Serious illness or injury? Trouble breathing, chest pain, severe bleeding, confusion, seizure, or someone hard to wake.
Call 119How to use medical institutions in JapanWhere to go, what to bring, payment, prescriptions, and emergencies
1. Choose the right place
- Regular hours: start with a clinic or general hospital for non-life-threatening problems.
- Outside regular hours: use a reported after-hours service and call before travelling.
- Serious emergency: call 119. The ambulance service selects a hospital based on your condition and available care.
- Mild symptoms: ask a pharmacist at a pharmacy or drugstore. Some medicines are unavailable when no pharmacist is present.
2. Typical visit flow
- Register at reception.
- Complete the medical questionnaire.
- Receive the examination and treatment.
- Pay the medical institution.
- Take the prescription to a pharmacy and pay separately for medicine, unless the institution dispenses it.
3. Prepare before you go
Bring your health-insurance card, passport or residence card when relevant, current medicines, allergies, and a payment method. Ask reception for a cost estimate. Card acceptance varies, and some clinics require cash.
4. Confirm every listing
Reception hours, languages, payment methods, referrals, and emergency acceptance change. Call the institution before leaving unless you need an ambulance.
Open the official JNTO guide ↗Not sure which department?Choose a symptom group. This guides your search, not a diagnosis.
Official results
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Kumamoto records
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