Where to get iodine tablets in Japan?

[Trollhattan]

Natural radiation is everywhere,including your food.For example ~ bananas are radioactive.

 

[Mike Cash]

Mike, maybe it's a cultural thing that I'm misunderstanding here. Please let me know.

I would be happy to, but I'm not sure what it is that you might be misunderstanding. Not meaning to sound like a smark-aleck here, but I thought I was pretty clear and to-the-point.

 

[FrustratedDave]

I'm so frustrated with the level of my command of English language!!!
What I m trying to say is something like this.

Say the level which may affect one's health 100.
The standard for safety is 5.
The current level is 10.
Even if you take 10 - 20, it does not affect one's health immediately. (Except long term consumption and accumulation.)
The authority ordered the farms and agri coops to stop these agri produces and not consume them by themselves either. They'll collect these produces in question from the market as far as possible.
Note: all these figures are my made-ups.

This is what I expressed as "safe", maybe my choice of the word is wrong.
Please read the news articles I posted and judge the situation yourself.
I'd be most grateful if you could translate them and post here to convey more accurate information to other members.

edit: maybe this thread helps to explain the situation?
Spinach Contamination in Ibaraki...NOT COOL!
And I repeat my previous post:

"The standard is based on the 1 kg of the item, and MHLW (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) said that (the amount the radioactive material in question) is in case a person eat 1 kg of spinach everyday, and even if one eats 1kg a day, it does not affect one's health immediately."
(Sorry my translation is rather poor and could be misleading.)

Undrentide, I understand perfectly what you are trying to say, now and in previous posts so don't be concerned at all with your English. It is a non issue , as anyone can be confused as to what another person is trying to convey.

And all they are finding so far is Iodine 131 which has a half life of 8 days, so it will be completely gone within 3 months.

 

[Elizabeth]

Mike the flip side is that the people who leave will free up more food, electricity, and medical services for those that choose to stay. That's just my half full take on the situation.

Hopefully more jobs as well.

 

[mmickels]

Mike, maybe it's a cultural thing that I'm misunderstanding here. Please let me know.

Thanks for the explanation Mike. I didn't mean to intrude with the PM.

 

[Half-n-Half]

Everybody else?....if you're leaving, pack your sh!t and stay gone.

A lot of people I know, including myself, had to leave because we were forced to when our universities either canceled the study abroad program or were ordered to get out. Others did it for their worried-sick family. I know one girl who was constantly getting emails from friends saying she was going to die if she stayed in Japan. Her mother and siblings called her every day breaking down crying, begging her to come home. I know that's a bit of an extreme, but can you blame some people for putting their families worries at ease?

 

[Elizabeth]

Natural radiation is everywhere,including your food.For example ~ bananas are radioactive.

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/80435.html

Radioactive iodine exceeding the limit for infants found in Tokyo tap water

The Tokyo metropolitan government warned Wednesday that infants should not drink tap water as radioactive iodine exceeding the limit for them was detected in water at a purification plant.

The advisory covers Tokyo's 23 wards and five cities―Musashino, Mitaka, Machida, Tama and Inagi.

According to the metropolitan government, 210 becquerels of radioactive iodine were detected per 1 kilogram of water against the limit of 100 becquerels in a survey Tuesday at a water purification plant in the Kanamachi district of Katsushika Ward.

But the amount of the radioactive substance detected at the purification plant is lower than the 300-becquerel limit for people other than infants.

The good news is only iodine 131 is detected in the water, not caesium. Iodine 131 has a half-life of eight days (caesium has a half-life of 31 years,) so as long as contamination ceases levels of iodine 131 should decrease. The levels are low, but since water is something consumed frequently it would build up the more you consume. Keep in mind nuclear regulations are always far lower than the risk of health complications for safety reasons.

If you are concerned, sticking to bottled water for a few days is not a bad plan but it may not be necessary. :?

 

[Mike Cash]

A lot of people I know, including myself, had to leave because we were forced to when our universities either canceled the study abroad program or were ordered to get out. Others did it for their worried-sick family. I know one girl who was constantly getting emails from friends saying she was going to die if she stayed in Japan. Her mother and siblings called her every day breaking down crying, begging her to come home. I know that's a bit of an extreme, but can you blame some people for putting their families worries at ease?

