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.
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 Aug 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 English-speaking psychiatrists and counselors, what insurance covers, the 10% co-pay program almost nobody tells you about, 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 Mother-and-Child Handbook, checkup vouchers, the ¥500,000 lump sum, epidural realities, and the costs 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 divided, what's different 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 kenshinYour Checkup, Decoded
Every line of the Japanese health checkup report — each abbreviation, reference range and judgment mark — explained in plain English, with what to do next. Written and reviewed by a Japanese physician.
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