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In Japan, you may find cockroaches in your home, especially in the summer season. Cockroaches will gather wherever there is food. They have survived for a long long time as they will eat anything, and they can go almost anywhere by using their flat body. In this article, we will provide information on cockroaches in Japan as well as recommend products you can use to repel and kill these insects.

If you do not know how to deal with Japanese mosquitoes, please check this article. Summer in Japan is hot and humid making it important to learn how to prevent heatstroke and, if it occurs, how to respond to it. For more details, please check the article: "How to Survive Japanese Summer and Prevent Heatstroke".

Cockroaches in Japan

Cockroaches in Japan are rather small (average 3.5~4.5cm), but they move so fast (sometimes they fly and come at you). They are a vital insect that has been existing for 250 million years and can be found all over Japan. They are one of the most disliked insects in the world because of their appearances and movements. No matter how clean your house is, cockroaches may appear even on the upper floors of newly built high-rise apartments.

Why do cockroaches keep coming in even though the doors and windows are closed and the room is kept clean?

They can come in through not only from doorways and gaps, but also through drains, in cardboard boxes delivered, in the soil of houseplants, or in the outdoor units of air conditioners. Cockroaches may be unavoidable in a place where people live. If you use an air conditioner and would like to learn how to clean its filter, please check this article.

Characteristics of cockroaches

Nocturnal habit

Having high fertility

Being able to move very quickly

Clever

How to avoid cockroaches

1. Do not leave garbage
    Cover trash cans to prevent food odor.

2. Catch and Kill 
    Use products such as Gokiburi Hoihoi or Goki Jet Pro (see below) 

3. Getting rid of them
    Use pesticide such as Black Cap Pesticide or Gokish (prevention spray) (see below)

Recommended Products to Get Rid of Cockroaches in Japan

In Japan, there are many products to repel / kill cockroaches sold in supermarkets, drugstores, and it can be difficult to decide which one to choose. For your convenience, we have made a short list of some useful and effective products available in Japan that you can use to get rid of cockroaches.

Please read the instruction manual carefully before use.

Gokiburi Hoi Hoi

You can just leave Gokiburi Hoi Hoi around the kitchen area, between small gaps of kitchen cabinets and such, and anywhere that cockroaches may walk past. This product has a mat of sticky “smell of food” things in a “house for cockroaches”. Cockroaches come inside the “house”, where the smell comes from. But once they get in, they are trapped! All you have to do is just check the “house” sometimes and if there are any roaches trapped, you throw away the whole thing.

Goki Jet Pro

Goki Jet Pro is the most effective product for when you actually find a cockroach in front of you! There is a thin, long spray nozzle attached and by using that nozzle you do not have to get too close to a cockroach. Great injection effect kills target in a short time. Scent-free.

Earth Red W Non-smoke

Earth Red W Non-smoke is to sparge chemical in the whole room and kill cockroaches hiding behind kitchen and furniture. Avoid contact with skin, food and drink, dishes, children's toys, clothing, etc. Read the instruction manual carefully before use.

We also have many other articles that will help you with everyday life in Japan covering recycling symbols on products, laundry detergents, disposal of oversized garbage, and more.