Motion sickness: what can I do beforehand, and when should I take the tablets?
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
Cars, buses, ferries, planes — and lately VR headsets. Motion sickness is most common in children (especially ages 4–12), but plenty of adults suffer on boats or in the back seats of buses. Here are the measures passed down in Japanese households, and how to use the medicines properly.
The measures in order
| Measure | Details | Strength of evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Seat | Car: front seat (ideally driving, otherwise the passenger seat). Bus: front, avoiding seats over the wheels. Ship: centre, lower deck, somewhere with a view outside. Plane: window seat over the wing. Train: face the direction of travel | Positions with less motion are physically better |
| Eyes | Look at distant scenery and the direction of travel. Avoid phones, reading and tasks that make you look down (the mismatch between eyes and inner ear is greatest) | High |
| Driving | Drivers hardly ever get sick (they can predict the motion) | High |
| Food | Avoid an empty or over-full stomach; eat lightly 1–2 hours before. Avoid greasy food, dairy, fizzy drinks and alcohol. Ginger has been reported to ease nausea | Medium |
| Sleep and condition | Lack of sleep, a hangover or a cold make you more prone | High |
| Smells and ventilation | Exhaust fumes, air fresheners and food smells are triggers. Open a window for cool air | Medium |
| Medicines | 30 minutes to 1 hour before boarding. Work poorly once you are already sick (you vomit them up) | High |
| Wristbands (acupressure) | Press the "Neiguan" point on the inside of the wrist. Research results are divided | Low to medium |
| Once it starts | Close your eyes, lie down (keep your head still), cool air, loosen your belt, a sweet or chewing gum | Based on experience |
Over-the-counter travel-sickness medicines
| Type | Example ingredients | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Antihistamines | Dimenhydrinate, meclizine, chlorpheniramine | Most common. Cause drowsiness. Last 4–6 hours (meclizine longer) |
| Anticholinergics | Scopolamine | Strong. Dry mouth, drowsiness. Many products are not for children |
| Combination products | The above + caffeine, vitamin B6 | Designed to reduce drowsiness |
| Children's products | Age 3 and over (depends on the product), 5 and over; chewables and drops | The dose depends on age and weight. Always check the label |
- When to take them: 30 minutes to 1 hour before. On long journeys, check the label for the interval before a repeat dose (most say at least 4–6 hours).
- Combinations to watch: easy to double up with cold and allergy medicines (antihistamines). Drivers should not take travel-sickness tablets that cause drowsiness. People with glaucoma or an enlarged prostate should be careful with anticholinergic ingredients.
- Children: under 2 hardly ever get sick (the balance sense is still developing). Ages 4–12 are the most susceptible, and many improve after adolescence. The worry "I might get sick" is itself a trigger, so games that keep the eyes forward — singing in the car, word games such as shiritori, spotting signs out of the window — work well. A tablet computer is the worst possible combination.
- VR and 3D sickness: the same mechanism (a mismatch between vision and body sensation). Take a break every 20–30 minutes, use a device with a high frame rate, use it sitting down.
- When to see a doctor: dizziness and nausea that continue when you are not travelling, ringing or hearing loss in one ear (possible inner-ear disease), severe headache. Go to an ENT clinic (耳鼻咽喉科, jibi-inkōka).
- Practising before a trip: repeated short rides build tolerance (habituation). Seasickness usually settles within 2–3 days.
[Verify] Check the ingredients and age limits of travel-sickness medicines against each product's package insert, and the statements on ginger and wristbands against reviews of clinical studies.
Misunderstanding 1｜Take the tablet once you feel sick and you will feel better
Travel-sickness tablets are preventive; the rule is to take them 30 minutes to 1 hour before boarding. Once you are sick you vomit them up and they work poorly.
Misunderstanding 2｜Distract yourself with your phone and you will not get sick
Looking at a nearby screen maximises the mismatch between eyes and inner ear and is the surest way to get sick. Look into the distance.
Misunderstanding 3｜Travel on an empty stomach and you will not vomit
An empty stomach makes motion sickness worse. Eat lightly 1–2 hours before.
Misunderstanding 4｜Children's motion sickness is all in the mind
Ages 4–12 are a physiologically susceptible period. Anxiety plays a part, but seat, gaze and medicines all help.
Misunderstanding 5｜Adults grow out of it
Many improve, but adults still get sick on ships, at the back of buses, when short of sleep or hung over. The measures are the same.
---
Sources
- Japan Society for Equilibrium Research, "Motion sickness" [動揺病（乗り物酔い）]
https://www.memai.jp/
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), "OTC medicines: precautions for use of anti-motion-sickness drugs" [一般用医薬品：鎮暈薬（乗り物酔い薬）の使用上の注意]
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/
- Japan Pediatric Society, "Motion sickness in children" [こどもの乗り物酔い]
https://www.jpeds.or.jp/
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
About this article
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
This article is not meant to diagnose or manage any specific medical condition. If you are worried about your health, see a doctor rather than relying on your own judgement.
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