I realise this is an old thread but I came across it when I searched for this kind of information, and others might, too. So here’s an update on the amphetamine situation:

- Vyvanse & Dexedrine have been illegal in Japan since 2018. Bring them at your own risk - any claims made about travelling with them legally prior to 2018 are inapplicable now. (It took the gov awhile but since they’re 2 of the ingredients in Adderall, they’re banned.)

- Ritalin & Concerta are still legal to treat narcolepsy. CONCERTA IS THE ONLY LEGAL DRUG USED TO TREAT ADHD IN JAPAN. It’s still permissible to bring Ritalin & Concerta into the country. The medical community there is only using Concerta for patients ages 6-18yo to treat ADHD though, so it might be impossible for you to get a prescription from a Japanese doctor. You’ll still need a Yakkan Shoumei to bring in large amounts of either.

- I’ve spoken to a Japanese researcher at the Stanford Center for Narcolepsy about amphetamines. He said I’d have to go through one of Japan’s Ministers of Health personally in order to bring Adderall in. *sigh*

- If you have narcolepsy, Japan also prescribes a drug called Cylert (pemoline) to treat it. Unfortunately it’s illegal in the USA! (I’ve never tried it & even if I could magically get a prescription in Japan, there’s a risk that it wouldn’t work.)

- I’ve brought my very necessary very illegal narcolepsy drugs through customs in my carry on bag with no issue before, and they searched EVERYTHING I had. But that was pre-2012 so they hadn’t started using drug sniffing dogs yet. Despite the success stories I’ve read I wouldn’t do it now.

- Military bases are considered US soil, and have drugs prescribed in the US available. So maybe you could find someone there willing to help you out - I’ve never looked into doing that but it’s a thought.

- There’s a criminal smuggling case for recreational amphetamines from 2008, from which the Japanese court said, “‘It is unlikely that an amateur can remain composed during inspections’ while knowingly smuggling illegal stimulants.”

I am by no means an expert, and this information has been gleaned from my own research. If something I’ve said is inaccurate please correct me!