I put my family's worries at ease and never budged an inch. I reject the premise that leaving was the only way to accomplish that. My opinion is still the same. People are free to leave whenever they like and for whatever reason they like, but I wouldn't hand out re-entry permits to the Good-Time Charlies. Want to leave? Fine. Have a nice flight. Stay gone.

 

[Glenski]

I'm so frustrated with the level of my command of English language!!!
What I m trying to say is something like this.

Say the level which may affect one's health 100.
The standard for safety is 5.
The current level is 10.
Even if you take 10 - 20, it does not affect one's health immediately. (Except long term consumption and accumulation.)
The authority ordered the farms and agri coops to stop these agri produces and not consume them by themselves either. They'll collect these produces in question from the market as far as possible.
Note: all these figures are my made-ups.

This is what I expressed as "safe", maybe my choice of the word is wrong.

So, you are therefore saying that unless someone consumes an extraordinary portion of the tainted foods, they are safe.

Ok.

Now how about this little ditty:

people who are worried about it very much should get the iodine tablet "just in case", because constant worrying does affect one's mental health. If having some tablets ready makes one feel better, then he/she should get them - though one should be very careful about actually taking them.

No, no, no! People should not buy and consume iodine tablets just to assuage their mental fears. Buying iodine unnecessarily will deprive others, and taking it unnecessarily could cause even more medical problems!

If you are concerned, sticking to bottled water for a few days is not a bad plan but it may not be necessary. :?

The problem now is that a lot of people have decided to buy bottled water and deplete shelves in many places in Tokyo, thereby depriving others who really need it. Sheesh. Herd mentality.

Have they even looked at the bottles to see what the source of that "pure water" is?

Let's just say jelly beans cure radiation problems and see how many people make a run on candy stores to buy all of the jelly beans.

 

[Mike Cash]

You saying it would accomplish nothing. Let Mino Monta say it and inside of an hour you couldn't find a jelly bean anywhere in this country.

 

[Elizabeth]

The problem now is that a lot of people have decided to buy bottled water and deplete shelves in many places in Tokyo, thereby depriving others who really need it. Sheesh. Herd mentality.

Have they even looked at the bottles to see what the source of that "pure water" is?

Let's just say jelly beans cure radiation problems and see how many people make a run on candy stores to buy all of the jelly beans.

Mineral water from France ? Major Yakuza families/syndicates based in Kanto will at least get bottled water non-locally so as not to disrupt Japanese suppliers. It's good to know that everyone is pitching in to help out.

 

[undrentide]

Make fun as much as you like.

 

[Half-n-Half]

I put my family's worries at ease and never budged an inch. I reject the premise that leaving was the only way to accomplish that. My opinion is still the same. People are free to leave whenever they like and for whatever reason they like, but I wouldn't hand out re-entry permits to the Good-Time Charlies. Want to leave? Fine. Have a nice flight. Stay gone.

For some people it wasn't that easy.

Out of curiosity, who do you group into the Good-Time Charlies and everyone else deserving of a reentry permit?

 

[Mike Cash]

For some people it wasn't that easy.
Out of curiosity, who do you group into the Good-Time Charlies and everyone else deserving of a reentry permit?

What was there about my initial post that wasn't sufficiently clear?

 

[sburm]

Hey Mike, I kind of agree with your initial post.

I have to admit I thought to myself that "Hey, I was planning to visit home sometime soon so why not do it now and have a nice holiday rather than be without access to food, running water, gas to cook with, and petrol." Come back when it all calms down a bit, (here is where I can see some others points) and soothe my families fears in the meantime.

But then I kept hearing the voice saying "When the going gets tough...".

 

[Elizabeth]

I feel worst for the generation of elderly in Tohoku for whom disaster has truly come full circle. Growing up in postwar years you would have been happy to eat for two days only to have their lives bookended like this. For sure they are resilient and self-sufficient but how can you begin to rebuild ? The nightmare returns.

It'll be interesting to watch the overpriced bottled water generation struggle to survive if they ever see hard times and damage worse than the war.

 

[Half-n-Half]

What was there about my initial post that wasn't sufficiently clear?

