Japan with kids
Can You Bring ADHD Medication and Cold Medicine to Japan?
Adderall, no. It’s banned in Japan even with a prescription. Vyvanse only with permission you get before you fly. Ritalin and Concerta are fine in small amounts. Cold medicine is fine as long as it has no pseudoephedrine. Without paperwork you can bring up to a one month supply of prescription medicine and two months of other medicine.
*Rules change. Check the government’s approved list before you go. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare keeps the personal import rules and the narcotics control department keeps the list of controlled medicines. I checked both on November 2, 2026.
I lived in Japan. This is still the first thing I check for every family I plan Japan for.
ADHD medicine is the big one.
If your child takes Adderall, the conversation with your doctor needs to happen months before the trip. Not the week you pack.
Cold medicine is the one that surprises people. A lot of the cold medicine in a US cabinet has pseudoephedrine in it, and Japan treats that very differently than we do.
ADHD medicine
What Japan allows
Adderall and dexamphetamine
Amphetamine medicines can’t come into Japan at all, even for treatment and even with a doctor’s letter.
Vyvanse
Japan lists lisdexamfetamine as a stimulant raw material. You need permission from the narcotics control department before you enter Japan.
Ritalin and Concerta
Methylphenidate is a psychotropic in Japan. Within the amount on their list, no permission needed. More than that needs paperwork.
Anything else
Look up the active ingredient on the narcotics control list, then ask your child’s doctor and pharmacist before you book flights.
Cold and fever medicine
Read the label for pseudoephedrine
Japan counts pseudoephedrine as a stimulant raw material. Bringing it in needs permission before you arrive.
The easy fix is packing a cold medicine without it. Other medicine you buy over the counter can come in up to a two month supply, and creams and ointments up to 24 of each.
Pack the children’s fever medicine you already know. Doses and brands are different abroad, and 2am in a hotel room isn’t when you want to be reading a Japanese label.
When to do what
The order I’d do it in
As soon as you pick Japan
Write down every medicine everyone takes, with the active ingredient. Show the list to your child’s doctor.
Well before the flight
Apply for anything that needs permission: Vyvanse, pseudoephedrine, more than a month of prescription medicine.
At least 14 days out
The deadline for codeine and other narcotics. If you’re visiting April 29 to May 11 (Golden Week), Japan’s deadline is April 22.
Packing day
Original labeled bottles, copies of the prescriptions and any approval papers, all in the carry on.
Every Japan trip
How I’d pack it
- Original labeled bottles
- A copy of each prescription
- A letter from your doctor with the medicine, the dose and why your child takes it
- Any import confirmation or permission, printed
- Enough for the trip plus a few extra days, within the limits
- Everything in your carry on
“The medicine list is one of the first things I ask a family going to Japan for. It decides how early we start.”
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor · Certified Family Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel. Lived in Japan, former social studies teacher, mom of three.
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Keep planning Japan
Quick answers
Can my child bring Adderall to Japan?
No. Amphetamine medicines, including Adderall and dexamphetamine, can’t be brought into Japan, even for treatment. Talk to your child’s doctor about it months before the trip.
Can we bring Vyvanse to Japan?
Only with permission from Japan’s narcotics control department before you enter the country. Japan lists lisdexamfetamine as a stimulant raw material, so apply well ahead.
Can we bring Ritalin or Concerta to Japan?
Yes, in small amounts. Methylphenidate is a psychotropic in Japan and needs no permission within the amount on their list. More than that needs paperwork.
Can I bring Sudafed or other cold medicine to Japan?
Cold medicine without pseudoephedrine is fine within the two month limit. Pseudoephedrine counts as a stimulant raw material in Japan and needs permission before you arrive, so check the label and pack a different one.
How much medicine can we bring to Japan without paperwork?
Up to a one month supply of prescription medicine, up to two months of other medicine, and up to 24 of each cream or ointment. More than that needs an import confirmation.
What is a Yunyu Kakunin-sho and how do I get one?
It’s Japan’s import confirmation for bringing more medicine than the limit. You can apply online for some items through the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and you need it before you leave home.
Can we bring a child’s codeine cough medicine to Japan?
Codeine is a narcotic in Japan, so it needs permission. Apply at least 14 days before you travel.
Does a doctor’s letter make a banned medicine OK?
No. A letter helps at customs for allowed medicine, but it doesn’t make a banned one legal. Adderall stays banned with or without it.
This isn’t medical advice. Ask your child’s doctor and pharmacist about doses or swaps. Medicine rules last checked November 2, 2026 on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare pages linked above.
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor · Certified Family Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel. Adventures We Seek is my travel blog and planning resource. Trips are booked through Favorite Grampy Travels.
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