Good to know

Calling 119 and the ambulance ride are free — nationwide, for everyone including tourists. In a genuine emergency, never let worry about cost stop you from calling. The hospital treatment afterwards is not free. Without Japanese health insurance you pay the full amount yourself; travel insurance can usually reimburse you later, so keep every receipt. Bring your passport and insurance details. If it isn't an emergency and you can travel yourself, go to a clinic — or call #7119 for advice, where it operates (it is a regional service, not a nationwide number; if it doesn't connect, look up your local emergency advice line or call the JNTO hotline). One point that gets reported as “paid ambulances”, and isn't: the ride itself stays free. What some hospitals now charge is the first-visit “selection fee” (from about ¥7,000) — normally applied when you arrive at a large hospital without a referral, and in a few areas also when an ambulance brings in a patient who turns out to be mild and isn't admitted. It is a hospital fee, not a fare. Bottom line: calling is free. Hesitating in a real emergency is the far bigger risk.

Japanese summer is dangerously hot and humid, and the blue bottles everywhere are part of the defense. Here's the honest difference. Pocari Sweat and Aquarius are sports drinks — for PREVENTION. Drink them while walking and sweating, before symptoms start. Both work; Pocari has a bit more sodium (about 49mg/100ml vs about 40mg). Sold at every convenience store and vending machine. OS-1 is different: an oral rehydration solution (about 115mg sodium/100ml, less sugar) — for RECOVERY once symptoms have started: dizziness, headache, heavy sweating, cramps. It rehydrates fastest. It's sold mainly at drugstores/pharmacies, not always at convenience stores. Show the staff: 「OS-1（オーエスワン）はありますか？」 No drugstore nearby? A sports drink is still far better than plain water — after heavy sweating, water alone doesn't replace the salt you lost. Danger line: if someone is confused, has stopped sweating, or can't drink by themselves, do NOT force liquids — cool their neck, armpits and groin and call 119. Our First aid guide has a step-by-step heatstroke section.

If your iPhone is a 14 or later, Emergency SOS via satellite works in Japan. With no cellular or Wi-Fi, try to call 110 or 119 — the iPhone offers to connect via satellite; follow the on-screen guide and face the open sky. (iOS can also send Messages via satellite.) Android: satellite SOS is not widely available in Japan yet (mostly U.S. Pixel phones), so don't rely on it here. For real backcountry, carry a dedicated satellite messenger with an SOS button, such as a Garmin inReach. Your GPS still works with no signal — it only receives. So your phone can show your location even offline; note your coordinates to give to rescuers (tap the button below to read them now). With no satellite device: move to higher, open ground to catch any faint signal, tell someone your route before you set off, and use a whistle (three blasts) and bright clothing so searchers can find you.

You will not be refused emergency care because you can't pay upfront — doctors here may not turn away a patient without proper grounds. That is not the same as “any hospital will take you”: an individual hospital can be full, or lack the right specialist, and will direct you elsewhere. In an emergency, call 119 and let the crew find a hospital that can receive you. Without Japanese health insurance you pay the full cost yourself, and it can be high. Make sure you have a way to pay. If you have travel insurance, keep every receipt and medical record and claim it afterwards. Many policies also have a 24-hour assistance line that can arrange “cashless” payment directly with partner hospitals — call them early. No insurance and can't pay on the spot? You'll still be billed, and Japan has begun stricter checks on visitors who leave medical bills unpaid. If you're in genuine financial difficulty, contact your embassy for guidance. Ideally, travel with insurance bought before your trip.

Usually not over the counter. Prescription medicines need a doctor's visit and a Japanese prescription — you can't just buy them at a pharmacy. For minor problems (pain, colds, upset stomach) a drugstore pharmacist can suggest an over-the-counter equivalent, though brands and strengths differ. So bring enough of your own prescription medicine for the whole trip, with a copy of the prescription or a doctor's note. Japan sorts what you carry into three groups — the distinction matters, because the rules are not a blanket ban: 1. Free to bring, up to a limit. Ordinary prescription medicine, generally up to about a one-month supply, needs no paperwork. Above that — or for syringes or a CPAP machine — apply in advance for an import certificate (“Yakkan Shoumei” / “Yunyu Kakunin-sho”). 2. Allowed only with permission granted before you travel. Narcotics and stimulant-raw-material medicines — codeine-containing medicines, pseudoephedrine products such as Sudafed, and many strong painkillers — can be carried by the patient they were prescribed for, but only with advance permission from Japan's Narcotics Control Department. Arriving without it is the problem, not the medicine itself. 3. Not permitted at all. Amphetamine-type ADHD medicines such as Adderall and Dexedrine cannot be brought in, even with a foreign prescription and even with paperwork. If your medicine might fall into group 2 or 3, check with a Japanese embassy or the Narcotics Control Department well before you fly — permission takes time to obtain.

Assume you may need cash. Many clinics and smaller hospitals are cash-only or take only limited cards. Large city hospitals increasingly accept major credit cards, but don't count on it — carry enough cash to be safe. Tourists pay 100% upfront, usually as you leave. If your travel insurance has a 24-hour assistance line, call it first: at partner hospitals they can sometimes pay the hospital directly (“cashless”) so you don't have to front the money. Always get an itemized receipt, and ask for a medical certificate (a “shindansho”, which may cost extra) — you'll need these for your insurance claim back home.

Usually a few days, sometimes up to about a week — it depends on your embassy. Two steps: first report the loss to the police and get a loss certificate; then contact your own embassy or consulate, which issues an emergency travel document or emergency passport (often faster than a full new passport). Before leaving Japan you'll also visit Japanese immigration to get an exit permit/stamp for the new document — your embassy will explain the order and any appointments needed. To speed things up, keep a photo or photocopy of your passport and a spare passport photo, stored separately from the original. The “Lost / stolen” guide in this app has the step-by-step and your embassy's contact.

Awareness of food allergies is lower in Japan than in many countries, especially at small local restaurants, and cross-contamination is common — don't assume “a little” is safe. Show your allergy in writing in Japanese rather than relying on English. A simple line works: “◯◯アレルギーがあります。入っていますか？” (“I'm allergic to ◯◯. Does this contain it?”). Name yours clearly rather than saying “nuts” or “seafood”. Japan requires nine allergens to be labelled on packaged food: egg, milk, wheat, buckwheat (soba), peanut, shrimp, crab, walnut, and cashew nut (cashew was added in April 2026). Important: that law covers packaged products — restaurant menus are not held to the same rule, so in a restaurant you still have to ask. Buckwheat (soba) needs special care: it's everywhere, and even shared cooking water or utensils can cross-contaminate. If a place can't be sure, pick somewhere that can. (Your saved allergies also appear in Japanese on your Medical Translation Card.)