I head up a small community for fans of a niche indie brand. The founder is doing an event in Japan with an exclusive item for people who attend! I was so excited and was looking into booking a plane ticket to go!
However.. turns out that Japan has a law that absolutely forbids stimulant medication in the country. And, no, I don't really want to upend my regimen of 8 years and risk going on a new medication for the trip.
I'm really shattered, as I wanted to attend this cool event and meet up with other enthusiasts. It really hurts to be barred from an opportunity like this.
Intuniv, Strattera, Concerta, and Vyvanse can be prescribed for ADHD in Japan. Ritalin is also available but not for ADHD, though travelers can bring a maximum of 2.16g of methylphenidate. Other stimulants such as Adderall are not allowed.
Most doctors would be willing to prescribe a different medication for the duration of your trip. It of course won't be ideal, but it would be a temporary hiccup that might be worth it considering you seem to be really excited for the trip.
I did read that which is why I noted in my comment that I realize it won't be ideal but may be worth reconsidering for the opportunity. I also wanted to provide some more complete information for the people in the comments who were gleaning false conclusions from misleading information.
OP: I hear you on not trying different meds, but one of these things is barely different from adderall (still very much a stimulant). Vyvanse is basically adderall xl, just in prodrug form. Apparently other commentors say it is allowed in japan. Prodrug just means that an enzyme plus the drug means your body creates the basically the same exact drug as adderall when ingested. If vyvanse is allowed but adderall is not that’s strange although one of vyvanse’s strengths is that it can’t be snorted, which might make some nations feel better about the drug’s potential for abuse, since it must be ingested to work.
Japan seems like such a cool place but it seems to have so many problems. Sexism and racism, everyone’s a workaholic, and war crime denial. My work has offices over there and I’ve been told that if you can get a transfer there you need to understand that you’ll only ever hang out with other westerners because the culture is impenetrable. Just hearsay of course, not personal experience.
I’ve been told that if you can get a transfer there you need to understand that you’ll only ever hang out with other westerners because the culture is impenetrable.
I've lived in Japan and that's completely untrue. Sure lots of westerners have this experience, but it's usually for one of three reasons:
Language barrier: if you don't speak Japanese, obviously you're not going to fully integrate. However English is a required subject in schools, and while many Japanese are hesitant to speak it (mostly out of embarrassment over mistakes) there are plenty who are eager to utilize what they've learned. And this doesn't even include Japanese who've lived abroad and are properly fluent and comfortable in the language (there aren't many, but they certainly exist). Learning even a little Japanese and appearing to make an effort will also open a lot of doors.
Self-segregation: It's easy to fall into this one, especially because of point 1. But if you make an effort to make friends with people who are Japanese, they'll introduce you to their friend group. This works best if your co-workers are mixed westerners and English-speaking Japanese, but with some searching you should be able to find mixed socialization opportunities outside of work too. Plus there are non-Western communities in Japan too: folks from other Asian or Latin American countries who also feel like outsiders. Of the foreigner friends I had in Japan, almost none were American (and almost none were native English speakers, although they were all fluent or close to it). Taking Japanese language classes is a great way to meet these folks, but each school is going to be very different in their demographic populations so be choosey and avoid any that seem too homogenous (eg all Chinese students).
Expectations: Japanese social culture is very different. It's easy to make acquaintances and hard to make friends. And yes, even if you speak Japanese fluently as a foreigner you will find it more difficult to make friends with the average Japanese person. However you have two strengths you need to utilize: curiosity and otherness. As long as you appear approachable, strangers will sporadically come up to you and talk with you out of curiosity. Sometimes the socialization ends there, and that's fine. But look for the outsiders: Japanese people who don't feel like they fit into Japanese society. I found that there were a good number of English-speaking Japanese who wanted to be my friend because they struggled to make friends with other Japanese. Some of them were socially awkward or autistic, some had lived abroad, and some seemed totally normal. The good news is you probably have a lot in common, even if it's superficial like enjoying the same Western culture (TV shows, etc; think reverse-weeabo), but it's enough for the foundation of a friendship. However you'll need to accept that you're now a member of a misfits social group, because you're yourself a stranger in a strange land!
