Can I take shaving foam and gel on a plane in Japan?

What the rule says

Japan follows the international rules on dangerous goods, set out by the Civil Aviation Bureau.

Before you get to the checkpoint

• On an international flight every container of liquid must be 100ml or less, inside one transparent re-sealable bag of 1 litre or less.
• Domestic flights inside Japan have no liquid limit at all.
• Medicine, baby milk and special dietary food are exempt — carry them separately and tell the officer.
• Take the bag out of your luggage and put it in its own tray.

Why the rule is what it is

It is neither dangerous goods nor something that could be used as a weapon, so neither rule applies to it.

If it is refused

You cannot go back and check it in once you are at the screening point. It is taken from you and disposed of, and there is no compensation. Some Japanese airports have a post counter before security where you can mail it to yourself.

Who decides

The officer at the checkpoint, applying the national rules and your airline's own conditions. Where the airline is stricter, the airline wins.

You can buy this in Japan

Where to buy it

Drugstores and convenience stores

Worth weighing against the space it takes in your bag. Most of this is cheaper in Japan than the excess baggage fee, and hundred-yen shops carry the everyday version of almost everything.

How the cosmetics limit works

Japan sets a total, not a limit per product.

• Each container: 0.5 litres or 0.5kg. Per person: 2 litres or 2kg in total.
• That 2 litre total is shared between cosmetics, medicines and aerosols. It is not 2 litres of each.
• On international flights the 100ml rule applies on top, for anything in the cabin.
• Japan Customs allows 24 items of cosmetics duty free, counted as one container of one product.

Related items

• Sunscreen (cream and lotion)
• Sunscreen spray
• Toner and lotion
• Make-up (foundation, lipstick)
• Face wash
• Perfume and cologne