10 Products To Help You Fight Hay Fever In Japan

From air purifiers to fashion masks, here are 10 essential products that will help you enjoy spring and sneeze less often. Bless you.

Temperatures are finally rising, flowers are blooming and we’ll soon be trading our winter clothes for lighter jackets to welcome the most beautiful time of year—spring!

But for some of us, this season comes with an ugly downside: a mandatory shopping spree for hay fever products. Welcoming the warmer months also comes with great fear for millions of people in Japan. The Hay fever fear. They gradually get confronted by constant sneezing, itchy eyes and streaming noses caused by all the pollen they breathe in during spring.

In 2020, the hay fever season started a little earlier than usual thanks to merciful temperatures during this winter. At this very moment, deadly pollen particles are flying almost all over Japan and should stick around until the end of March. While probably the best way to fight spring allergies is to get a prescription from your doctor, here are 10 hay fever products easily available on the Japanese market that will help you fight your allergies this season.

1. Masks

When in need of an urgent hay fever solution, masks are your best friends. They are the most immediate and practical solution as they will simply block the pollen from entering your breathing system.

Reusable cotton masks are an ecological and easily available option in Japan, you can buy them in organic or lifestyle stores such as Bio C Bon or Plaza, or simply by typing “cotton mask” on your favorite online marketplace. Unfortunately, you will have to separate yourself reusable from disposable masks but you will eventually find a cute, simple or even organic cotton mask that you can wash and reuse to taste!

Price: Around ¥1,000-¥2,500 
Where to buy: Organic, lifestyle stores, online

It’s needless to say that the current coronavirus outbreak in Japan led to a tricky situation if you didn’t stock up disposable masks in the prevision of pollen season in Japan. However, if you can manage to get your hands on them, Pitta masks are one of the most fashionable options in sight. 

First introduced in 2014 as a mask that not only blocks pollen but also a stylish option, the Pitta Mask is now an Asian fashion staple. These light and comfortable face masks are made of a soft and stretchable polyurethane material that blocks 99% of the pollen around you. Moreover, they are easy to wear and feel soft to the skin—and most importantly, don’t leave you struggling to catch your breath. 

Pitta masks also come in a wide range of colors to match your fashion looks and are available for both men, women, and kids. 

Price: Around ¥350-¥500 
Where to buy: Drugstores, convenience stores 

2. Kafun Wo Mizu Ni Kaeru Mask 

If you’re more interested in innovative products, you should try out these incredible masks developed by the creative minds at DRC. This product series is supposed to change pollen to water when in contact with the mask.

Although not differing from a regular mask at a glance, these high-tech versions come in three kinds: a regular mask that transforms pollen into water (left), a more advanced one that transforms heavy doses of pollen into water (center), and a third type (left) that turns pollen and house dust into water.

The advanced mechanics in the mask turn unsanitary proteins into water thanks to a special chemical reaction to the attached silver titanium, without wetting the mask for optimum comfort when wearing. The cherry on top? It has a hydrating effect on your throat and will be perfect for the stuffy spring season. Not recommended for people with silver allergies. 

Price: ¥1,000-¥1,400 (for a package of three masks)
Where to buy: Drugstores, convenience stores

3. MoriLabo Kafun Barrier Stick

This colorless lipstick-like-product was developed by a team at Japan’s Forest Research and Management Organization who found out that an extract from Todo pines from Hokkaido has an exceptionally high air purification effect.

For this product, all you have to do is coat the exterior of your mask with the stick and the extract will do its magic as a barrier against pollen—if you’re not allergic to pine. The stick has a refreshing forest scent and can be used for up to 45 days. 

Price: About ¥1,000
Where to buy: Loft Shibuya, most Welcia stores 

4. Zoff Air Visor 

Popular eyewear store Zoff has released a special hay fever series glasses that fully cover your eyes so that no pollen can enter your system. The glasses come in a number of different colors and sizes (including a special Disney collaboration version for the kids) to fit every pollen allergic in town!

They are specially designed to be paired with face masks, so your vision won’t get blurry every time you breathe. Glasses for children are also available. 

Price: From ¥3,000. For prescription glasses, price ranges from ¥6,000
Where to buy: Any Zoff stores across Japan

5. Kafun Barrier Taiou Coat

nano・universe developed a nylon grosgrain type of coat, designed to prevent pollen to stick on and inside your coat. Simple as it is, apparently it makes a huge difference!

The coats are available in three models (short, long with and without a hood), a variety of colors, sizes and both for men and women. This coat literally has your back covered—in every sense of the phrase. 

Price: ¥8,580-¥11,000
Where to buy: Online limited

6. Blue Pure 411 Particle + Carbon Air Purifier

 

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Blue Pure is a new compact air purifier that uses high-grade filter technologies that powerfully cleans out any pollen and viruses from the air within a 360-degree radius. The product is very easy to use and super convenient to place even in smaller rooms or areas. It also catches dust, pet dander, mold spores, allergens and bacteria‚ in addition to smoke and other unpleasant odors.

Price: ¥18,000+tax
Where to buy: Yodobashi Camera, Bic Camera, and other electric stores

7. Balmuda The Pure

This product with a very straightforward almost-Medieval name is a powerful air purifier that uses a patented fan absorbing and filtering polluted air, it cleans it up and releases fresh air. Its manufacturers swear that 99.97% of even the finest particles can be caught through their superb filter system and can quickly eliminate any concerning odors. Not to mention the simplistic design that suits any room and interior.  

Price: From ¥52,000
Where to buy: Yodobashi Camera, Bic Camera, and other electric stores

8. Ihada Aller Screen 

This spray by Shiseido Medical that became a classical can be applied directly on top of your makeup, face, hair or body and can block pollen and PM 2.5 particles. The spray has a natural essential oil scent of eucalyptus, geranium, and peppermint. 

Price: Spray type 50g (¥900), 100g (¥1,600)
Where to buy: Most drugstores across Japan

9. Hana Noa Nasal Douche

An old favorite on the Japanese market, the Hananoa nose cleanser is a simple product with a single mission: to clean the insides of your nose and get rid of all that pollen, viruses, dust and bacteria that get attached to it when you breathe.

The product comes with a special bottle, which you put in your nose, press the liquid in and spit it from your mouth. It may take you a little while to get used to it, but this one really makes a difference. Use it every time you go back home. 

Price: ¥840
Where to buy: Drugstores 

10. Kafun Plus Nose Throat Candy

While the guys at Lion obviously had a very creative marketing team to pull this one through, the actual good thing about these candies is that they have a very strong mint powder that will easily unblock your nose.

It will certainly not prevent pollen allergies but have one or two when you’re tired of breathing through your mouth and need a quick break!

Price: Around ¥200
Where to buy: Convenience stores, supermarkets, drugstores

Do you have any recommended products against pollen allergy? How are you coping with it every season? Give us your hints in the comments below!