Guide – Seeing a Doctor in Japan

Guide

Feeling sick in Japan? Here is a step-by-step guide on what to do and what you need, based off my REAL experience as a Japanese local.

What do I need?

  1. You will need to bring your health insurance card (“保険証” – Hokenshou).
  2. Cash. Some small clinics do not accept card payment. For general check ups \5,000-10,000 yen should be enough.

Health insurance is mandatory by Law in Japan for all Japanese citizens and Expats with long-term Visa. If you are employed your company should provide you with the health insurance card. Family members are often also covered under the same employment insurance as a dependent. If you are self-employed or unemployed, you will need to be enrolled in the National Health Insurance (“国民健康保険” – Kokumin Kenkou Hoken) to receive your health insurance card.

If you do not have a heath insurance card, you will be required to pay the medical fee in full.

Where should I visit?

Visit your nearest Clinic or Hospital.

Generally it is easier to first visit a Clinic. If you need to be treated further, the Doctor at the Clinic may write you a Referral to be seen at a hospital with the necessary equipment.

If your matter is urgent, go to the hospital and visit the Emergency Room (“緊急外来 – Kinkyuu Gairai).

If you need to be treated for a specific condition it may be best to look for a specialized Clinic or a Hospital. Refer to the table below to find the correct medical facility.

Japanese English
General Departments
総合診療科 Sogo Shinryou ka General Practice
緊急・集中治療部 Kinkyuu・Shuchuchiryou bu Emergency Room (ER) / Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
臨床検査科 Rinshou kensa ka Clinical Laboratory
病院薬剤部 Byouin yakuzai bu Radiology
放射線科 Houshasen ka Hospital Pharmacy
Internal Medicine Department (内科 – Naika)
内科 Naika Internal Medicine
消化器内科 Shoukaki naika Gastroenterology
呼吸器内科 Kokyuuki naika Respiratory Medicine \ Pulmonology
内分泌内科 Naibunpitsu naika Endocrinology
免疫・アレルギー科 Meneki・Allergy ka Immunology / Allergy
感染症内科 Kansenshou naika Infectious Diseases
精神科 Seishin ka Psychiatry
循環器内科 Junkanki naika Cardiology
血液内科 Ketsueki naika Hematology
肝臓内科 Kanzou naika Nephrology
神経内科 Shinkei naika Neurology
腫瘍科 Shuyou naika Oncology
小児科 Shounika Pediatrics
Surgical Deparment (外科 – Geka)
一般外科 Ippan geka General Surgery
消化器外科 Shoukaki geka Gastrointestinal Surgery
脳神経外科 Noushinkei geka Neurological Surgery
血管外科 Kekkan geka Vascular Surgery
整形外科 Seikei geka Orthopedic Surgery
産科 Sannka Obstetrics
皮膚科 Hifuka Dermatology
眼科 Ganka Ophthalmology
呼吸器外科 Kokyuuki geka Thocracic Surgery
心臓外科 Shinzou geka Cardiac Surgery
形成外科 Keisei geka Plastic Surgery
泌尿器科 Hinyoukika Urology
婦人科 Fujinka Gynecology
耳鼻咽喉科 Jibi Intouka Otorhinolaryngology
検眼化 Kenganka Optometry

Difference between a Clinic and Hospital

The legal difference between a clinic and a hospital is that hospitals must have the capacity to serve over 20 patients. This means Hospitals must have over 20 beds, while clinics will usually have less than that.

Clinics are small scale medical facilities which often specialize in certain fields. Hospitals have a range of departments and equipment for deep assessments and surgical operations.

Seeing the doctor: Step by step

Once you have decided which Clinic or Hospital you are going to visit and have prepared your health insurance card its time to visit the facility.

Visiting the venue

In Japan appointments or bookings are not required (and often not possible) for first time visits so just make sure you visit during operating hours. However depending on your condition (COVID for example) you may want to give them a ring before you visit.

Once you arrive at the Clinic/Hospital head to the reception. If it is a Clinic the reception should be obvious as the venue is likely to be small. If you are visiting a hospital the reception may be slightly harder to find – search for the “外来(gai-rai)” reception by following the signs or simply ask the hospital staff for directions.

At the reception

Tell the receptionist that you are here for a check up. The receptionist will ask for your health insurance card and tell you to wait until your name is called. If you are coming from another clinic and have a referral letter (“紹介状 – Shoukaijou) from another doctor, show the letter to the receptionist.

If this is your first time visit, you will be handed a questionnaire form (“問診表 – monshin-hyou) to fill in while you wait. The questions are mostly general and ask about your conditions. The doctor will use this form as part of their assessment.

Once your name is called follow the directions from the staff to see the doctor. If you are at a hospital, depending on your condition you may need to go through blood tests, urine tests etc before you can see the doctor.

After seeing the doctor

Once you have seen the doctor you will be guided back to the reception. The doctor would have instructed the receptionist to provide you with the required documents and prepare the invoice for payment. Most clinics simply require you to pay at the reception while some hospitals may require you to pay separately at a machine.

How much do I need to pay?

With health insurance the initial consultation should be around 3,000 – 4,000 yen. For general follow-up consultations the cost can be around 1,000 yen.

Medical fees in Japan are calculated in points. Your medical invoice should list the medical service items in points before the final amount required to be paid is tallied.

1 point = 10 yen and this is universal by law throughout Japan. With health insurance generally you will only pay 30% of the total amount. Final amount will be rounded to the nearest 10 yen.

Example:

Total Consultation fee 324 points
Converted to yen
(324 x 10 yen)
3,240 yen
With insurance
(3,240 x 30%)
972 yen
Final payment amount
(rounded to nearest 10 yen)
970 yen

 

Payment amount in-depth

The price structure for medical bills are reviewed by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare every 2 years. The point structure of 1 point = 10 yen is universally applied throughout Japan by law.

As of 2022, The initial consultation fee is fixed at 288 points or 2,880 yen. Follow up consultation is fixed at 74 points or 740 yen. These costs will vary by around 130 – 600 points if the visit falls outside of normal operating hours and on weekends.

The amount covered by health insurance varies depending on your income bracket and age.

For the full list of medical costs refer to the Ministry website in the Useful links section below.

Useful Links

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