So I think it’s gotten to the point where (despite living in Japan for three years and even attending language school )that I’ll never be able to understand spoken Japanese without hearing assistance.
I’m only in my late 20s but my hearing is awful and getting worse. I can’t distinguish consonant sounds when spoken at normal tempo, tone, or volume in Japanese.
How affordable are hearing aids here? How does one go about getting them?
2 comments
Go get a consultation at a 耳鼻科
Most major retail eyeglass locations in Japan have a hearing aid section. The reasons for this, and why there are so few actual audiologists (and speech therapists) in Japan are interesting to me since I’m a speech pathologist but probably not so much for you or this discussion.
Anyway, I’ve found (father-in-law and mother-in-law needed them) that the technicians in the eyeglass stores are quite good and the cost of the aids range from affordable to painfully expensive (30-40,000 yen on up). Ichiba Megane is where they got theirs. The testing is free and you can then decide what you want to do.
And, of course, most major hospitals can test hearing (ENT Departments).