Pharmacy

❃ Pharmacy

風邪薬はありますか。 [ Kazegusuri wa arimasu ka. ]: Do you have cold medicine?
頭痛薬が欲しいです。 [ Zutsuuyaku ga hoshii desu. ]: I need headache medicine.
胃薬はどこですか。 [ Igusuri wa doko desu ka. ]: Where is the stomach medicine?
解熱剤をください。 [ Genetsuzai o kudasai. ]: Fever reducer, please.
一番よく効く薬はどれですか。 [ Ichiban yoku kiku kusuri wa dore desu ka. ]: Which medicine is the most effective?
これは眠くなりますか。 [ Kore wa nemuku narimasu ka. ]: Does this make you sleepy?
眠くならない薬をください。 [ Nemuku naranai kusuri o kudasai. ]: Please give me non-drowsy medicine.
一日に何回飲みますか。 [ Ichinichi ni nankai nomimasu ka. ]: How many times a day should I take it?
食後に飲んでください。（薬剤師） [ Shokugo ni nonde kudasai. (Yakuzaishi) ]: Please take it after meals. (Pharmacist)
食前に飲んでください。（薬剤師） [ Shokuzen ni nonde kudasai. (Yakuzaishi) ]: Please take it before meals. (Pharmacist)
水と一緒に飲んでください。（薬剤師） [ Mizu to issho ni nonde kudasai. (Yakuzaishi) ]: Please take it with water. (Pharmacist)
絆創膏はありますか。 [ Bansoukou wa arimasu ka. ]: Do you have band-aids?
うがい薬が欲しいです。 [ Ugaigusuri ga hoshii desu. ]: I need mouthwash/gargle medicine.
目薬をください。 [ Megusuri o kudasai. ]: Eye drops, please.
処方箋が必要です。（薬剤師） [ Shohousen ga hitsuyou desu. (Yakuzaishi) ]: A prescription is required. (Pharmacist)

Cultural notes

Navigating Japanese pharmacies requires understanding a fundamental structural division in the retail landscape. In Japan, there is a very strict legal and visual distinction between a "Drugstore" (ドラッグストア - Doraggusutoa) and a true "Pharmacy" (薬局 - Yakkyoku). Massive drugstore chains with brightly lit, chaotic storefronts (like Matsumoto Kiyoshi) are where you go for cosmetics, snacks, bandages, and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. If you have a mild ailment, you can walk in and ask the staff "Kazegusuri wa arimasu ka" (風邪薬はありますか - Do you have cold medicine?) or request "Zutsuuyaku" (頭痛薬) for a headache. However, foreign travelers must be aware of a major medical difference: Japanese OTC medicines generally contain significantly lower dosages of active ingredients than their Western equivalents. A painkiller that works for you back home might feel incredibly weak in Japan. For stronger medications, such as antibiotics or highly effective symptom relievers, you absolutely cannot buy them at a drugstore. You must visit a clinic to obtain a physical paper prescription, known as a "Shohousen" (処方箋), and then take that paper to a dedicated "Yakkyoku" (prescription pharmacy). These are usually quiet, clinical-looking offices often located right next door to clinics. At the Yakkyoku, the pharmacist (Yakuzaishi - 薬剤師) will carefully explain the strict dosage rules. Japanese medicine culture is heavily focused on taking pills in conjunction with meals to protect the stomach lining. You will rarely just be told to "take two pills a day." Instead, the pharmacist will emphatically instruct you to take them "Shokugo" (食後 - strictly after meals) or "Shokuzen" (食前 - strictly before meals). Listening carefully to these specific timing instructions ensures the medicine works as safely and effectively as designed by the Japanese medical establishment.

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