Deodorant in Japan

I thought I'd share my two cents on being a smelly foreigner in Japan. Well, trying not to smell, and deodorant in particular. I was pre-warned that Japanese deodorants are weaker than the ones back in good ol' Blightly. I've definitely found that to be true. I've tried a fair few, and I can't find one that has worked that well as an antiperspirant. Maybe I just sweat a lot. Sorry for the TMI there. When it comes to summer time in Japan, I'm with the general consensus that is: bring the strongest men's deodorant/ antiperspirant you can find from home. As for buying stuff here, the best deodorant I've found out of the one's I've tried is: 8x4 men's 'power protect'



There are some other deodorant/ antiperspirant products on offer here:

• 8x4 deodorant stick hasn't been that great for me.
• Gatsby wear deodorant- you spray it on after you've put your clothes on. Unfortunately the scent of this one- citrus freeze- also smells bad.
• Cool breeze-  it's a mixture of deodorant and water, and it does actually make you feel cooler. But, the scent I picked- Citrus sherbert- is horrible. 
• You can also get Powder sheets, like mini deodorant baby wipes which you can take with you on the go. These wipes are actually really good guys. They've been a life saver since my UK deodorant has ran out. I've been using some non-scented ones, and I also have some that are lime and peach scented.
• Something else that could help you out is the Bioré deodorant body wash. It's a men's product, and doesn't smell as good as my favourite lush one, but it makes my skin feel good and it's nice and cheap.

Another thing I want to mention is that Japan doesn't seem to sell perfume as much as back home. You can buy it but I don't think Japanese people wear as strong perfume as often, so you can't find it quite as easily as back home. I did buy this 'day savon' which is a nice soap scented perfume. I've also seen a few body spray- type products, and hair perfume products around.

Hope this was helpful! It was something that I'd heard a lot before I came, and I thought it might be helpful to say that yup, the rumours are true. Japanese deodorant (as far as I've used) is not great.

Want more Japan advice posts? How to deal with loneliness on your year abroad// What I packed for my year abroad// What to do with two weeks in Japan// Having unnatural hair in Japan: how people react// What to do with a day in Osaka// Hiroshima travel guide//

Thanks for reading!
-Amy xoxo