You know? There are only 15 countries in the world have access to potable tap water.
Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Irelan, Austria, New Zealand, South Africa, Mozambique, United Arab Emirates and Japan. 🙂

Standards for testing tap water in Japan

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare sets 51 inspection standards for tap water. In addition, there are other additional terms to check. You know that mineral water only has 18 testing standards.

So we know how strict Japan is about the standard of tap water so that its residents can use it!

Japanese tap water is soft water

There are two types of water, hard water (硬水 – kosui) and soft water (軟水 – nansui). The amount of calcium and magnesium is the basis for determining whether the water source is hard or soft water.

Hardness 0 ～ 100mg / l: soft water
Hardness 101 ～ 300mg / l: medium hard water
Hardness above 301mg / l: hard water
The average Japanese tap water has a hardness of 60mg / l, so it is classified as soft water.

The standards for the different deliciousness of Japanese tap water

Although the same is the tap water but there are localities with very good tap water. That is why Japan has a list of 100 tap water from different provinces and localities based on the deliciousness. Here are a few delegates of this list. If you come here, try drinking and feeling the difference!

Obihiro City (Hokkaido)
Aomori City (Aomori)
Shioya City (Tochigi)
Toyama City (Toyama)
Ono City (Fukui)
Matsumoto City (Nagano)
Fujinomiya City (Shizuoka)
Kumamoto City (Kumamoto)
Yonago City (Tottori)
Shimabara City (Nagasaki)

Soft water is great for skin and hair

Hard water contains minerals, so when showering these mineral ingredients stick to the skin / hair, causing damaged skin / hair, especially hair and skin to dry easily. Soft water, on the other hand, is gentle on skin and hair so it won’t cause much damage. Perhaps that is why Japanese skin and hair are often quite beautiful.

 With the interesting information above, you understand why Japanese tap water can be completely drunk, right? If you are living in Japan or you are traveling to Japan for business or pleasure, you can safely drink the water opened directly from the tap!