Hay Fever

 Hay fever (kafun shou 花粉症 in Japanese) season is so long, from February to May. The main culprits are the Japanese cedar, sugi, and cypress, hinoki, which were planted after World War Two to quickly replace the old-growth trees that were cut down during the war.  Whole areas of the country were planted with these trees simultaneously. The trees reach maturity and peak pollen production after 30 years. So now whole mountains are covered in these trees, and they release pollen at the same time.  

The reason these trees were planted was that they grow quickly and straight, making them easy to use in building houses. However, cheaper imported wood flooded the market, so the trees that were planted were left. 

About 42% of the Japanese population suffers from some kind of hay fever. This is significantly higher compared to other countries, where the rate of suffers is about 10% to 30%.

There is a whole market dedicated to hay fever sufferers. Masks are used by a lot of people. There are sprays to use on your face, special glasses to keep it out of your eyes and of course over the counter medicines and eye drops.

On high pollen days, people are encouraged to dry laundry inside. To remove jackets and coats near the entrance of your home, so you don't bring the pollen inside. And to keep windows closed.

For me I have year-round allergies, but spring and autumn are the worst.  I'm so miserable with itchy eyes, a runny nose, and non-stop sneezing. I want to enjoy the weather in these seasons, as both winter and summer are hard on me. I take allergy medicine every day, but end up feeling sleepy and having a headache! But it's worth it if I can get things done and go out to enjoy the nice weather.

I'm looking into more natural ways to deal with these allergies. Research is showing that a type of tea called Benifuuki may help with reducing the symptoms of hay fever. I'll have to see if I can find that!

Any other ideas?

Where I'm living now doesn't help. The mountain here is covered in those trees, and they are growing in my garden!

It's hard to see, but these are the mountains near our house, they are covered in those trees!