Japan's healthcare system, finally explained.
Clear, medically accurate guides for foreign residents — written by a doctor who works inside the system every day. No insurance sales. No sponsored clinics. Just what you need to know.
What will it actually cost you?
Out-of-pocket estimates for visits, scans and hospital stays — by insurance type and income, with the monthly ceiling built in.
Which doctor do I need?
Tap your symptom, get the right clinic type — with its Japanese name and the exact phrase to say at reception.
Can't say it? Show it.
Tick symptoms, allergies and medications in English — print a bilingual card to hand to any clinic reception.
Your medicine, in Japan
Type Tylenol, Nurofen or melatonin — see the Japanese equivalent, its OTC status, and what to say at the pharmacy.
Your blood pressure, charted
A home BP & pulse diary that lives only on your phone — trend chart, Japanese thresholds, and a printable log your 内科 doctor can read at a glance.
What did the doctor give me?
Paste the katakana from your medicine sheet and see what each drug is, what it's for, and its US / UK / Australian name — or that it isn't sold there. Nothing leaves your phone.
What do my checkup numbers mean?
Type the values from your 健康診断 sheet — LDL, HbA1c, liver enzymes, eGFR and more — and see the A–D letter each one gets, what it means, and which clinic to visit. mg/dL or mmol/L.
Your whole history, on one page
Allergies, medicines, conditions, surgeries, family history — written once, kept on your phone, shown or printed in Japanese and English at any clinic. The one page a Japanese doctor actually reads.
Can I bring my medicine into Japan?
Type the name, days' supply and form. Bring it, paperwork first, or do not bring — with the ministry rule behind each verdict, and the document to apply for before you fly. Nothing leaves your phone.
When can my child go back after flu?
Enter the day symptoms started and the day the fever went away. See the first day back at school or nursery under Japan's five-days-plus-two (or three) rule. Nothing leaves your phone.
Essential guides
How to Read Your Japanese Health Checkup (健康診断) Results
A physician's guide to the A–D judgment marks, the "metabo" waistline, and what 要精密検査 actually means on your kenkō shindan report.
健康診断 · kenkō shindan Money · Updated Oct 2026The Cap on Your Medical Bills — Japan's High-Cost Medical Expense Benefit
The single most valuable rule in Japanese health insurance, and how the August 2026 revision changed the numbers. Includes the new annual cap.
高額療養費 · kōgaku ryōyōhi MedicationThe Japanese Medicine Cabinet — What Equals What
Loxonin, Karonal, kakkonto and the rest, mapped to the drugs you know from home. Plus the medicines you cannot legally bring into Japan.
処方薬・市販薬 · kusuri Urgent careFever at 2 a.m. — Emergency and After-Hours Care in Japan
#7119, #8000, and how to decide between waiting until morning, calling for advice, and calling an ambulance. A physician's decision guide.
救急 · kyūkyū Culture decodedWhy Your Doctor Gave You Three Days of Medicine
Short prescriptions, referral letters, five-minute consultations and the drip you did not expect. The logic behind Japanese clinical customs that confuse newcomers.
診療文化 · shinryō bunka Mental healthMental Health Care in Japan, in English
How to find therapy in Japan in English — English-speaking psychiatrists and counselors, what insurance covers, the 10% co-pay program almost nobody mentions, and who to call in a crisis.
こころの医療 · kokoro no iryō FamilyPregnancy and Birth in Japan — Money, Paperwork, and What to Expect
The boshi kenko techo (Mother and Child Health Handbook), checkup vouchers, the ¥500,000 lump sum, epidural realities, and what a first-time parent in Japan should plan for.
妊娠・出産 · ninshin to shussan Getting startedJoining Japanese Health Insurance — The 14-Day Rule and What You'll Pay
Employee insurance vs National Health Insurance, how premiums are calculated (and why your first year is cheap), dependents, and the mistakes that cost money.
