For some odd reason I'm having a difficult time finding hand sanitizer like Purell in Japan.
Is there a reason why it's not available here? I've seen it on a couple websites but I've never seen it in an actual store or KIOSK.
Shinjuku train station in Tokyo, the busiest train station in the world, handles on average 3.64 million passengers a day. Tokyo's popluation exceeds 12 million, or about 10 percent of Japan's population. A densely populated city like Tokyo should offer more options to help prevent the spread of infectious viruses including the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus - a pandemic threat.
The Centers for Disease Control says the best way to prevent the transmission of dangerous diseases, including H1N1 (aka swine flu), is to frequently wash your hands with soap or use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
Come on Japan. Get with the program! Anyone know of a single hand sanitizer on the market?
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12 Responses to “Purell hand sanitizer in Japan?” Leave a reply ›
I saw this question coming up in a post on another Japanese blog, and there I pointed out Kirei-Kirei alcohol wipes, the green ones on that page, available in just about every pharmacy. I think this is a new product and is close to the one you picture above.
thanks for the tip. I'm definitely going to pick something up. The Swine Flu alert is being raised to the top of the 6-point scale!
This one was brought to my attention as well:
http://www.tepika.net/
But I still think it should be sold at convenience stores, train stations...etc.
That does mildly odd in a culture that seems to prize sanitary awareness. (at least from I observe)
Here in the USA, you won't see folks wearing surgical masks very often but hand sanitizer is sold everywhere in small travel sizes. I've even seen it on keychains.
I'm curious, in public areas and private businesses, do you ever see dispensers containing free anti-bacterial wipes? Those are getting quite common over here...
White gloves are easier to find in Japan than the States. I still seem some people wear driving gloves in the car (especially taxi drivers), and a lot more people seem to wear gloves on the trains in winter than in the U.S.
They sell stuff just like purell now in all drug stores. Used to be very hard to find until recently.
In Canada hand sanitizer is every where , outside every hospital door, rooms included, schools, people have it on purses, keychains, in pockets, and it must be 99.99% to be effective, it is available from litre size on down.
We're seeing it much more here now that the flu is scaring the crap outa everyone.
I made a mistake, Purell is 99.99% effective but it is only 62%alchol, kids are getting drunk on it!
Clean George hand purifiers are fabulous. Alcohol kills everything on your hands (good stuff too) so it makes you more suseptible to sickness. This one works with tea tree oil and moisturizes and is totally organic. http://www.cleangeorge.com. I emailed the company and they said they are soon to be in Japan. Just ask your stores I guess. Or buy it online. Cheers.
Actually Purell is sold in Japan. It is made in the same factory in the US that makes the Purell that is used and sold commercially, the ones you buy in the stores are now made by Johnson and Johnson. The problem is that in Japan it is a prescription product and very expensive. A special line had to be installed in the plant to make it to the Japanese specifications and is with any prescription type product the quality control is very strict. Additionally, it has slightly more alcohol that that sold in the US and no fragrance so it does smell much more like alcohol. So, unless something has changed in Japan you're not going to see it at the local drug store sitting out on a shelf. As for kids getting drunk on it, come on, thats an urban legend, it would be the same as kids drinking rubbing alcohol, you can't really think it would be any bigger problem than kids actually drinking rubbing alcohol which is just as accessible in the US and a lot cheaper, a little bit of lanolyn is not going to help it taste better to them. Why drink it when better tasting stuff is usually readily available in a lot of homes.
Thanks for the informative reply. I've seen a lot more hand sanitizer hit the stores since the H1N1. Not Purell but other brands.
Also saw Lysol in Azabu for... $10 a can!