It's probably best to ask for some clarification then, because I'm a little confused over your first two posts as to who exactly you refer to as Good-Time Charlies. Are they those who only stay when the going is good or everyone who is not fleeing/leaving Japan from a directly affected area? If it's the former I can understand your point about reentry permits.

 

[butakun]

It'll be interesting to watch the overpriced bottled water generation struggle to survive if they ever see hard times and damage worse than the war.

If you ever had a chance to see the camps in Miyagi and Iwate.... Younger generation is often times the role model in those camps.

 

[Mike Cash]

It's probably best to ask for some clarification then, because I'm a little confused over your first two posts as to who exactly you refer to as Good-Time Charlies. Are they those who only stay when the going is good or everyone who is not fleeing/leaving Japan from a directly affected area? If it's the former I can understand your point about reentry permits.

I don't understand how anyone could possibly construe it as the latter. Why would people who are not fleeing be lined up for re-entry permits?

I'll cut-n-paste my reply to the PM received, and this is a perfect example of why unless they are truly dealing with something private I prefer not to receive PMs:

It (My animosity) isn't toward folks leaving Japan. It is toward folks leaving Japan but first making sure they can come back once the current adversity is over.I look at it like being a guest in your home when it catches on fire then running out as fast as they can leaving you there to fend the best you can, yelling over their shoulder as they go, "Let me know when you get this cleaned up and I'll come see you again!"

By and large the same sort of folks who will matter-of-factly state that it is impossible for foreigners to be "accepted" in Japan, by the way, when this shows the degree to which they are willing to try and the true nature of their visit: come for the good times, share none of the adversity.

And you had no way of knowing it, so I don't hold it against you in the slightest, but for future reference I really don't like private messages. Especially those which have exclusively to do with things that already have been, should be, or could be asked in a thread. There is nothing private about my opinion on the matter being discussed.

 

[Half-n-Half]

I don't understand how anyone could possibly construe it as the latter. Why would people who are not fleeing be lined up for re-entry permits?

I meant those who are leaving Japan, except they are from an area outside of Tohoku i.e. Tokyo or Kansai. The question I'm trying to ask is how do you feel about those who may be outside of the disaster area but are still leaving Japan either because they are forced to or because their families are hysterical about them? I ask because the comment I quoted in my first post makes it seem as if you only classify people in two ways; those from the disaster area with nowhere else to go and good-timers.

 

[Elizabeth]

Does anyone have a personal story of knowing someone who left from either the disaster or potential radiation zones ? For those that do eventually return, I hope they thoroughly explain the reasoning behind their actions actions to Japanese friends and co-workers so as to not create any further misunderstandings or erosion of trust between the two communities. A decision that was painful or made under duress from pressure at home will be easily understand. A fair number of Japanese also "migrated" to the West of the country, seeking refugee in Kansai at least temporarily.

I am not going to say anything negative about foreigners since I I don't live in the country and have no doubt Japanese would have acted the same had the situation been reversed. Do not judge others lest they judge you...

 

[Mike Cash]

I meant those who are leaving Japan, except they are from an area outside of Tohoku i.e. Tokyo or Kansai. The question I'm trying to ask is how do you feel about those who may be outside of the disaster area but are still leaving Japan either because they are forced to or because their families are hysterical about them? I ask because the comment I quoted in my first post makes it seem as if you only classify people in two ways; those from the disaster area with nowhere else to go and good-timers.

People being "forced" to leave (I'd love details on that) have no say in the matter. I have to wonder if they would be eligible for re-entry permits in the first place, though. People outside the affected areas leaving because their families are hysterical make me wonder if they are mature enough to be that far from their mothers to begin with. You may lump the latter in with those I wouldn't care to see back again.

Does anyone have a personal story of knowing someone who left from either the disaster or potential radiation zones ? For those that do eventually return, I hope they thoroughly explain the reasoning behind their actions actions to Japanese friends and co-workers so as to not create any further misunderstandings or erosion of trust between the two communities.

This evening when I finished work I sat in the break room with our 専務, one of the 課長, and our on-site insurance agent (when you have a lot of trucks, insurance companies station a guy at the company) and we were watching a bit of the day's news. I made mention to them of the sight I saw down at Immigration and my thoughts on it. I have never been one who needed validation from others to feel secure in my own opinions, but I will mention here that they were all of the same opinion I was. A small, unscientific and meaningless survey sample, but there it is. I have also had feedback from a Japanese member of JREF who concurred with my thoughts on it.

