Facts About Japan's Drinkable Tap Water


Without a doubt, when traveling and driving around Japan, we will get thirsty soon. However, should we keep buying bottled water, or is it safe to drink tap water everywhere? Even outside big cities like Tokyo and Osaka? Japan is one of only 15 countries in the world with potable tap water. The tap water undergoes stringent quality control tests that meet 51 criteria to be considered safe to drink.
 Japan's Tap Water is Potable 
Japan's tap water is drinkable. To be honest, we can safely drink water from the tap anywhere in Japan. No matter it’s inside, outside, in parks or from taps in public toilets and stations. It is perfectly normal for people to do so while on the road, and for kids playing outside. Most of Japanese drink tap water at home too.
 Japan's Water is Soft 
Some Europe visitors to Japan may notice something strange when they drink Japanese tap water for the first time. It’s because the water supply in Japan has a different hardness level compared to the supply in Western countries. Hardness level is an indication of the amount of minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, dissolved in water. Including tap water and spring water sources, the water in Japan is mostly soft water, which has a low hardness level. Soft water has a milder flavor than hard water and is easier to drink, but to someone used to hard water, soft water can taste inadequate.
 Risk 
Although tap water itself is safe to drink, the health risk posed by supply pipes is somewhat a cause for concern. In Japan, it is mandatory to replace the unserviceable tubes by their 40th year. However, naked lead pipes are still in use in some parts of Japan. Despite Japan’s budget allocation for improvement, maintenance and emergency pipelines, let’s not forget that the country is essentially, earthquake-prone, tsunami and typhoon.
Tips to protect ourselves and our family:
 Boil water before drinking 
Boiling water can kill germs. Nevertheless, things like lead, nitrates, and pesticides aren't affected. Since boiling reduces the volume of water, it increases the concentration of those contaminants.
 Bathing 
A shower filter would leave our skin with a natural softness. It can even minimize the development of wrinkles and fine lines. Chlorine strips the natural oils that moisturize hair follicles and leaves with dry, frizzy hair and a scaly, irritated scalp. Shower filters can restore our hair’s natural shine and texture, taming frizz and increasing elasticity.
 Purifying 
The reverse osmosis water purification system is commonly used in the manufacturing process of bottled water sold to consumers. However, rather than buying bottled water manufactured at factories and distributed by vehicles, if it is possible, wouldn’t it be more efficient and safer to produce water that is of the same quality as or even better than bottled water at a location where the water is actually consumed, such as at home, in an office, or a restaurant? With Eago’s reverse osmosis water purification systems, this possibility has become a reality.

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