COFFEE & A ROLL
This website contains content related to cannabis.
Are you 21 years of age or older?
By entering, you confirm you meet the legal age requirement
in your jurisdiction for cannabis-related content.
Region
East Asia
Established
Thousands of years (Shinto rituals)
Cultivation
Historically Outdoor (now virtually none)
Legal Status
Strictly illegal
History
Cannabis (taima) has deep roots in Japanese culture stretching back thousands of years. Hemp was used in Shinto rituals, traditional textiles, and medicine. The shimenawa — sacred ropes hung at Shinto shrines — were traditionally made from hemp fiber.
Hemp was a major crop in Japan until the US occupation after World War II, when the Cannabis Control Act of 1948 was imposed. This law effectively destroyed Japan's ancient hemp culture.
Today, Japan has some of the strictest cannabis laws in the world. A tiny number of licensed hemp farmers remain, growing fiber for Shinto shrine ropes.
Cultivation
Historically, cannabis was grown outdoors throughout Japan for hemp fiber. Modern cultivation is virtually nonexistent due to extreme legal penalties.
Hash Making & Processing
Hash making does not exist in Japan — cannabis possession and production carry severe criminal penalties.
Legal Landscape
Cannabis is strictly illegal. Possession can result in up to 5 years imprisonment. There is minimal public support for reform.
Key Figures
Traditional Shinto priests who maintain hemp cultivation licenses
Junichi Takayasu — hemp culture researcher preserving Japan's cannabis heritage