Woman, 26, who spent five months in Japanese prison after trying to order ketamine explains what it was like
The Brit was released after expecting to spend over two years behind bars
A woman who was held in a Japanese prison after attempting to purchase ketamine has explained what it was like and her experience will certainly surprise you.
Brit Izabel Rose had attempted to buy $200 worth of the drug while she was in Tokyo, but her postal order was ultimately intercepted by customs in Japan.
The 26-year-old was detained at her hotel and was kept in a detention centre in Osaka for a period of five months as she awaited her trial.
Most people at this point would describe a horror experience behind bars, but Izabel, more commonly known as Izzy, says her time in prison allowed her to heal.
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Izzy has long struggled with drug addiction and has felt 'reborn' after coming out of prison.
She said: "It was healing. I needed that time away from my surroundings. I needed the kick up the bum. I had to face the consequences of my actions and I am really glad that I did."
Izzy was struggling with her drug addiction in London, so thought a change of scenery in the Japanese capital would do her some good, but she quickly struggled with drawback symptoms.
She continued: "It became very normalised to me. I wasn’t aware that I was an addict, I just thought it was what everyone did.
“I knew I was on a dark path, and I didn’t want to be in London because I would continue using ketamine.
“Obviously addiction doesn’t understand geography so as soon as I landed in Japan, I was on the phone to my friend looking for drugs.”
A friend suggested Izzy could have ketamine sent to a hotel she was soon heading to in Osaka, but the package was intercepted by Japanese officials.
The Brit was expecting to receive a sentence of over two years behind bars, but after trial, received a four-year suspended and was able to return home to her family.
Speaking of her time behind bars, Izzy said: "It was very isolating. I describe it as the most traumatic thing that has ever happened to me, but the best thing that has ever happened to me.
“I had never known discipline, structure, and routine like it. They rip all humanity from you. I didn’t see sunlight and I had no fresh air.
“I really did feel like I was an outsider. I was very privileged, so going into that environment was a shock to the system.”
While she's found parts challenging since being released in September 2025, support groups have been a massive help and Izzy is now calling for better education surrounding the damage drug abuse can do.
She continued: "I want to see what we can do in this country to help people like myself. We are facing a crisis here in the UK. This is worse than the heroin epidemic and we need more education around it.
“Addiction does not care who you are. It can creep up on you and it is not something to be ashamed about at all. It is something we should have open conversations about.”
Callum Jones