The information below is provided by past and current JETs who are sharing their positive or negative experience with medical facilities/practitioners within Oita Prefecture. Please take into account that a significant amount of time may have passed and that the information within the recommendations may have changed. We have put the reviews in date order, newest first, for your convenience. Please use your own best judgement when seeking medical treatment.
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese?: Yes
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese, but is accompanied by someone who CAN speak Japanese?: Yes
Were the office/intake staff, assistants and nurses able to communicate in English with you?: They did not speak English but were very patient with me.
Was the Doctor/Practitioner able to communicate in English with you?: Yes, he speaks English.
Care received: Common cold/fever/influenza, Medication refills; There is no need for an appointment. The facility was clean and well presented and the staff were friendly. I was able to get the medications I needed while in Japan and they sent me to a pharmacy across the street. When I couldn't find it, the nurse at the front helped me locate it.
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese?: Yes
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese, but is accompanied by someone who CAN speak Japanese?: Yes
Were the office/intake staff, assistants and nurses able to communicate in English with you?: No
Was the Doctor/Practitioner able to communicate in English with you?: Yes. Quite fluent
Care received: Common cold/fever/influenza, Allergies, Asthma; Short wait time and easy to communicate with the doctor, but bedside manner was quite bad. Wouldn’t recommend for any problems with allergies or bronchitis/asthma. Doctor just kinda joked around and didn’t take my concerns very seriously in my experience.
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese?: No
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese, but is accompanied by someone who CAN speak Japanese?: Yes
Were the office/intake staff, assistants and nurses able to communicate in English with you?:No, none of the intake staff could speak to me in English. The forms are also exclusively Japanese.
Was the Doctor/Practitioner able to communicate in English with you?: One of the physicians can speak to me in English. Not perfect, and sometimes asks for corrections, but I've gotten along well with him.
Care received: Common cold/fever/influenza, Broken bones/sprains/fractures/etc., Gastroenterology; I have come to this hospital many times due to the nearby presence of an English-speaking physician. I have mainly gone to him for digestive problems, especially as of this typing. He learned English somewhere in the US, but he is not 100% perfect. However, he is patient and friendly.
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese?: Yes
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese, but is accompanied by someone who CAN speak Japanese?: Yes
Were the office/intake staff, assistants and nurses able to communicate in English with you?:The Doctor studied in America, Texas, and Hawaii and speaks fluent English and can explain everything easily. The nurse does not speak English.
Was the Doctor/Practitioner able to communicate in English with you?: Yes, speaks fluently with little to no accent.
Care received: Common cold/fever/influenza, Allergies, Dermatology; I didn't have to wait long, it is a small clinic with I think only the head doctor and one nurse. The language barrier was limited as the doctor spoke perfect English. It is a modern facility but as I said, it is a small clinic. I go there for allergies and one time for influenza a couple of years ago. The cost was the same as any other facility, quite cheap, and there are two pharmacies within walking distance from the clinic. It is definitely foreigner friendly as he has a documentary of sorts from Hawaii playing in the waiting room.
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese?: Yes
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese, but is accompanied by someone who CAN speak Japanese?: Yes
Were the office/intake staff, assistants and nurses able to communicate in English with you?:No, they were not. They did do their best in Japanese to help me read the kanji on the medical form I had to fill out as a first time patient.
Was the Doctor/Practitioner able to communicate in English with you?: Yes. Emoto-sensei's English was very good. During my first visit, we didn't speak English because I didn't think he knew how. During my second visit, I was very pleasantly surprised to find he spoke English very well. Occasionally there was a medical term he would have to think about or look up, but overall I was able to have a great rapport with him in English.
Care received: Common cold/fever/influenza; The first time I came to the clinic I thought I might have influenza, but after hearing about my symptoms and my lack of fever, Emoto-sensei said I had a cold. He gave me a prescription that I was easily able to fill across the street at the pharmacy. I returned later after my condition continued to worsen considerably after 10 days. Another doctor had told me that I had tonsillitis caused by a bacterial infection and wanted to give me a second round of antibiotics. I wanted a second opinion since the first round of antibiotics hadn't improved my condition. Emoto-sensei was my second opinion, and when I asked him if he could perform a test to see if I had a bacterial or viral infection, he had the nurses give me a blood test. He was able to get back some of the results right away and gave me a diagnosis. The next day, he was able to get back even more results from the test, and actually alerted my supervisor at the BOE that I had mononucleosis and should be hospitalized in order to monitor my condition. I'm not entirely sure how he knew to contact my supervisor, but I was actually happy in this case since she was helping me while I was sick. Do be aware that your medical information may not be completely private. There might have been something on the form I filled out to request privacy that I didn't mark, but just thought I would give a general warning in case you want to keep your medical information strictly private. I was really impressed by the care I received by Emoto-sensei, and I was able to talk with him easily about what was going on with me. I would highly recommend him for general internal medicine related issues. I found the costs to be very reasonable, and I was also able to get a doctor's note or shindansho which I could use to apply for sick leave.
