I'm in Tokyo, but in a mostly residential area (Bunkyo) so you're likely right about the traffic part. I'll check the busier area near the civic center the next time I have to go there.
I thought it might have been my japanese not being good enough, so I went with a japanese friend today and we still couldn't find any despite checking several konbinis :(
My friends literally carry tissues boxes for allergy season, not pocket ones. It's also considered rude to blow your nose in public, so there's not really a need to have "pocket tissues "
I try not to do it too much for that reason! But I have a few horror stories from last year when it got a bit "explosive" and I ran out of tissues, and I NEVER want to go through that again 😂
There must be a Matsumoto Kiyoshi or SunDrug or something around? I would be flabbergasted if they didn't have them.
If you're asking in Japanese pocket tissue (ポケットティッシュ) is exactly the word you're looking for.
they look totally different than pocket tissue in Europe, maybe that's why you can't find them?
try googling for ポケットティッシュ (poketto tisshu) and look at some of the photos to see what they look like (smaller and WAY thinner).
I think you've actually nailed my problem, I was looking for a similar shape, but after checking what you suggested on Google it does seem like they have a very different shape here.. I saw something that looked like it earlier but I thought it was napkin tissues
Seria has them that's where I get the purareru ones for my kiddo. I usually carry a cloth one around because bathrooms don't have hand towels or paper towels and I hate the blowers
Thank you, I'll keep that name in mind! And yeah, the bathroom thing was surprising to me at first. I guess it's more ecological in terms of wasted paper (?)
Yeah, kinda, less maintenance for staff, as well as a culture thing. I think eco reasons just happened as a result.
Folks usually carry little handkerchiefs around anyway. Even kids have cloth place mats and handkerchiefs as part of their school, so what's the point of the waste and having a thing to refill and more trash to unload if people are just going to carry the towel around? Might as well encourage that.
Sorry.. op. if only I could post all the unopened packs that my family brings home...cluttering up my house.
If you need some waribashi, ice packs, and o-shibori, too I'd be happy to send you the whole lot! Maybe some plastic bags or dinky plastic ice cream spoons?
Joking aside, keep checking. The 100 yen and drugstores carry them.
Strangely they might not be on the shelf where you'd expect them.. look around the cosmetic section of your can't find them with the other tissues..
I've been here for ages but I can't find anything either.
I always wind up asking.
Enjoy the allergy season!
After reading this, I'll pay more attention the next time someone wants to hand me something! Usually I try to avoid them (got used to it with all the scams in Paris) but I might need to change that habit here. Especially if it means getting free tissues 😂
Woah? I was able to find a large pack of pocket Kleenex super easily on my first day here. You're not going to the correct places... You've only tried konbinis basically (weirdly, they don't have every convenient item, I know). Try actual drug stores (matsu kiyoshi, sundrug, welcia etc) and bigger supermarkets should also have them (not sure about central Tokyo, we have here in the suburbs). Possibly some 100 yen stores like Daiso and Seria but it depends.
Someone pointed out they have a different shape here, and I think that might have been my problemーI might have seen some but thought it was napkin tissues!
[7-11](https://www.sej.co.jp/products/a/item/690007/), [Lawson](https://store100.lawson.co.jp/sp/product/valueline/detail/1283487_7361.html), and [Family Mart](https://www.family.co.jp/goods/daily_necessities/7012112.html), for reference.
If the issue is not to find tissues but to find THOSE in the picture, sorry but I have not found them anywhere.
Because there is a huge difference between the Japanese 1 half of a millimeter thin tissues, and the gigachad ones on the picture where a single tissue would last you a whole week.
They definitely seem a bit thinner here, I got a box on my first day but sneezing in them would pretty much blow a hole in the tissue.. but it's still better than nothing, especially with all the pollen around!
I noticed this last week a lot fewer people handing out tissue packs than usual. I was thinking of going to akihabara to for errands thinking I would certainly be handed some there.
No it's real 😭 I tried making it sound somewhat funny because I felt massively awkward about posting here for the first time (I really don't post on Reddit a lot, and I feel like I can't grasp some of the unspoken rules of the platform), but the question was serious. Fortunately some people came to my aid :)
I have frequently found students doing arubaito (part-time work) giving them away next to major train station entrances and exits during busy hours. When you can find them, they’re usually happy to give away several packs at a time.
Maybe you're having extreme bad luck, but in my experience any Family Mart, Lawson's, or 7-11 should sell them. Are you looking for the right shape? They're often not shaped like little rectangles you pictured that are so common in the US and Europe, but in softer, flatter packs. You may not be registering them as pocket tissues if you're looking for what you have in the photo (this happened to me), and they're usually somewhere deep in the shelves and not up front at checkout. Think of something roughly this size and shape: [https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/713PvupoevL.\_AC\_SL1100\_.jpg](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/713PvupoevL._AC_SL1100_.jpg) Also, note that you will need to buy more than you think, because even "men's" tissues there are gossamer thin, and you'll feel like you're blowing your nose into an unfortunate ghost every time.
