Hello i’m a female of 26 and i’m planning to go to a solo trip to Japan.
Even if im old enough my parents are worried because i have lupus and i have suffered two strokes, i’m on medication but there is always a possibility that i suffer any illness related to my lupus. What can i do if that happen in japan? What can i say or do there?
Edit:
My illness is serious but not too much, i do have the possibilities of having a stroke but since im on medication is not that big, i haven’t had one since i have my pills is just in case anything happen i want to be prepared.
Everyone gave me great ideas and since i have time to look for it (thanks covid) and prepare for it, i will be ready. Thanks to everyone that give me a answer.
13 comments
[Google-sensei already has an answer](https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/what-to-do-if-you-require-medical-assistance-while-visiting-japan)
Generally your travel insurance company should be able to help you with this kind of thing if it happens when your on holiday. They should be able to arrange everything for you.
Obviously ensuring you declare it as a pre-existing condition on purchasing travel insurance
Lots of resources in English on medical care in Japan but as the previous poster noted, be sure you have travel health insurance that will reimburse you for medical costs incurred in Japan. Given your history of stroke, be sure that insurance also covers the cost of medical repatriation to your home country if you need to be transported back under medical care.
Also, check the Spanish embassy’s website in Japan to see if they provide a list of recommended hospitals in Japan. These websites may also be helpful.
– [JNTO: Guide for When You Are Feeling Ill in Japan](https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html)
– [Healthcare in Japan for Tourists ](https://livejapan.com/en/article-a0002612/)
– [Matcha: Hospitals in Tokyo with Multilingual Support ](https://matcha-jp.com/en/9910)
– [US Embassy in Japan: Medical Assistance ](https://jp.usembassy.gov/services/doctors/)
just suggesting. you should get a guardian/nurse on your trip. if you really want to go alone you can ask your family doctor for guidance in planning ahead, making laminated notes in the language explaining your situation, bringing your medications, list any phone numbers to call in case of emergencies, you can also ask for translator.
Since you have a pre-existing condition, you should make sure that your travel medical insurance policy covers said condition and medical transport back to your country.
Note that recommended amount of coverage would probably be fairly high (EUR 500,000+) to cover the possibility of needing specialized medical transport back to Spain.
No trips to Japan for a while. When it’s OK, visit with medical insurance. Write down the pertinent information about your condition and medication and translate it to Japanese. Keep that on you in case something happens. Google English-speaking doctors in Japan in the places you intend to visit so in case something happens you can easily find them. (Most doctors in Japan speak better than average English anyway). Know where the hospitals are. Also, talk to your regular doctor if you have one, or another doctor before and ask their advice.
I recommend you get one of these and put it on your backpack (preferably translated).
https://www.fukushihoken.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/shougai/shougai_shisaku/helpmark.html
If you have an iPhone you can also use its “Medical ID” feature to make critical medical information available to first responders (assuming they would know to look at your phone). Don’t know if Android has something similar, but assume it would.
I had a colleague faint in Tokyo a few years ago. We had to take her to the hospital but no one there spoke any English, not even the doctors.
She was charged 5000 yen for the whole affair. As the insurance people could not communicate with anyone in the hospital and we could not get the documents needed for the insurance we could barely communicate with broken Japanese what happened to the doctor.
I suggest you map beforehand hospitals that your insurance covers and where they speak English in case you need it so that whoever takes you can take you there.
Make sure you have medical travel insurance
To me 2-3 days in a city is perfect you might not be able to see everything but its ok thats a reason to come back.. depends on what type of traveler you are, there is a reason they have deals for the JR bullet train and cannot get them if you have stayed more than a year. You definitely don’t need to follow what someone says especially when they have been in the same place for the last 10yrs, and you want to do things on your own pace. for someone who traveled multiple places for the past 8yrs, im speaking in my own experience that sometimes you don’t want to be a tourist. but a traveler.
I know airport security can be srict with meds, so make sure you have your doctors prescriptions with you for proof etc.
I’d suggest printing out and laminating some type of card that explains your name/emergency contact details, the high level of your medical issue and what to do in case of an emergency. Anything really that you’d need somebody to know if something were to happen that made you unable to communicate but as concise as you can make it. Would be writing it in Japanese on one side and English on the other. Make it obviously medical by putting a big red cross on it or something similar. Maybe have one in your wallet and one clipped onto your bag with a luggage tag type thing? (You can never be too careful with something like this IMO and maybe you can find a medical looking luggage tag – [like along these lines?](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nicokee-Medical-Alert-Emergency-Accessories/dp/B07XFPSPJK?th=1)).
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Also, are you dead set on traveling alone? Is there not a friend or family member you’d like to share the experience with that is interested in going and could be there with you should an emergency happen?