Most Japanese people don’t produce a lot of body odor. This means that finding effective deodorant and antiperspirant products can be a little challenging in Japan.
Fortunately, deodorant body paper, a newer type of product that is sold at any convenience store or pharmacy (including ones around Hotel Kinki), can do a pretty good job at keeping you smelling fresh.
Deodorant paper is similar to a wet wipe (moist towelette), but is soaked in a scented alcohol solution. This makes it effective for not just applying deodorant onto the body, but at removing sweat and oil at the same time.
A pack of deodorant paper can be easily carried in your bag and used discreetly throughout the day. In a pinch, you could probably use a few sheets to wipe down your entire body in lieu of a shower.
Deodorant paper is sold in several forms. Gatsby currently makes their body paper in ‘powder’ or ‘ice-type’ styles. Ice-type will leave your skin feeling very chilled; if you have sensitive skin, you should probably opt for the powder type. Gatsby also sells facial sheets, which are basically just a smaller version of their body sheets.
And I should note, although these products are aimed squarely at men, their scent is really quite mild and I wouldn’t call it overly masculine.
One last tip: In Japan, being heavily scented in perfume, cologne or deodorant is not really customary or appropriate. Most Japanese expect a neutral odorless body scent(!). Assuming your genetics can’t quite live up to these standards, just try to use a limited amount of heavily scented products during your stay in Japan.
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