Japan: Tourist Health And Safety Guide

The good thing about Japan is that, unlike in nearly all Asian countries, there are almost no health risks here. No Japanese encephalitis, even- so you can rest assured. What’s even better is that the Japanese medical profession is very reliable and generally competent, so should you have the misfortune to fall ill, you can hope to be in fairly safe hands.

If you’re on medication of any sort, take the medicine in its original packaging to Japan (Customs can make a fuss at times), carry the prescription along with you, and make sure you know what is the generic name for the medicine- the brand name may be different in Japan. Throughout Japan, the telephone number to call for an ambulance is 119.

Japan is, thankfully, a very safe country to be in- there are virtually no dangerous diseases (malaria, cholera, rabies and the like) lurking around the next corner, and crime rates are very low too. Muggings and theft are, in fact, so uncommon that many Japanese are in the habit of carrying large amounts of cash around with them, instead of adopting the Western habit of using a credit card. While in Japan, you need not be on your guard all the time. Don’t be careless and leave your valuables lying around, but don’t get paranoid about them being stolen, either- it’s unlikely to happen.