Clean rivers? I don’t think so.

“Japanese doctors who refuse to prescribe adequate doses of anti-biotics”? Where do you find these doctors? Japan is relatively famous for OVERprescribing antibiotics, which results in people gaining tolerance to them and to a greater likelihood of antibiotic resistant bacteria developing. If you can find a Japanese doctor who UNDERprescribes antibiotics, you should take a picture to sell on Yahoo Auction – rare items always sell well.

in the 4 times I have been to Japanese doctors, I have only been given 3 day supplies of antibiotics. In each of the cases, it was just enough antiobiotics to beat back the infection for a couple days, but not quite finish it off, allowing it to come back. I’ve read that Japanese doctors do not prescribe doses in excess of 3 days because they are afraid of being investigated for over-prescribing anti-biotics.

randomcommenter, what the hell are you talking about? James is SO right. They REFUSE to give you more than 5 days MAX. I have demanded more, but they always tell me to come back. I agree, the essential problem is that they DO prescribe too much. Read as: too many useless 3 day doses of antibiotics and not enough full courses to actually treat the fuckin illness properly. I had to go to 3 doctors like 8 times over 2 months to get antibiotcs for an ear infection! Any American doc would give you enough to get rid of it in the first diagnosis!!