Water in Japan

UPDATE: POST-FUKUSHIMA DISASTER SITUATION

Since the massive radiation leak that occurred due to the tsunami hitting the Fukushima Nuclear power plant #1, there have been many concerns about water safety in Japan.

Radioactive water was pumped into the sea after being used to cool the leaking reactors, causing massive amounts of fishing areas to be poisoned.

The Japanese government's official word is that it does not affect the water supplies of Japan, or at least it's under safe levels. Seeing as they changed what is considered "safe" several times during the disaster it is hard to trust anything they say.

Personally, as with many foreigners in Japan, I'm staying away from drinking tap water just to be safe. The tap water we used to filter and drink, I now just use to wash vegetables.

Showers and baths - well there is nothing you can do there except limit the time you spend in them.

But drinks, soups and other cooking purposes, I'm using mineral water. I buy anything from outside of Japan, I don't care if it's French, Hungarian or Korean.

Some people may say this is an overreaction, but how are we to know what is truly in the water, rain carries radiation and puts in lakes and rivers miles from Fukushima.

I see it as a "just in case" measure, after all - do you really want to say "ah who cares, it's probably OK" with something as critical to your health as fresh water?

I'm staying in Japan for a good while longer, but I personally don't want to look back on my life after contracting some long term radiation-linked illness and wish I'd made a better decision.

This is especially true if you have an infant like me, I mean, who'd want to risk giving their baby even 0.0001% of some radioactive material?

Don't let me scare you from coming to Japan, especially if you plan to stay in the southernmost areas of Japan, of which are probably least affected (if at all), but if you plan on staying in Tokyo or North from there - I'd be picky with what you drink just to be safe.

Original article:
I haven’t visited every prefecture in Japan, so this isn’t a nationwide definitive opinion, this is my experience of living in the Tokyo/Chiba area. (as with everything on this blog)
I’m aware that water can differ from place to place, even in my home country of the UK I know it’s the case. For example water in the Lake District tastes as good as Evian, while the water in London tastes like crap!
Anyway with that in mind, my thoughts on the water in (several areas of) Japan.

The water smells/tastes like swimming pool water (Bad)
No matter if it’s at home or in a restaurant, the water you get in Japan tastes like crap. It has a distinctive chlorine smell and hard taste that is quite unpleasant and doesn’t quench your thirst.
The chlorine smell isn’t too bad when it’s your bath, but pour a big jug full of water to drink and it’s quite unappetising.
Surprisingly most restaurants don’t filter water, so if you ask for a glass of ice water you will get the standard out-of-the-tap stuff.
One of the few places you’ll get filtered water in Starbucks! (ask for O-YU, hot water, to make sure you get the good stuff)

Fluoride is not added to the water (Bad)
It’s well documented that most western countries add a small amount of fluoride into the water supply. Most people agree that it helps build strong teeth and have no ethical problems with it.
I’m also aware some people are against adding anything to the water and swear by bottled/filtered water.
Anyway, in Japan it is not added in any of the prefectures and the results of choosing not to do so are obvious.
Japan has a nationwide problem of generations upon generations with decayed and crooked teeth. Couple this with the fact that braces are expensive and not covered by the national health system and that fact that most Japanese people don’t make regular visits to the dentist.
This is not a racist stereotype, it’s an observation based on jobs which require up close and personal views of Japanese people’s mouths. (Teaching conversational English in a small room!)
I also have a friend who works for the government in the Environment department who openly admitted that it was a mistake for Japan not to include fluoride in the water and that they are actively discussing changing their position.
There is also a nationwide campaign to get children brushing their teeth properly with a daily “teeth brushing time”, clearly a band-aid to a major problem in Japan.

Bottled water is cheap and delicious! (Good)
A half-litre bottle of bottled water costs about 100-150 Yen and is available from any of the millions of vending machines found every few metres around Japan.
This is invaluable in summer and a necessity considering how revolting tap (faucet) water is in Japan.
For those interested in brands:
From any convenience store in Japan: Evian, Malvern, Mountain Valley, Volvic, Vittel, Crystal Geyser.
From import shops and fancy places: Fiji, Perrier and Hawaiian Water are available.

Water filter systems in Japan (Good)
I didn't know whether to label this as good or not, because you wouldn’t need these if the water was drinkable, but I decided to be nice because there are some pretty cool inventions to be found in Japan!
First of all, Britta water filter jugs (other brands available) are easy to be found here, any big supermarket or electronics shop will have them.
The jug isn’t too expensive, but a pack of 3 cartridges will cost you about 3,000 Yen and generally last about 2 months each, of reasonable daily use.
In summer you can put them in the fridge and enjoy cool free(ish) water anytime you want, or pour into your own bottle to take with you.
Even better is the tap-fitting filters that attach to your kitchen tap and give you instant filtered water.
Personally I don’t use that for direct drinking, I consider it “half-filtered” so I use it for boiling and cooking only.
For extra tasty water I pour the half-filtered water stream straight into a proper water filter to get it extra soft and delicious.

Onsen water is amazing! (Good)
If you come to Japan go to an Onsen (Hot Spring), I mean a real natural Onsen not a Sento. (which is basically a hot swimming baths!)
It’s said that if you dig deep enough anywhere in Japan, you will reach boiling hot natural mineral water.
I didn't think that was true, until a local golf driving range was demolished, a lot of digging down and a year later there was a natural Onsen 20 minutes from my house, which I consider to be a pretty metropolitan area!
The water is filled with amazing minerals and salts with cleanse your skin and help you feel warm and relaxed.
The only thing you have to get passed is the fact it’s all-nude all the time! (no swimming shorts allowed)

Waste water bills in Japan are expensive (Bad)
In my area, the waste water (meaning water that you pour down the drain) is measured by the litre and can be more expensive than you’d think.
Bath water, toilet water and water you pour down the kitchen sink is all calculated to the exact millilitre and charged to you every month.
One time I had a leaky toilet that I didn’t learn about until I got a water bill for 25,000 Yen (£180). You’ll need to be aware of how you use water in Japan, if you’re used to filling a massive bath per every person in your family or silly things like that.
A typical bill for me runs at around 10,000 Yen (£70) per month.
One good thing I like about Japanese toilets however, is the fact they have a tap on the top which allows you to wash your hands in clean water before it goes into the toilet bowl for flushing, very economical.


Final Word:
This was a tough call, as even though bottled water is cheap and Onsen water is amazing, the fact of the matter is, most of the water you will drink in Japan is awful.
The “free” water you get from your tap is basically undrinkable, necessitating the use of filters to make the water at home palatable.
Don’t get me wrong the water in Japan is “safe”, but you’ll be sure to get a stomach ache if you drink too much of the regular stuff.
There are ways around this problem, but just be aware of what you’ll have to put up with in Japan.
VERDICT - LOW POINT

Other reading:

--> Does Japan's Water Taste Good?

--> Technical Readout of what is in Japanese tap water (Note Chlorine levels!)