What happens when you drink unboiled water in Japan?

Question

I saw this show that said that a lot of people in Japan used to get sick from drinking unboiled water

Answer 1

In Tokyo, the tap water is fine, but everyone drinks bottled water as it tastes better.

Outside the city, tap water is just fine.

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Answer 2

Strange... What show was it you were watching?? Are you sure it was Japan and not a different Asian country?? You can easily get confused.

The tap water has been safe for decades. I would say their filtering system is one of the safest in the world. I lived here for 7 years and never hard problems drinking the water from the faucet. However, there are people with "sensitive" stomachs. I would say 99% will have no problem with this, so you can't really tell. If you are really concerned, go ahead and boil the water or buy bottle waters from the stores like you will do in any other country.

Answer 3

This underlines an ever worsening problem faced by a growing number of countries, not just Japan. One of the prices we have all had to pay for industrializing of our ecomomies is pollution and the growing scarcity of pure drinking water. Effluent is finding it's ways into lakes, rivers and leaching into the reserves of water located below ground.

As a child of the 60's in suburban Sydney, one drank from the tap without a second thought. By about the 1980's, people began to feel the need to boil water and buy it plastic bottles. A decade before, the idea that you 'bought water' would have been considered crazy.

Answer 4

Nothing to worry..it is only the odor and the taste depends on the location.. I can't say it is safe because there are many reasons why the water become a problem in such area..I have been to Japan for many years and I had no problems unlike the other countries I've been . If there is such contamination, they do investigate as quick as they can...
In this case, you probably watched a show that was happened in a place where the water is contaminated and they got sick...
If you watch Erin Brockovich, the movie..you would have idea...
Even a bottled water or milk on cartons...etc .. could have some issues...so it is good if you are update on this...

Answer 5

Nothing, the water is fine... i live in japan and drink unboiled water all the time

Answer 6

The "show," not "unboiled water in Japan," must be sick!

What kind of "show" did you see?
Sounds like the people in that show are VERY sick.
I think "a lot of people in Japan" will get sick if they watch the show. Are you OK?

Answer 7

The water is fine in Japan, and actually quite refreshing. Never a flat taste like you can get in California or Nevada. However, the older the building, the older the pipes, which can alter the taste of the water significantly.

Answer 8

The water in Japan is totally fine... basically. The water where I live is great right out of the tap. City water in the bigger places does have a little metallic taste, but you won't get anything like Montezuma's revenge.

I have heard of people have skin reactions to water, but nothing like getting sick.

The water is great. No worries.

Answer 9

probably the same thing that happens when you drink unboiled water in America.

Answer 10

Water is 100% genki in Japan. However most ppl drink saki rather than water.

Answer 11

You get hydrated. Although, I will point out that my skin breaks out really bad when I shave with tap water in Japan. It is really wierd too. I get these hard bumps on my neck. I am not sure what it is, but it doesn't happen when I am home.