Sick or injured
Most urgent first. Useful before you travel and while you are in Japan.
Life in danger
Call 119 right away. It is the number for ambulance and fire.
If you can't speak Japanese, show a card to someone nearby and ask them to call for you.
Not sure whether to call an ambulance?
Read the Fire and Disaster Management Agency guide, or phone the helpline below.
How to call an ambulance (Fire and Disaster Management Agency guide, 16 languages)
Not sure what to do
Public helplines you can use in other languages.
Japan Visitor Hotline
Run by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. English, Chinese and Korean. Help in accidents, sudden illness and disasters, plus tourist information.
For questions about medical care, contact the desk of the prefecture you are staying in. Check the list for languages and hours.
Find a hospital or clinic
The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) search finds medical institutions that accept foreign patients, by area, language and department.
When possible, contact the institution before you go, and check its hours and the languages it can handle.
Sheet for pointing to symptoms (JNTO, PDF, Japanese and English)
This site keeps no list of medical institutions and does not judge what your symptoms need.
Find a pharmacy or drugstore
Opens your map app to look for shops nearby. The map app uses your location; this site does not read it.
Pharmacy
Drugstore
Some medicines cannot be bought when no pharmacist is present. Ask the pharmacist or shop staff which medicine suits you.
Japanese to show at a pharmacy or reception
Tap the card that fits. The Japanese fills the screen; just show it.
Embassy and consulate
Your country's embassy or consulate is where to turn in trouble. Find addresses and phone numbers in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list.
Money and insurance
From the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) guide.
- You can ask for a rough estimate of the cost at reception.
- Only major hospitals take credit cards. Clinics generally take cash only.
- Without travel insurance, you may be charged the full cost of treatment.
- Some insurance includes a cashless service, so you do not pay on the spot. Conditions differ by insurer, so check with yours.
- Medicine is paid for separately at the pharmacy.
- There is travel insurance you can buy even after you arrive in Japan.
Using medical institutions and travel insurance (JNTO guide)
This site does not recommend insurance products.
Before you come
- Check whether you have travel insurance and what it covers.
There are rules for bringing medicines into Japan. Check the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare page before you leave.
Bringing medicines into Japan (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)
- Note the emergency numbers (ambulance 119, police 110) and the Japan Visitor Hotline (050-3816-2787).
Note the contact details of your embassy or consulate.
Write down your conditions, medications and allergies.
Personal medical information sheet (JNTO, PDF, Japanese and English)