保険加入 · hoken kanyū DentalDental Care in Japan — Covered, Cheap, and Slightly Different
What dental insurance actually covers (more than you think), why treatment takes multiple visits, silver teeth vs white teeth, and what really costs money.
歯科 · shika PreventionVaccinations in Japan — The Schedule, the Gaps, and How to Sync With Home
How routine (free) and voluntary (paid) vaccines are split, what differs from Western schedules, and how to keep a child's record consistent across countries.
予防接種 · yobō sesshu PreventionCancer Screening in Japan — The ¥500 Tests Your City Keeps Offering You
The five national screening programs, who they're for, how the municipal postcards work, and what your workplace checkup does not cover.
がん検診 · gan kenshin Getting startedYour First Doctor's Visit in Japan — Booking, Reception, and the 15 Minutes Inside
How to choose between clinic and hospital, what to bring, what happens at reception, and the phrases and paperwork that make a first visit smooth.
初診 · shoshin MedicineThe Pharmacy Next Door — Prescriptions, Generics, and the Medicine Notebook
Why the pharmacy is a separate stop, how prescriptions and refills work, saying yes to generics, and what the okusuri techō actually does for you.
調剤薬局 · chōzai yakkyoku Navigating careReferral Letters, Specialists, and Second Opinions — Moving Up the System
How the shōkaijō referral letter works, when you need one, what it costs, and how to get a second opinion without offending anyone.
紹介状 · shōkaijō AllergyHay Fever in Japan — Surviving Cedar Season Like a Local
Why kafunshō hits so hard here, the season calendar, what works (from OTC to prescription to immunotherapy), and when a first-timer should see a doctor.
花粉症 · kafunshō Women's healthWomen's Health in Japan — Gynecology Visits, the Pill, and Emergency Contraception
How fujinka clinics work, what contraception costs (and why the pill is self-pay), the 2026 arrival of OTC emergency contraception, and screening worth doing.
婦人科 · fujinka Chronic careManaging a Chronic Condition in Japan — Blood Pressure, Diabetes, and the Monthly Visit
How long-term care is organised around short regular visits, the treatment plan paperwork, the target numbers your doctor steers by, and how to keep costs down.
生活習慣病 · seikatsu shūkanbyō VisitorsGetting Sick as a Visitor to Japan — A Doctor's Playbook for Tourists
The exact order of moves when illness interrupts a trip — insurer first, the JNTO clinic search, what care really costs without Japanese insurance, and the rules nobody warns you about.
旅行者の受診 · ryokōsha no jushin Money · Updated Oct 2026Getting Money Back on Medical Bills — Japan's Medical Expense Deduction
Who actually gets money back, the ¥100,000-or-5% rule with a worked example, what counts, how to file, the self-medication alternative after the 2026 reform, and the rules for foreign residents.
医療費控除 · iryōhi kōjo Money · Updated Oct 2026Going Into Hospital in Japan — Rooms, Meals, Deposits and the Real Bill
A physician's guide to a Japanese hospital admission: the monthly cap, the ¥550 meal charge, private-room consent forms, guarantors and deposits, and what visitors without insurance pay.
入院 · nyūin PreventionFlu Season in Japan — The Shot, the Clinic, and the School Return Rule
When Japan's flu season runs, who gets a routine flu shot, the 48-hour antiviral window, the "5 days + 2" school rule, and why work shouldn't need a certificate.
インフルエンザ · infuruenza Sexual healthSTI and HIV Testing in Japan — Free Anonymous Tests, Clinics, and What Stays Private
How free, anonymous HIV testing works at Japan's health centers, testing in English, when clinics charge, syphilis trends, PrEP and PEP, and what stays private.
性感染症・HIV検査 · seikansenshō kensaYour Checkup, Decoded
Every line of the Japanese health checkup report — each panel, reference range and judgment mark — explained in plain English, with exactly what to do next. 14 pages, written by a physician licensed in Japan. Instant download, 30-day money-back guarantee.
Get the guide — $15