Featured

pollen

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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…

Read More

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.

Read More

Japanese gachapon machines now dispensing weirdest products ever

There are six crazy straps in this collection, but can you guess what they’re meant to represent?

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.
Read More