Final post-trip reflection!

Learning about pharmacy in Japan was an amazing experience. The school curriculum was similar to the one in the United States. The hospital pharmacy was a lot different than the one in the U.S. In Japan there are no pharmacy technicians and medications are packed individually by pharmacists. Boxes containing patients' medications are delivered to the nurse station with a machine that will take each box and transport it to the correct location.

In the community pharmacy, a machine is able to package all the different medications that a patient must take into one individual package. A patient will have one packet that contains all the pills that must be taken at a certain time, such as before breakfast, lunch, dinner, or before bed. Each packet is color-coded according to the time of the day a patient must take his or her medication. Each pharmacist is only allowed to fill forty prescriptions per day. It is amazing to see how much time is spent on just filling one prescription. Although this method is not as environmentally friendly and uses a lot of plastic, it will help minimize medication errors. The patient will be less confused about when to take his or her medication. I would like to see this in the U.S. 

Traveling around Japan was an astonishing experience. Although I became hot and covered in sweat, the amount of walking was worth it. It was surprising to see the price of water being the same throughout different parts of Japan where we traveled. Even in locations with lots of tourist, the price of water did not double. Another thing I loved about Japan was the shopping. It was easy to find clothes that fitted me. In America, I always had trouble finding pants with the appropriate length and width. However, in Japan, I am able to walk into any store and find pants that fit perfectly. 

Another surprising thing was the toilet. I did not expect to see squatting toilets. I only saw them in China before and had refused to used them because they were difficult to utilize. Since Japan  is a technology-savy country, I was not expecting to see squatting toilets. On the other hand, there were also really fancy Japanese toilet seats that included seat warming, bidet washing, and buttock washing. The toilet seats also made water noises when you start using the toilet to help you "go" easier. I was surprised to see such a broad spectrum of toilets in public restrooms. Often next to restrooms, there were nursery rooms which provides more accessibility for mothers to breast feed. 

In Japan, vending machines sold beer and cigarettes. Also when buying alcohol at a grocery store or convenience store, they do not ID people. Along with ordering drinks, waiters and waitress do not ask for your ID to check your age. Japanese people trust each other easily.