5 Tips To Stay Healthy Traveling In Japan In Winter

Above, more time was spent in this Tokyo ryokan because of the flu in 2001. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It is winter time in Japan and, like everywhere else in the northern half of the world, it is cold and flu season.

The Huffington Post has an article with five tips on staying healthy in Japan if one is vacationing there in the winter.

They begin with:

Going to Japan this winter to experience their world-class skiing and snowboarding, or to see the Sapporo Snow Festival? Stay healthy while traveling in Japan with these 5 tips. 

While most people associate snow sports with accidents such as broken legs or wrists, a surprising number of people end up in ER because of illness-everything from gastrointestinal disorders to ear infections and first-time asthma attacks. 

I spent two winter seasons working in the hospital emergency room (as a translator) in Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan's most snow holiday destination for foreigners. 

The good news is that most of these illnesses can be avoided, but different cultures pose different health risks and knowing what to watch out for beforehand can be tricky, if not impossible. By following some simple (but not necessarily so obvious) rules, you too can avoid the emergency room.

One additional tip, and this is from my own experience. I came down with a 24-hour flu bug during my first trip to Japan in 2001. After this, I began a regimen of taking Vitamin C tablets for about ten days before departing to Japan. I continued taking Vitamin C everyday while there. Since I began doing this, I have not gotten sick while in Japan, and I've been there six times after that 2001 experience.

This topic is covered on page 8 in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

To read the five tips, go here.