Skip to main content

Five Drugstore Essentials You Might Find Useful During Your Vacation in Japan

Vacations are fun getaways from your hectic daily lives, a way to relax and have fun. Sometimes though, the unexpected happens - you forget to bring important items and enter panic mode! When that happens, hop into one of the local drugstores. and you are sure to find what you need there! 

Here is a list of useful items that I got my hands on during my trip to Japan. They served me so well in my time of need that I would classify them as absolute essentials! Maybe they will serve you as well as they served me.

If Your Feet Aches From Walking...

1. Kinomegumi Foot Detox Patch

Kinomegumi Foot Detox Patch
The different foot patch scents 

When vacationing in Japan, chances are you will be walking NON-STOP. Constant walking and especially in footwear not meant for long-distance walking (ahem ladies, note to wear comfortable shoes!) is going to leave you with tired and complaining feet by the end of the day. 

Luckily for you (and your poor feet), you can easily find the Kinomegumi foot patches in any drugstore! They come in several different scents like rose, lavender, grapefruit, mugwort, chili, etc. I used the lavender one which gave off a pleasant scent as I applied the patches to my feet. 

The entire process is really simple. Before you turn in for the night, wash your feet and ensure they are dried well. Stick on the detox patch with the adhesive sheet and you are good for the night. 

Remove the patch in the morning and wash the stickiness from your feet with some water or damp cloth. Ta-da... You are now ready for another day of romping around Japan! 

If You Wear Contacts or Have Dry Eyes...

2. Rohto Lycée Eye Drops

Rohto Lycée Eye Drops
Rohto Lycée Eye Drops

This one is for you peeps who wear contacts that may dry out your eyes. Or if you generally have dry eyes.. I didn't use it personally but my partner said it was good, reducing the redness of his eyes when it got too dry. So if you have dry eyes in Japan, maybe waltz into a drugstore and grab one of these...

If Your Face Feels Dry... 

3. Face Masks

LuLuLun and Keana Rice Face Masks
Tried these two face masks during one of my the trips


Kose Cosmeport face mask
The Kose Cosmeport mask!

Holidays are the best time to pamper your skin a little. And there is no better time to get started than in Japan, where you will find a huge variety of face mask packs to choose from! Don't believe me?

Just venture into any drug store and you will see rows upon rows of face packs hanging invitingly for you to get your hands on. I have tried three face mask brands during two separate trips. Both during springtime, where the cool weather was a little drying for my skin and face. 

Loved the Keana Rice Mask which I thought was moisturising enough for mine and my partner's skin. The LuLuLun one was alright, it did make our face feel a little itchy when we first put it on. No adverse reactions but not the most comfortable feeling. The Kose Cosmeport mask (I tried the glow brightening one) was not too bad. They have other types of masks too like the Good night Repair Cream or the Smoothing masks, which I would definitely try on my next trip! 

If You Are Looking to Moisturise Your Skin...

4. Hatomugi Skin Conditioner

Hatomugi Skin Conditioner
My overused bottle of Hatomugi Skin Conditioner

Dry skin tends to plaque me in dry, cool weather and the worst thing happened on my Japan trip. I forget my bottle of body lotion at home! Off to the drugstore and one bottle of Hatomugi Skin Conditioning purchase later, my skin was as happy as can be.

It has a very lightweight texture and didn't feel oily at all like a lot of other moisturisers tend to be. For those of you who are not fans of fragrances, this one has almost no fragrance. Overall, quite perfect for those who hate feeling like they have something lathered over their skin.

If You Need Sun Protection...

5. Bioré UV Watery Gel

Bioré UV Watery Gel
Bioré is always in my bag!

If you need sun protection, the drugstore is the best place to hunt for sun blocks! I tried the Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel and have stuck with it since. It has a lightweight texture (you might already notice this is a big checkbox for me!) that didn't leave a white cast, as most sunscreens tend to do. Easy to apply and it never caused adverse reactions to my eyes as some other sunscreens are wont to do. 


So that's it! I hope this helps you if you ever find yourself needing to purchase essentials in Japan. 

** Be sure to also check out my Tips for First Time Japanese Travellers and Recommended Tokyo DisneySea Merchandises posts if you are visiting Japan!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NUS's IS5008, IS5111 and IS5128 Reviews - Master of Computing (Information Systems) Modules

Having just completed my first year of Master of Computing, specialising in Information Systems, I feel like I badly need this upcoming summer break to 'recuperate' before embarking on my next year of study. It hasn't been completely easy to jump into computing from having hardly any background at all (taking the IS specialisation does make it easier though).  Anyway I am halfway into the journey and damn glad for it! For those who are making the jump like me, have faith that you can make it. And maybe I will see you some time in some module.. Before I immerse completely in my break though, I thought I should do a review of all the three modules that I took within this semester. They have all been IS modules but I do hope I will at least find the courage to do a CS module within the next year. **Fingers Crossed**   UPDATE : I did end up doing one CS module - CS5228 so you could also check out that review, link in next paragraph. In this post, I will cover my  Year 1, Seme...
8 comments
Read more

NUS's IS5005 and IS5009 Reviews - Master of Computing (Information Systems) Modules

With a new academic year fast approaching within the next few months, I thought I better get my Semester 1 modules review out before taking a well-deserved break from modules and study. Afterall, it feels like quite a feat to have completed my first year in Master of Computing, specialising in Information Systems, which hasn't been easy considering my jump into computing from having hardly any background at all. But enough about me and on to the reviews. In this post, I will cover my Year 1, Semester 1 modules - IS5005 and IS5009 whereas other posts will cover my Year 1, Semester 2 modules - IS5008, IS5111 and IS5128  ,   Year 2, Semester 1 modules - CS5228, IS5116 and IS5151  and Year 2, Semester 2 modules - IS5002 and IS5004 . So do check them out too. Alternatively, you could also check out my post on some tips to do well in your part-time Masters ! And now for the Year 1, Semester 1 modules which might be some of your choice picks for the upcoming year.... IS5005 - ...
15 comments
Read more

NUS's CS5228, IS5116 and IS5151 Reviews - Master of Computing Modules

 So the first semester of my second year of Master of Computing, specialising in Information Systems, was for lack of a better word, NIGHTMARISH. Somehow I chose modules that were somewhat heavy and on top of that, had to content with a job change right in the middle of the semester! But all things eventually come to an end, even nightmarish semesters. All is well that ends well as they say. In this post, I will cover my  Year 2, Semester 2 modules  - CS5228, IS5116 and IS5151 in the hopes that it will help all of you with your own planning and scheduling for the semester. This semester also marks me undertaking my first CS module (and probably the last one). There are just too many IS modules I am interested in doing and will probably do those. For reviews on the other IS modules I took, do check out those posts here -  Year 1, Semester 1 modules - IS5005 and IS5009  ,  Year 1, Semester 2 modules - IS5008, IS5111 and IS5128  and Year 2, Semester 2 mod...
5 comments
Read more