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese?: No
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese, but is accompanied by someone who CAN speak Japanese?: Yes
Were the office/intake staff, assistants and nurses able to communicate in English with you?:One of the office staff was able to use a couple words of English to help explain (for example, she said "pharmacy" when trying to explain what my prescription sheet was for), but no one could actually communicate fully in English. When I first called in to see if I needed an appointment, they were actually able to transfer me to a nurse who spoke English. She wasn't at the clinic both times I visited. So I don't know if she just didn't work those days, or if the office staff at the clinic knew someone else who could help with English speaking patients outside of their office. Overall, I would not expect any English support from the staff.
Was the Doctor/Practitioner able to communicate in English with you?: Yes. Wada-sensei was able to ask me about my symptoms in English, but while he did have a decent vocabulary for medical terms, he wasn't conversational. He would ask a question, and when I would answer he wouldn't necessarily reply back. So while he is good for some English, I wouldn't expect a good rapport with him. He also didn't make any efforts to help me with the nursing staff who didn't speak any English. I suppose if you were more pushy, you may be able to ask him to translate more, but I wouldn't expect too much.
Care received: Common cold/fever/influenza; No appointments are necessary. I went to this clinic twice, once around 2:00pm and once around 3:30pm. Both times there were very little wait time, and I was able to speak with Wada-sensei right away. The nurses seemed very professional. Please be aware that after you talk to Wada-sensei next to his desk, they will take you to the adjacent room where you can get your shots, IV drip, etc. There is no privacy. Wada-sensei first diagnosed me as having tonsillitis due to a bacterial infection, so he asked the nurses to swab my throat with a medicated cotton swab and to give me an IV drip with antibiotics. While I was laying down for 30 minutes getting my IV drip, several other patients came in and out of the room to get shots and other small treatments. Apparently, getting an IV drip with antibiotics isn't uncommon in Japan even though as an American I had never heard of this treatment outside of a hospital before. I found the costs to be quite low and reasonable. Wada-sensei was also good at providing a doctor's note or shidansho if you need to give proof for taking sick leave. While in many ways the experience was good, I also had some negative points. First of all, Wada-sensei didn't have much of a good bed side manner. He would occasionally ask questions, but he was very quiet and didn't really talk through my symptoms with me in much detail. He also didn't discuss my treatment options, but rather just told me what would happen (although I do hear this is often the Japanese approach to medicine). After I took a 5 day cycle of antibiotics he prescribed me and I still hadn't gotten better, he proceeded to want to do the same treatment. IV drip and another cycle of bacterial infections. I decided to get a second opinion, and I'm really really glad I did because he was wrong. I didn't have a bacterial infection, but a viral one. While he did test me for influenza, I wish he would've given me a blood test or swabbed my throat to find out that I had a viral infection. I would say he could be a good place for basic problems, but he seems to take an old school approach, and may not be able to catch more subtle problems. I would also recommend to be proactive about your health, and ask for what you want, especially when they doctor doesn't seem to be providing you the proper treatment or testing you want or need. Second opinions really helped improve my condition, so if you don't feel better, seeing someone else might be advisable.
内科原澤医院 (Internal Medicine Harasawa Clinic)
City: Usa
Address: (English) 879-0308 Oita, Usa, Shimotakei, 1124-1 (Japanese) 〒879-0308 大分県宇佐市下高家1124-1
Visited: 19/05/2017
Overall Experience: Average
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese?: Yes
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese, but is accompanied by someone who CAN speak Japanese?: Yes
Were the office/intake staff, assistants and nurses able to communicate in English with you?: No, but they are friendly and patient as you stumble through in attempted Japanese
Was the Doctor/Practitioner able to communicate in English with you?: Yes, the practice seems to be a wife and husband and they both speak English.
Care received: Gastrointestinal; I have been to this place a few times. I had a Japanese speaker call to make my appointment at first, but I just walked in most recently and that wasn't a problem. Facility is average. They have a good amount of English available - on forms and RX information. I've met the woman, but seen the man for appointments. He is nice enough, but a bit dismissive and the exam is anything but thorough. He barely asks any questions and has literally never touched me or examined anything. Fine for the basics, but if I had anything I was legit concerned about I would look elsewhere. They had the RXs I needed on hand and I've left for under ¥1600 for everything each time.
Care received: Cold/Flu; This clinic was recommended to me by my predecessor and I have been twice (I need to visit a doctor to receive sick leave) and both times were walk-in's without an appointment. I have seen the woman doctor both times and she was thorough and helpful. I also received medicine both times (the second time I was sick for a full week) and I believe the cost was still around/under ¥2000.
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese?: Yes
Would you recommend this facility to a person who CANNOT speak Japanese, but is accompanied by someone who CAN speak Japanese?: Yes
Were the office/intake staff, assistants and nurses able to communicate in English with you?: I spoke mostly Japanese with them, but I could speak a few English words with Japanese pronunciation with gestures and they were able to understand. I don't remember very well, but I'm fairly certain that the information sheet I had to fill out was in Japanese and English.
Was the Doctor/Practitioner able to communicate in English with you?: Same as before. The doctor was also very understanding when I used my dictionary app to search things.
Care received: Hearing; I had a bad earache during school and one of my teachers recommended this clinic to me. She called in and was able to get an appointment for me for after school the same day. There was a bit of a wait (30 min or so), but the doctor made sure to see all patients even when it went past their hours. I briefly explained my problem to him and he checked and cleaned my ears. All in all the process took maybe 15 minutes. Afterwards I paid at the front desk and was on my way.