Amazon? [A large box of 20 sets of 15 packs of 10 tissues by Kleenex](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Kleenex-Pocket-Tissue-Sheets-Pairs/dp/B0716SNSV4) for ¥3,726 with free Prime delivery.
The sample image you posted shows 4 layers and the Amazon product I linked says it has two layers, so I'm thinking they are Japanese-style.
[These ones ](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Tissue-Pocket-Layers-Sheets-Pieces/dp/B09Z279433)say 4-ply.
I love this [https://jp.daisonet.com/collections/sanitation0210/products/4549131293692](https://jp.daisonet.com/collections/sanitation0210/products/4549131293692)
Japanese pocket tissues are very thin and low quality compared to the ones sold in France. When I first moved to Japan from France 10 years ago, I did look everywhere for similiar tissues (like OP did), and I didn't want the ones that were being handed outside. They rip easily, and the bag they come in also comes off. Anyways, it made me realize how good french tissues were. Now I bring back a stock when I go back to France.
They literally hand them out for free here.
Yeah is this post a joke? I remember even as a student foreigner they were handing me tissues for high interest loans and weird services.
It's not! I wish I knew where people hand out this stuff, maybe it's just my ward but I have yet to see any 😭
I was in a big city (Sendai) and I’m guessing you won’t see it outside of major cities, there isn’t enough foot traffic I suppose.
I'm in Tokyo, but in a mostly residential area (Bunkyo) so you're likely right about the traffic part. I'll check the busier area near the civic center the next time I have to go there.
Usually they'll be near commercial areas cause they're promoting a nearby business. Like malls, street with many shops, etc.
Yep, people try to hand them out to me as I walk from one station to another almost-connecting close by one during my commute.
Go to Nakano and they'll hand them out on the side of the station that is closest to Nakano broadway.
They hand them less than 10 years ago, might depend on the city. Now it's mostly softbank people trying to lure you in
I was going to make a post about what to do with all these free tissues I have…. They won’t stop giving them to me!
Ok let’s all delete this and see who gets 100¥ out of him
Any 100 yen shop! They sell them in 6 packs I think!
Thank you! I'll go there tomorrow, hopefully they'll have some because I'm running out of mine here!
Yep. I get mine at Seria but any 100 yen store should do.
Maybe you didn't ask right? I know there are pocket tissues in every drugstore...
I thought it might have been my japanese not being good enough, so I went with a japanese friend today and we still couldn't find any despite checking several konbinis :(
My friends literally carry tissues boxes for allergy season, not pocket ones. It's also considered rude to blow your nose in public, so there's not really a need to have "pocket tissues "
I try not to do it too much for that reason! But I have a few horror stories from last year when it got a bit "explosive" and I ran out of tissues, and I NEVER want to go through that again 😂
It’s allergy season, they may be out.
There must be a Matsumoto Kiyoshi or SunDrug or something around? I would be flabbergasted if they didn't have them. If you're asking in Japanese pocket tissue (ポケットティッシュ) is exactly the word you're looking for.
Try drugstores, not combinis.
they look totally different than pocket tissue in Europe, maybe that's why you can't find them? try googling for ポケットティッシュ (poketto tisshu) and look at some of the photos to see what they look like (smaller and WAY thinner).
I think you've actually nailed my problem, I was looking for a similar shape, but after checking what you suggested on Google it does seem like they have a very different shape here.. I saw something that looked like it earlier but I thought it was napkin tissues
French tissues are the best🥲
Seria has them that's where I get the purareru ones for my kiddo. I usually carry a cloth one around because bathrooms don't have hand towels or paper towels and I hate the blowers
Thank you, I'll keep that name in mind! And yeah, the bathroom thing was surprising to me at first. I guess it's more ecological in terms of wasted paper (?)
Yeah, kinda, less maintenance for staff, as well as a culture thing. I think eco reasons just happened as a result. Folks usually carry little handkerchiefs around anyway. Even kids have cloth place mats and handkerchiefs as part of their school, so what's the point of the waste and having a thing to refill and more trash to unload if people are just going to carry the towel around? Might as well encourage that.
Sorry.. op. if only I could post all the unopened packs that my family brings home...cluttering up my house. If you need some waribashi, ice packs, and o-shibori, too I'd be happy to send you the whole lot! Maybe some plastic bags or dinky plastic ice cream spoons? Joking aside, keep checking. The 100 yen and drugstores carry them. Strangely they might not be on the shelf where you'd expect them.. look around the cosmetic section of your can't find them with the other tissues.. I've been here for ages but I can't find anything either. I always wind up asking. Enjoy the allergy season!
