with Vinton WorldTrekkers, Ashley Satterfield, who will be leading our 2025 tour. Stay tuned for more information on that trip!

Read more about each of our group leaders below!