Dairy in Japan vs. US?

So I currently live in the US and I'm lactose intolerant, along with a light allergy to milk (I get small hives). But I've heard that US milk is very different from milk in the rest of the world because of how it's processed.
If I get any products with a distinctive amount of milk in it, in Japan, could I digest it? (Though I wouldn't go binging, I just hate bothering chefs to avoid dairy) Is there anyone who could relate?

some guy,

I hate to say this, but you never know. There are many Japanese people living in Japan who are allergic to cow milk. Cow milk is one of the 3 top allergens in Japan.

But allergy is a complex thing. It's not just the exact allergen that plays tricks on you, but sometimes you get better in different environments.

Talk to your doctor to see if it is okay to try Japanese milk once you get here.

I had thought I heard about the allergy thing in Japan. Which confuses me because of how many ads I see for Japanese ice cream places, bakeries, etc. I'll live if I have any dairy, so if the situation comes about I may as well try. Thanks for the reply.

I'm not sure if it's true but I've heard that Japanese milk doesn't contain lactose.

If it's important to you I can feed my lactose-intolerant Asian girlfriend some milk and see the reaction :D

lol...all milk contains lactose

the difference between normal japanese milk and normal american milk is not something that affects most people.

the difference is in the pasteurization process. normal japanese milk is pasteurized using the UHT method which superheats the milk for about 2 seconds before returning it to normal temperature.

most american milk undergoes a different process (there are 3 or 4 other pasteurization methods)

the only difference is that UHT milk keeps for a very long time. there are also some differences if you are a cheesemaker but if you're allergic to milk i'm guessing you're not interested much in that.

Milk in Japan does include lactose. But, in fact, a lot of the Japanese have the impression that milk makes your tummy feel funny, and there are several brands of milk that is supposed to be "easy on your tummy" like this one where lactose is "broken down."
http://www.meg-snow.com/products/milk/7f636.html

By the way, I have the impression that every country in the world puts up ads for ice cream places, bakeries, etc. Here in Japan, parents are encouraged to feed sick children with icecream because they're so nutritious.

Is milk with the lactose "broken down" equivalent to lactose-free milk? I would think it would be, because lactose free milk has the enzyme needed to digest it in the milk.

I'm curious because I'm lactose intolerant, but I still like milk in certain things (like cereal).

The milk with the enzyme added is what they call lactose reduced or lactose free milk. The enzyme is lactase and it converts lactose a dissaccharide to two other sugars galactose and glucose, both monosaccharides. These are more easily digestible.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactase

I'm also mildly lactose-intolerant, and over here the so-called lactose-free milk is simply milk in which the lactose has been broken down into galactose and glucose. None of the lactose-free milks I've seen here have ever claimed to have lactase in it, and to tell the truth I wasn't even aware that kind of milk existed. Then again, we've only had lactose-free milk for like three years...

Sorry for the off-topic.

One difference, AFAIK is that Japanese dairy doesn't have bovine somatropins - hormones that induce milk production.
In the US it is standard.

Added hormones in various products causes allergy. I try to avoid US imported beef products in Japan as I seem to have strong allergy to hormones.

Food is a difficult issue. You should have allergic pills whenever you can and take a sample of food which you find dubious so that you won't be fully struck.

If you run out of allergy pills, you can get one (product name Allergill ƒAƒŒƒ‹ƒM�[ƒ‹) at any drugstore without prescription. Be careful of overdose, though,

Interesting that Japanese milk is UHT.
UHT is popular in some warmer countries in europe like France Spain etc.. (less so in UK where I am from where it is a bit more chilly) When on holiday on the occasion we bought UHT by mistake but it would instantly be recognisable as it did not taste like "proper" milk.
I had noticed that Japanese milk lasts suspiciously long however the taste is fine...so how do they keep the flavour of the milk I wonder?

i find japanese milk not to last long at all. 5 days tops. bread- 2 or 3 days. because it lacks hormones and preservatives. it comes in small 1000 ml cartons where as in America they come by the gallon. i thought japanese just dont consume much milk like Americans. anyway milk in America last 2 weeks at least. ive only found 2 brands with milk lasting About 10days. morigna whatever and that oishisa meiji milk. i guess it has perservatives. is that what the superheating method is?

Lactose free milk exists, they specially remove the lactose. You have to look in certain groceries and not every one will have it (:

Milk in Japan does not contain any preservatives.
Most popular method of pasturizing in Japan is UHT, heating milk at 135-150C for 1-3 seconds.
Pasturized by other methods (LTLT, 30 min. at 63C or HTST, 15 sec. at 72-78C) can be found if you look for ’ቷŽE‹Û‹�“û (teion sakkin gyuunyuu/pasturized milk at low temperature).

Usually UHT milk in carton in Japan lasts 5-7 days, depending on the condition of storage.
So-called 'long-life milk' is also available, it is UHT milk packaged in special, highly air-tight cartons, which can last 3 month in room temperature.

http://www.silkpurecoconut.com/

I find the above product an excellent substitute for cow milk in cereal.

Perhaps a similar product is available in Japan?

I also know that Horchata(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horchata) is a popular beverage, although I don't know how readily available it may be in Japan.

Lactose intolerance is not the same as an allergy and therefore allergy pills are not good for this.
But there are certain pills which contain enzyme to process lactose when someone has a problem with lactose. Many Japanese have lactose intolerance so there should be no problem to find lactose free milk or pills to help digest the milk.
If visiting Japan, maybe you can bring some special supplement in your luggage? Then you can feel free to not worry about your milk problem. I believe the supplement must be in original unopened container in your baggage.

People are allergic to proteins. Without specific testing you can only guess what milk protein(s) you are allergic to. Lactose intolerance is not technically an allergy but rather it's the inability to easily digest lactose, and the uncomfortable results from that. Yogurt or buttermilk cultures process milk so that you might be more or less allergic to them - you have to try them to be sure, in small quantities, if you feel you can tolerate the results (if your allergy produces a severe breathing reaction, for example, don't mess around!). Some processed foods have milk protein in them, for example casein or casienate: you might also see if foods with that additive make you react.

I'm from the USA. one drop of anything dairy kills my stomach.average 4-6 hrs of severe stomach pain. I just returned from Japan. I had zero problems with cheese or milk there. I had cheese first on accident. Took me a few days to work up courage to try milk. So, then next was McDonald's. which in USA I can't do but no problems in Japan. Chemicals? Processing? Don't know. It's kinda scary what our goverment allows to happen with our food.

I was curious about this too since milk and I don't get along... But I love ice cream and milkshakes. Cheese and such don't bother me though.

What I've tested is a supplement like other poster suggested. I tested it in past year so I could enjoy by myself in Japan. I thought far ahead, lol.

What I use is called Lactaid. I use the chewable tablets. You take it with first bite of dairy product. Only thing I notice is that it makes me feel weird if I take it with a bottle of flavored milk.

Why not test different types and see what works?