English-Friendly Hospitals in Japan

The new Japanese imperial era name has been announced by the prime minister’s office on April 1st. => Post about Japanese imperial eras The new era, starting May 1st, will be called “Reiwa”, pronounced like Lay-Wah. The kanji representation is “令和”, “れいわ” in hiragana, and “レイワ” in katakana. So in new forms, if you see “令和” or “令” or “R” in the year section, that’s what it means. The Chinese characters “令” means “Beautiful”, and “和” means “Harmony”. This comes from an olde Japanese script, called “Man-Yo-Shu (万葉集)”. It comes from the introduction to a series of 32 poems of plum flowers. Prime minister Abe has said that it is […]

I briefly wrote about the Japanese Emperor in my previous post. To recap, the imperial calendar year “Heisei” will end this year on April 30, when the current Emperor Akihito steps down and renounces his duties. => Post about the Emperor’s reign. The Imperial Household Agency (宮内庁) is yet to release the name of the new era, but they have officially announced that the title of the to-be-former Emperor will be “Emperor Emeritus”. You may be wondering, “that’s great, but how do they say it in Japanese?” Well, it’s Joko (上皇), pronounced like “Joe Koe”. The practice was quite common in pre-modern Japan. In fact, according to Wikipedia, almost half […]

When you are filling out forms in Japan, you may notice that the year is not the normal (Gregorian / A.D.) calendar year, like 2019. The Japanese still use their imperial calendar year, which coinsides with the emperor’s reign. The current era is Heisei (平成), which started on January 8th, 1989. So 1989 was the year 1 of Heisei, and 2019 is year 31 of Heisei. In modern Japan, the era lasted until the emporer’s death. However, the current Heisei Emporer expressed his wish to abdicate due to health concerns. He will be stepping down on April 30, 2019. The new era name starting on May 1st has not been […]

According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省), there is currently a influenza (flu) outbreak in Japan. During the week starting 1/14, the number of flu patients per hospital was the second highest in recorded history, with an estimated increase of 500,000 patients from the prior week! The ministry is advocating usage of surgical masks, covering your mouth and nose with handkerchiefs and your sleeves when you cough or sneeze. Also, they advise to take precaution and get sufficient nutrients and rest, and to wash your hands frequently. サイキョウファーマ マスクSP 個包装 ふつうサイズ(50枚入)【サイキョウファーマ】価格：680円（税込、送料別) (2019/1/30時点) In Japan, it is common for people to wear masks when they get sick, so […]

As in any culture, doctors are a high-profile profession in Japan. To become a medical doctor, you must pass the national medical exam (医師国家試験) and get a medical license. After getting your license you are required to have 2 years of training as an intern. The pass rate of the exam is said to be around 90% so the bar may seem low. However, the prerequisite is that you have to get a 6 year medical degree. In Japan, getting into college is the hardest part, especially medical school. Once you get the license, it is valid for life, and there are no re-certification courses or anything. So while an […]

Some medication are banned in Japan. For example, Ibuprofen (Advil) is not allowed for children/infants as an OTC drug. If you are currently on a prescription, make sure to check with your travel agent. Some will require supporting documents from your doctor, and some will be outright illegal. Don’t make the mistake of taking an illegal drug to Japan, even it it has been legally prescribed in your country. They will be taken away from you, and worst case, you will be arrested for drug smuggling. The rule of thumb is that you can bring one month’s supply of your prescription medicine without much hassle. If you need more than […]

If you have access to Japanese healthcare, consider yourself lucky. Japan has one of the best healthcare in the world (YMMV). You can think of healthcare in Japan as a gigantic universal PPO run by the government, with every single doctor in the network. Japan provides universal healthcare, meaning every citizen is insured one way or another. Foreigners staying for over 3 months also need to be insured. People employed and their dependents have their premiums deducted from their paycheck. Most other people pay their local government directly. There is no co-pay, no deductible, and co-insurance is a fixed 70% (meaning you only pay 30% of the cost). The cost […]

The JMIP (Japan Accreditation of Medical Service for Accepting International Patients, 外国人患者受入れ医療機関認証制度) is a certification for Japanese medical institutions.  JMIP was created by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) in 2011, as part of a national plan to accelerate international medical exchange.  Other than the language barrier, recognition of culture and religious differences are taken in account. Certification is accredited by the Japan Medical Education Foundation.  As of writing, there are 52 hospitals that have received certification. ==> The JMIP website.