Voices
in
Japan

quote of the day

We aim to create an environment where foreign residents and tourists feel easy to use ambulance services in Tokyo.

5 Comments

An official of the Tokyo Fire Department which has launched 13 English-speaking ambulance teams at eight fire stations in Marunouchi, Shibuya, Shinjuku and other districts with larger populations of foreigners. (Jiji Press)

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

5 Comments
Login to comment

Make sure as well that a hospital will accept you, and you are not driven around slowly from place to place,being rejected through beds or doctors not being available, as has frequently happened in Japan.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

In a time of suffering extreme pain I have had to use an ambulance here in Tokyo. The ambulance crew was very efficient and they got me to the hospital in a short time. There was no problem at the hospital ... and I was accepted immediately. And, of course, as you can witness here, I survived ...

One thing ... I live in Shinjuku Ward and the ambulance service here is free if you go to a hospital within the ward. If you want to go to a hospital outside the ward, you must pay at least 10,000 extra for the service. I don't know what the policy is in other wards ... or in cities outside Tokyo.

I visited the island of Awashima several years ago and their nearest hospital was across the water in Murakami City in Niigata Prefecture. There is no doctor on the island ... only a nurse. They have an emergency helicopter service, which the islanders say is efficient. Otherwise, if somebody is sick there, they must either go to the local clinic which has only the nurse or take the ferry across the water to Murakami City. That's why I like living in the city...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Only English? English isn't the most common language for non native Japanese speakers. I hope there are some services available for the Korean and Chinese speakers, too.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

During that last big snowstorm in Tokyo, my wife slipped and was injured. It took two hours for the ambulance to get there because of the weather and so many people with similar injuries. But no problems at all with the crew or at the hospital she was taken to. All were very efficient and professional. And because we have national health insurance, the ambulance ride was free. That alone would cost hundreds in LA. At the hospital, we paid a whopping $70 for x-rays, cast, emergency room service, and initial consultations with the doctor and orthopedist.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites