Photo/Illutration Ear, nose and throat doctor Atsushi Yuta treats a pollinosis patient with sublingual immunotherapy in Tsu. (Yosuke Watanabe)

Hay fever sufferers beware. Forecasters are predicting that cedar and cypress pollen is arriving earlier and in larger quantities than in recent years throughout most parts of the nation.

The Japan Weather Association said pollen will begin flying in mid-February and the peak dispersal period will start from later in the month.

In some parts of the Shikoku and Kinki regions, the amount of pollen in the air is expected to be more than double the recent average.

High temperatures and long hours of sunshine last summer provided favorable conditions for female flowers that produce pollen.

In Tokyo, airborne pollen was observed in Ota Ward on Jan. 8, the earliest since record keeping began in 1985.

More than one in three people in Japan are estimated to be allergic to cedar pollen.

An epidemiological survey covering otolaryngologists and their family members showed that 38.8 percent were affected with cedar pollinosis in 2019, sharply up from 16.2 percent in 1998.

Young people, including children, appear to be vulnerable.

In the 10-19 age bracket, 49.5 percent suffer from cedar pollinosis, as do 30.1 percent among those between 5 and 9.

Some have turned to immunotherapy as a means of curing their allergies.

Over the course of three to five years, patients ingest a tablet containing a component of cedar pollen by melting it under their tongues once a day to gradually develop a lasting immunity to the allergen. 

Severe allergic reactions are among the potential side effects. 

For those willing to risk them, ear, nose and throat specialist Atsushi Yuta reports the treatment has been effective.

Yuta has treated about 1,600 patients with sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) at his Yuta Clinic in Tsu.

“It is effective for 80 to 90 percent of patients, such as in alleviating symptoms,” Yuta said.

In recent years, a growing number of young people have been treated with SLIT, which has been covered by the public health insurance system since 2014.

While the therapy costs adults about 3,000 yen ($20) a month, many municipalities provide free health care for patients up to junior high or high school age. 

Some outlying islands with few cedar or cypress trees, meanwhile, are trying to appeal to teleworkers and sightseers by touting themselves as a haven for hay fever sufferers.

Hirado in Nagasaki Prefecture has equipped a building on Azuchi-Oshima, an island of about 870 people, with infrastructure such as wireless internet capabilities.

The city is offering subsidies to companies that use the facility as a satellite office, covering travel and accommodation expenses.

“Employees of information technology companies are able to work away from the head office,” said Kenji Koyama, a city official. “We want to leverage (the island) to attract businesses.”

The Ogasawara Islands, about 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo, do not have naturally growing cedar or cypress trees.

Yasuhiro Negishi, executive director of the Ogasawara Village Tourism Bureau, said he wants to promote the subtropical islands as a pollen-free destination both for tourists and workers.

(This article was compiled from reports by Shoko Rikimaru, Yosuke Watanabe and Hiroshi Nakano.)

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