So in conclusion, it's very easy to fall into the only-socializing-with-Westerners trap, but it's certainly not inevitable. It takes conscious effort to avoid, but is completely feasible, especially for someone who has interest in Japan/Japanese culture/Japanese language.
Sorry, but this is nothing but empty stereotypes and borderline racism. Yes, corporate Japan has work culture issues, but at the end of the day Japan is built on the backs of small businesses, which, despite struggling with the times, typically offer a lot more job stability than a lot of western corporate jobs. To say everyone is sexist and racist is a wholly inappropriate overgeneralization, and the war crime thing is hardly a thing in the public consciousness at all. Yes, the ultranationalists sometimes get a lot of press, but they're basically schoolchildren compared to the western alt-right these days. There's plenty of activisim and progressivism going on, and while the wheels of change turn slowly here people are trying. Social support programs are lightyears ahead, there's no toxic culture war, and people are generally much more respectful towards each other. In my experience foreigners tend to form bubbles not because the culture is impenetrable (it's not) but because they aren't willing or able to put in the effort to overcome the linguistic and cultural barriers.
Also, OP, don't make up pissbaby excuses for yourself. I was diagnosed with severe ADHD back in first or second grade and have been living in Japan for nearly 10 years. I'm not saying it will necessarily be easy for you. However, you're not going to die without meds, and there are plenty of nonpharmaceutical strategies to help wrangle the ups and downs. Personally, I found there to be significant mental health and self esteem/identity benefits to reducing dependence on medication. At the end of the day, remember that some Japanese people struggle with ADHD too!
That's very true, there are numerous studies/documentaries about how Japan is an Autistic culture. Meaning, they're very adverse to anything new or foreign, and everything is very codified in how it works.
Nice but very particular culture.
As an autist who studied Japanese and gave up when I realized I just couldn't connect with any of the Japanese people I met - even the ones where it was obvious we wanted to be friends - I can assure you the culture is even more impenetrable for autistics. And I don't have such issues with other autistic people usually, no matter the culture.
Don't mistake your stereotypes for reality and tell everyone people call you out because of political correctness. You're just plain old wrong in this.
But my impression is that Japan has a lot of unspoken rules on how to interact with others. And unspoken social rules are the arch enemy of autism, lmao.
It's actually an interesting history that goes back to WWII. Japan distributed amphetamines to both soldiers and civilian workers to support the war effort. After the war, it turned into a serious problem of abuse. That in turn led to the country banning amphetamines outright in 1954-1955 and they have never really reconsidered.
Yeah, I'm lucky enough that mine is only really debilitating for study so I didn't have an issue not taking my meds for the trip. Really feel for you. :(
If it's a visit, then just take your meds and your prescription. I've never had any issues taking meds into Japan that cannot be prescribed there. You probably won't even be asked.
Bringing adderall into Japan carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison under the Stimulants Control Law. Your prescription means nothing once you are on Japanese soil.
This is truly idiotic advice, and I don't say that lightly.
Brodie, this is your sign to take a small t-break. Not medical advice, just watching your 6.
Your meds are there to help you live the life you want and shouldn’t make you choose them over the other pleasures in life. Are you taking breaks on weekends?
Remember that at the end of the day they’re stimmies, and dependency is very real for us ADHD peeps.
This isn't a recreational drug where we need to take "T breaks" in order to have a stronger high when we start it again. It's a prescription drug that has a prescribed daily dosage. Going off it has serious consequences. I skipped a week once years ago when I was at my family cottage and forgot my meds. By the end of that week I was so deeply depressed and lethargic I had no motivation to do anything. So yeah, the dependency is real, but the withdrawal symptoms are no joke either.
I've lurked for a while, but I made an account just so I could comment on what a brain-dead take this is. Referring to ADHD meds prescribed by a licensed physician as "stimmies" perpetuates the idea that ADHD is nothing more than a "lazy person" illness, and that our medication is merely a crutch or an "addiction".
Furthermore, people don't "choose meds over other pleasures in life". Meds are the reason we can achieve and enjoy pleasures in life. Needing medication is not fucking "dependency" akin to a drug addict. Jeez, I guess you must have a real problem with diabetics always neededing their next hit of insulin too, am I right?
Unreal. You're doing way more harm than good and I suggest you check yourself before doing even more damage.