Resources to locate medical specialists according to languages spoken, information on the Japanese health care system, and telephone interpreter services for medical purposes.

Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Institution Information

Himawari is a must-bookmark site where you can search for hospitals and clinics by location or station according to a range of criteria including languages such as English and quite a few Asian and European languages, distance from the station, and the medical speciality. Results are given with the address, telephone number and map of the clinic/hospital, the level of fluency in the given language such as a little, daily conversation or fluent, and a list of the medical specialties practiced.

In addition to the website you can also call the Tokyo Metropholitan Health and Medical Information Center for information about medical institutions and the medical and health insurance system in Japan.

Tel: 03-5285-8181

Hours: 9:00am-8:00pm

Languages: English/Chinese/Korean/Thai/Spanish

Finally, they also provide an Emergency Translation Service which is a phone interpreter for foreign patients visiting a hospital or clinic.

Tel: 03-5285-8185

Availability: Weekdays 5:00pm-8:00pm, Weekends and Holidays 9:00am-8:00pm

Languages: English/Chinese/Korean/Thai/Spanish

AMDA International Medical Information Center

They offer various services such as providing foreigners with medical information and a free telephone interpretation service. To assist foreigners with medical-related documents, they have translations of a sample registration form and a sample medical consultation statement/receipt. They also have a document listing the general procedures for outpatient care at medical facilities. All of these documents are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese.

Tel: Tokyo 03-5285-8088, Kansai 06-4395-0555

Languages: Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Thai, Portuguese, Tagalog