PAIYA › Guides › Drugstore
Drugstore

10 Japanese Drugstore Souvenirs Travellers Keep Buying (2026)

Japanese drugstores are the real souvenir goldmine — cheap prices, quality that punches above its weight. From EVE painkillers and Salonpas patches to Rohto eye drops and skincare like Hada Labo and Melano CC, these are the items travelers buy again and again. Here are 20 worth dropping in your basket, with our take on which are worth a try and which to think over first.

Written in Japan by the PAIYA team · 10 items · prices in Japanese yen

1Salonpas Pain Relief Patches

The number-one souvenir, every single trip. Nobody has ever been disappointed to receive these.

¥560reference price · the shelf price is often lower

2Ryukakusan Throat Candy 100g

Under 300 yen, so you can buy enough for the whole office — and it genuinely helps a dry throat on the flight.

¥248reference price · the shelf price is often lower

3Netsusama Cooling Gel Sheets

Every household with kids keeps these in the fridge — hours of cooling on a hot forehead.

¥400reference price · the shelf price is often lower

4Rohto Lycee Eye Drops 8ml

The pink bottle everyone brings back — made for contact lenses and long screen days. Read the label first.

¥449reference price · the shelf price is often lower

5Loxonin S Painkiller

What people in Japan actually take for pain. It is a real medicine — read the label and ask the pharmacist.

¥650reference price · the shelf price is often lower

6Kobayashi Inochi no Haha A (84 tablets)

A long-selling women's tonic in Japan, and a common gift for mothers. Ask a pharmacist before use.

¥576reference price · the shelf price is often lower

7DHC Vitamin B Mix (120 tablets, 60 days)

Cheap and lasts two months — easy to buy several and hand them out.

¥370reference price · the shelf price is often lower

8Rohto Vita 40α Eye Drops 12ml

The cheapest thing on this list, and the one for eyes tired from a full day of maps and walking.

¥227reference price · the shelf price is often lower

9V.Rohto Gold 40 Mild Eye Drops 20mL

A gentler formula than the standard one — for anyone who finds normal drops sting.

¥495reference price · the shelf price is often lower

10DHC Lutein Light Protection (20 tablets, 20 days)

Lutein for people who live in front of a screen — small pack, easy office gift.

¥694reference price · the shelf price is often lower
Prices are reference prices from Japanese online retailers and are shown for comparison — the price on the shelf is often lower, especially at duty-free or during a sale. Anything sold as medicine should be checked with the label or the pharmacist before use.

Standing in the shop, unsure?

Scan the barcode with PAIYA and see what it is, whether it's worth it, and the price in your own currency — free, no account needed.

Download free on the App Store

More shopping guides