Sniffles

I have been stuffed up and fighting a runny nose ever since I came back from China. Here I was thinking it was just a cold... but it is pollen. Hay fever is in full swing in Japan. Yes, I know, it is the middle of winter and hay fever comes in spring. Supposedly it the pollen count will be 10 to 30 times higher than it was last year. Boy, won't spring be fun!

I didn't have pollen allergies when I came to Japan. After living here for three years I started to get sniffles. Last year I started to wear a mask in the spring because I was sneezing uncontrollably all the time. According to the article I linked above, last year had a very low pollen count. Might have to try some of the new products released this year - sprays for you clothes which encapsulate the pollen to prevent it from breaking and releasing alergens, and nose creams that do the same thing for pollen than winds up in your nose, or the full face masks that are now available covering from the top of your nose to under your chin. Sexy, hunh?

Pollen sucks.