june 6

I got up around 730 and got ready and caught the train. I got to keio by 845am. I like catching the less crowded train. I went into the lab and was trying to organize. Matsuyama sensei came up to me and asked how I like miki pharmacy. I said we didn’t go yet. Ohhhooh. Well ok. Brandon arrived and we were off. Takesan said we would meet yoko at the station. She is an grade 4 pharmacy student. Take told us that it was top secret that he has a girlfriend. J very funny. Yoko came and we went toward the miki pharmacy. There were several miki pharmacies on the street with Tokyo joshii dai hospital (women’s hosp). turned out we were at the wrong pharmacy. We got directions and went to the right one. It was in a huge type of mall. There are medical clinics on the one of the floors including doctors, eyes, dental. They all get their prescriptions at the miki pharmacy. We met a lady and she introduced us to another pharmacist that studied abroad in Canada. She was very nice. She told us that when a pt comes they put their rx into a scanner to stamp the time and take a number. They must wait in line for their number and it will appear on a huge monitor. The receptionists take the rx and input it into the computer and answer phones. They have a little otc section but that person that runs that counter is not a pharmacist. once the rx is in the computer one pharmacist will get the medicine and others will check it. A medical/medication hx is taken and kept up with. They also do a soap note for each rx. They have their own packaging machine for one dose each. It can package on pill or many. They also divide the pill by the time the pt is supposed to take it. Good idea. They do powders. They don’t really have pharmacy products, they just take from stock jar and put in a small jar. It gets checked with a hanko and then sent out the window. The pharmacist that is counseling will call the number of the rx and they must counsel. Some drugs are easier to prepare than others so sometimes a pt will get skipped. They do not call the number, just the pt name, because they don’t want the person skipped to know. But somehow the pt always knows and gets mad. Rx can be “called ahead” with a fax. They are worked on faster because they do not have a number. They complete the filling and wait for the pt to bring in the original rx. You can also leave your rx for the next day. They also have an oxygen bar that is free for 10 minutes. The pharmacy does about 300 rx per day and wait time is 45-1hr sometimes. We talked about how warfarin is a anarrwo therapeutic index drug and they only have 0.5 1mg and 5 mg strength on warfarin.

After the tour, we went to the restaurant next door. I had tuna, which turned out to be the neck of the tuna. It was really good. Then we went off to the other pharmacy. On the way we found a bank so I could exchange my travelor’s checks. Then we went to the other miki pharmacy that works with Chinese herbal medication. It was really cool. They had some awesome smelling cinnamon. A doctor will write down the ingredients and the pharmacist with grab the medicine, and another will check to make sure it is right. They measure, and then put in a machine that will package individual tea bags. They steep the tea. The amt of water and boiling is very important for the effectiveness of the medicine. It was really cool. Pts must have a rx from the pharmacist. they cannot just buy it it was interesting to know that they stock ephedra. They said it was too make you sweat.

Then we went to a diner upstairs to rest and have a drink. I hald calpus, which was really good. We talked a bit and headed for the train. The leader left us and we went off to find Brandon a new bag. On the way we saw otc pharmacies. Sad, but they must have a pharmacist because 3 otc medicine, asa, acetaminophen? And ibuprofen?. It is jam packed with stuff. And one was even outside on the street hawking his ware and trying to get people in the pharmacy. We went to a men’s store and looked for bags. Brandon really didn’t like any so we walked on and found don-ki. It is a discount? Place packed with items. It was so loud that it was hard to think. Brandon found a nice bag and I found some stockings.

Then we went to the Tokyo metropolitan center . we went to the 45 floor in 55seconds. I could feel the pressure in my ears. It was really cool to see the city from that high. I was amazing. So many buildings and houses, everything. I found some really cool stuff but didn’t want to buy anything yet. We left and headed for sushi. We went to a rolling sushi bar. It was very delicious. Then other miho and kezu met us. It was very tasty. Then we left and headed back to daimon. Take got confused but I knew we were going the right. Me and Brandon got some ice cream at mcdonalds. It was about 930 then. My curfew really sucks. It’s a pain in the ass. There is not enough time to go anywhere. So we went to the 711 to find some calpis and to no avail. I got some snacks and we went outside to find the don-ki in roppongi. And take walked up behind us. Then we went home.

We told take, yoko, miho, and kezu that we thought Japanese people were very polite and not rude. They said it was a virture. Very important to Japanese people. Then Brandon explained that Japanese are like shrimp sushi. Shrimp on the outside and wasabi on the inside. They understood. And said I like you on the outside, but maybe on so-so on the inside. Japanese culture. But everyone has been so nice to us! It is great here. I just wish my bed was softer.