Allergies

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…