Buying medicine on Amazon

Amazon sells over-the-counter medicine from Class 1 (第1類) through Class 3 (第3類). Medicine-cabinet staples like cold medicine, fever and pain relievers, stomach medicine, and eye drops are mostly Class 2 or 3, and ordering them is pretty much like ordering anything else.

For Class 1 drugs (第1類医薬品), you have to fill out the user condition check (ご使用者状態チェック) before checkout. It asks for the user's age, symptoms, and any medicine they're currently taking, and after answering you tick a box confirming the drug information. Once you order, a pharmacist has to look it over before it ships. Sometimes they'll email or call to confirm, and if that isn't done by the deadline, the order gets canceled. The questionnaire and all communication are in Japanese only, so look up anything you don't understand before you answer.

Medicines marked as designated drugs at risk of abuse (指定濫用防止医薬品), such as some cough and cold medicines, also require you to upload a photo of the front of your My Number Card (マイナンバーカード) or driver's license at checkout to verify your age. Only those two are accepted.

Medicine can't be returned for personal reasons, opened or not, so double-check the size and quantity before you buy.