health

10 products from Japanese stores to help you fight hay fever

7 Comments
By Savvy Tokyo

Temperatures are 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 millions of people in Japan also welcome the warmer months with fear as they gradually get confronted by constant sneezing, itchy eyes and streaming noses caused by the pollen we breathe in during spring.

According to 2019 pollen forecasts, the hay fever peak will begin as soon as the end of February and will continue until early April. While probably the best way to fight spring allergies is to get a prescription from your doctor, here are 10 easily available products on the Japanese market that will help you fight your allergies this season.

1. Pitta Mask

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First introduced in 2014 as a mask that not only blocks pollen but also one that you can wear in style, 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; 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 

kafun-mask.png

The creative minds at DRC have developed a mask that changes pollen to water. 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. This further has a hydrating effect on your throat 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

Click here to read more.

© Savvy Tokyo

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

7 Comments
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Anti-histamines are very effective with the added bonus of not having to

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I suffer terribly from allergies, especially in the fall..... I will never, ever cover myself up with a mask and hideous glasses. As for the sprays etc, do these things ever get tested for long term effects on the body? Are they safe?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

DRC have developed a mask that changes pollen to water.

I wonder if this is done with miniaturized nuclear reactions or plain old magical alchemy.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Oh, for the love of...a mask slapped across your face in a fashion shoot? SORRY. Masks are hideous.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

a mask that not only blocks pollen but also one that you can wear in style

They claim they block 99% of pollen but in practice they are not anywhere near that effective. As soon as you take it off to eat or drink anything, here comes the pollen. In style? Have to admit the beige/closest to skin color one in the middle in the Pitta mask photo looks the best, but she would still look a lot better without it.

Or, you know, anti-histamines 

Benadryl and Robitussin work.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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