I am not going to say anything negative about foreigners since I I don't live in the country and have no doubt Japanese would have acted the same had the situation been reversed. Do not judge others lest they judge you...

I believe it goes more like "Judge not lest ye would be judged also" and is not an admonition not to judge. It is an admonition not to judge unless you're fine with being judged in return. I am fine with being judged in return. I am highly opinionated and highly judgmental and not in the least apologetic about it. It strikes me that in the time since I grew up and left it American society has developed the "You're Being Judgmental Card" as a trump card to shut down conversation in a manner very akin to the "That's Racist! Card". I refuse to participate or to be cowed by it. My thoughts on the matter is that anyone who claims not to be judgmental is either lacking in principles or standards or lying about it (whether to themselves or others) out of fear. Everybody makes judgments, favorable or unfavorable, on countless things every single day. Our opinions are nothing more than our judgments based upon application of our own personal set of principles and standards. Anyone who has an opinion regarding anything has made a judgment about it, so I really don't understand this aversion people these days have to being perceived as "judgmental". Sometimes tact may dictate that it is better to keep our opinions/judgments to ourselves, and that is fine; it is a natural and necessary aspect of humans functioning together as a society.

While I'm up on my soapbox, I would like to say that I find it amusing that people are chiding me for an unfair or unkind opinion on the re-entry permit matter when I stipulated right up front that the opinion may be unfair or uncharitable.

 

[FrustratedDave]

Does anyone have a personal story of knowing someone who left from either the disaster or potential radiation zones ? For those that do eventually return, I hope they thoroughly explain the reasoning behind their actions actions to Japanese friends and co-workers so as to not create any further misunderstandings or erosion of trust between the two communities. A decision that was painful or made under duress from pressure at home will be easily understand. A fair number of Japanese also "migrated" to the West of the country, seeking refugee in Kansai at least temporarily.

I am not going to say anything negative about foreigners since I I don't live in the country and have no doubt Japanese would have acted the same had the situation been reversed. Do not judge others lest they judge you...

One of my staffs relatives have been told to move out of the danger zone in Fukushima, that staff members parents also live pretty close to the reactor. But they were told to go and his parents don't want to leave.

I am with Mike on this as well, I even know foreigners down here in the Kansai region that have packed their bags and gone home for fear of radiation.

 

[Chidoriashi]

have packed their bags and gone home for fear of radiation.

Redorklous... that is new word i have made up just for this occasion of stupidity.

 

[Elizabeth]

I believe it goes more like "Judge not lest ye would be judged also" and is not an admonition not to judge. It is an admonition not to judge unless you're fine with being judged in return. I am fine with being judged in return. I am highly opinionated and highly judgmental and not in the least apologetic about it. It strikes me that in the time since I grew up and left it American society has developed the "You're Being Judgmental Card" as a trump card to shut down conversation in a manner very akin to the "That's Racist! Card". I refuse to participate or to be cowed by it. My thoughts on the matter is that anyone who claims not to be judgmental is either lacking in principles or standards or lying about it (whether to themselves or others) out of fear. Everybody makes judgments, favorable or unfavorable, on countless things every single day. Our opinions are nothing more than our judgments based upon application of our own personal set of principles and standards. Anyone who has an opinion regarding anything has made a judgment about it, so I really don't understand this aversion people these days have to being perceived as "judgmental". Sometimes tact may dictate that it is better to keep our opinions/judgments to ourselves, and that is fine; it is a natural and necessary aspect of humans functioning together as a society.

While I'm up on my soapbox, I would like to say that I find it amusing that people are chiding me for an unfair or unkind opinion on the re-entry permit matter when I stipulated right up front that the opinion may be unfair or uncharitable.

I was referring specifically to making a blanket judgment without knowing exactly the extent of the damage in Japan, details of the situation or what options they have, if any. For those in positions of responsibility that have have quit their job, dropped commitments to others who depended on them, or in other ways made a mess by leaving, that is cowardly and contemptible. But I have no reason to believe that represents the majority of cases and certainly wouldn't lose respect for someone simply standing in a re-entry line in areas directly affected by the catastrophe.