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hay fever

We asked our Japanese team of writers how they deal with seasonal allergies in Japan

When you’re all choked up and there’s nose way out, take a leaf out of our book to get yourself out of the throes of nose blows.

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Spring pollen may be damaging your skin, so what’s Japan’s best moisturizing anti-hay fever spray?

Tell the plants “No, thank you!” to stinging skin with these five popular sprays.

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Can slapping on some nose filters prevent the anguish of hay fever?

And is the illusion of snot better than actual snot?

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Want to enjoy sakura season but have allergies? Tokyo indoor park offers the perfect solution

The Tenbou-Park Sakura Festival in Ikebukuro’s popular Sunshine City shopping complex promises a sneeze and itchy eyes-free flower-viewing experience.

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Hay fever got you down? Doctors recommend wiggling around on the floor like a dying cockroach

It doesn’t look any sillier than snot running out your nose.

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Surgical mask maker says we, and a lot of Japan, have been wearing them wrong our whole lives

Simple screw-up can let in 40 percent more viruses and pollen, manufacturer says.

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High pollen levels in Eastern Japan create pretty rainbow suns

It probably doesn’t make the suffering any better, but it’s very pretty nonetheless.

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There’ll be hell toupee after devil winds cause hair-raising mayhem across Japan

Last week, Japan was buffetted by dust-flinging devils winds leading to many a cancelled event, toppled bicycle, and… a flying hairpiece…

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We cover our faces in pollen to try and trigger an allergic reaction【RocketScience】

You might be asking yourself: “Why?” Which is probably something we should have done too.

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Genetically altered rice could solve Japan’s pollen allergy problem

Good news for all those who live in Japan and suffer from pollen allergies! Scientists have genetically modified rice in an attempt to desensitize the body to that nasty Japanese cedar pollen that causes all of the sneezing, mask-wearing and eye-watering every spring. Just think, eating some of this special rice everyday could relieve you from all of your hay fever woes!

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Lotus root: the enlightened way to knock out hay fever

Most of my early trips to Japan involved visiting my brother, back when he was living in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture. One day while waiting for a train at the station, I passed the time by staring out at one of the many lotus farms the town is known for.

“Ah, Japan!” I thought as the plants swayed almost hypnotically in the hot summer breeze. “So appreciative of the beauty of nature!” The lotus must be so highly prized that it’s economically worthwhile to use large tracts of what little arable land the country has to cultivate and sell the flowers, I concluded.

I found out later that I was only half right. While it is true that Japan tends to get more excited about blossoming flora than other nations, all those lotuses weren’t being grown for aesthetic reasons. Lotus root, called renkon in Japanese, is edible, and not only is it delicious, it can also help you cope with one of the absolute worst parts of life in Japan: hay fever.

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How tired of allergies are you? Thanko hopes enough to wear this giant USB-powered mask

We’ve covered many products developed by Thanko – that company always seems to have clever ideas and is never afraid to flirt with madness – in the past. Their upside-down desk, and upside-down cushion both look very tempting, whereas their more ambitious products such as camera glasses and the Fanbrella seem inherently flawed with poor battery performance.

Whether Thanko’s newest release, the USB Pollen Blocker crosses the crazy train tracks remains to be seen.

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Japanese Scientists Engineer Pollenless Cedar Trees, May Be Too Late to Alleviate Japan’s Growing Hay Fever Problem

Every year, pollen counts in Japan are getting worse. In fact, pollen levels in Tokyo were literally off the charts just a few weeks ago. As a result, for four months out of the year, an estimated 15 to 30 percent of the Japanese population suffers from hay fever.

The tragedy of this situation is that Japan’s pollen problems are caused by its own government which encouraged people to plant cedar trees to meet the growing demand for timber in the 1940s and to replace forests that were destroyed during WWII. Hay fever was actually relatively rare in Japan until the 1960s when the millions of cedar trees began to mature and produce pollen.

As cedar pollen levels continue to climb, Japanese scientists may have found a solution to the problem: pollenless cedar trees.

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Hay Fever Sufferers, Stay Out of Tokyo, Pollen Density Levels Are Off the Charts

It’s already March and things are starting to look a lot like spring. The sun is out, the birds are back, and those dead hunks of wood are starting to look a little more like trees. Sunny skies are here again and everyone seems to have a pep back in their step… except for those with allergies.

Now, let’s be honest, for those who suffer from hay fever, spring is a b*tch. Excuse the profanity, but hay fever sufferers know that the coming of spring signals itchy eyes, piles of tissues, and all around unpleasantness. If you have hay fever and were thinking about visiting Tokyo, think again; this weekend’s pollen levels are literally off the charts.

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Forget Surgical Masks and Fake Glasses, Wear Your Allergy Remedy Around Your Neck With the Virus Blocker!

Spring brings new life, new love, warmer weather and so many other great things. It also brings with it heaps of pollen, and we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of pollen season. While it’s been a pretty easy year in terms of pollen, many of us are still shut indoors and suffering. I may have stumbled upon an easy, cost-effective way to take care of that, though.
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