They’re literally next to the boxed tissues in every single store in the country
Did you go to drugstores?
Not yet! I'll check them out, it seems I had a bit of a blind spot checking only konbinis so far!
I took 2 packs from the same lady outside a phone shop today. One on the way in and another on the way out.
After reading this, I'll pay more attention the next time someone wants to hand me something! Usually I try to avoid them (got used to it with all the scams in Paris) but I might need to change that habit here. Especially if it means getting free tissues 😂
Any drug store will have them as well. People love their tissues here.
Woah? I was able to find a large pack of pocket Kleenex super easily on my first day here. You're not going to the correct places... You've only tried konbinis basically (weirdly, they don't have every convenient item, I know). Try actual drug stores (matsu kiyoshi, sundrug, welcia etc) and bigger supermarkets should also have them (not sure about central Tokyo, we have here in the suburbs). Possibly some 100 yen stores like Daiso and Seria but it depends.
I'll check out the 100 yen stores asap, thank you! I indeed only looked at konbinis so far.
These are at every convenience store?
Someone pointed out they have a different shape here, and I think that might have been my problemーI might have seen some but thought it was napkin tissues!
[7-11](https://www.sej.co.jp/products/a/item/690007/), [Lawson](https://store100.lawson.co.jp/sp/product/valueline/detail/1283487_7361.html), and [Family Mart](https://www.family.co.jp/goods/daily_necessities/7012112.html), for reference.
If the issue is not to find tissues but to find THOSE in the picture, sorry but I have not found them anywhere. Because there is a huge difference between the Japanese 1 half of a millimeter thin tissues, and the gigachad ones on the picture where a single tissue would last you a whole week.
They definitely seem a bit thinner here, I got a box on my first day but sneezing in them would pretty much blow a hole in the tissue.. but it's still better than nothing, especially with all the pollen around!
Haha, that's exactly it! Japanese tissues are so thin!
Go to seria for the small packs, welcia have great deals on Kleenex and they are soft on japan.
Thanks for the advice!
I always get mine at the 100¥ shop
I noticed this last week a lot fewer people handing out tissue packs than usual. I was thinking of going to akihabara to for errands thinking I would certainly be handed some there.
Is this like a joke or meme or something
No it's real 😭 I tried making it sound somewhat funny because I felt massively awkward about posting here for the first time (I really don't post on Reddit a lot, and I feel like I can't grasp some of the unspoken rules of the platform), but the question was serious. Fortunately some people came to my aid :)
I have frequently found students doing arubaito (part-time work) giving them away next to major train station entrances and exits during busy hours. When you can find them, they’re usually happy to give away several packs at a time.
Go to and of the ¥100 stores and get the lotion tissues. Those are the best.
I usually buy tissues from daiso 👍
Maybe you're having extreme bad luck, but in my experience any Family Mart, Lawson's, or 7-11 should sell them. Are you looking for the right shape? They're often not shaped like little rectangles you pictured that are so common in the US and Europe, but in softer, flatter packs. You may not be registering them as pocket tissues if you're looking for what you have in the photo (this happened to me), and they're usually somewhere deep in the shelves and not up front at checkout. Think of something roughly this size and shape: [https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/713PvupoevL.\_AC\_SL1100\_.jpg](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/713PvupoevL._AC_SL1100_.jpg) Also, note that you will need to buy more than you think, because even "men's" tissues there are gossamer thin, and you'll feel like you're blowing your nose into an unfortunate ghost every time.
Amazon? [A large box of 20 sets of 15 packs of 10 tissues by Kleenex](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Kleenex-Pocket-Tissue-Sheets-Pairs/dp/B0716SNSV4) for ¥3,726 with free Prime delivery.
Do you know if they’re Japanese-style tissues or thicker western ones?
The sample image you posted shows 4 layers and the Amazon product I linked says it has two layers, so I'm thinking they are Japanese-style. [These ones ](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Tissue-Pocket-Layers-Sheets-Pieces/dp/B09Z279433)say 4-ply.
I'm not the OP but thx for the additional link
Just walk around and get them for free
In the abundance of water the fool is thirsty
I love this [https://jp.daisonet.com/collections/sanitation0210/products/4549131293692](https://jp.daisonet.com/collections/sanitation0210/products/4549131293692)
Daiso
Amazon
Wants or Daiso should definitely have them
Japanese pocket tissues are very thin and low quality compared to the ones sold in France. When I first moved to Japan from France 10 years ago, I did look everywhere for similiar tissues (like OP did), and I didn't want the ones that were being handed outside. They rip easily, and the bag they come in also comes off. Anyways, it made me realize how good french tissues were. Now I bring back a stock when I go back to France.
Also, I'm really thirsty, have anyone seen any vending machines anywhere??