Sick or Injured in Japan: Which Number to Call, Where to Go, and What It Costs (Osaka Guide)
A fever at midnight, a sprained ankle at Fushimi Inari, a child with an earache. Here is how Japan's medical system works for a visitor: the emergency numbers, the 24-hour English hotline, how to find a clinic that speaks English, what a visit costs without insurance, and what you can and cannot buy at a drugstore.
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Short version: Life-threatening: call 119 (ambulance, free, English via interpreter). Not sure if it is serious: call #7119 (Osaka’s medical advice line, 24h) or the JNTO Japan Visitor Hotline, 050-3816-2787 (24h, English, Chinese, Korean), which will also find you a clinic. Routine problem in daytime: ask your hotel for the nearest clinic, or search the JNTO medical-institution database for one listing English. Expect to pay ¥5,000 to ¥15,000 for a clinic visit without insurance and ¥20,000 to ¥50,000+ for a hospital emergency room, upfront, by card or cash; keep the receipts for your insurer. Drugstores sell strong painkillers, cold medicine and stomach remedies without a prescription; antibiotics and anything you take at home on prescription need a doctor.
The numbers
| Situation | Call | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency: unconscious, chest pain, severe bleeding, can’t breathe, stroke signs | 119 | Ambulance and fire. Free. Say “English please”; interpreters are patched in. Give the address (hotel card) or a landmark. |
| Not sure whether to call an ambulance, or need advice now | #7119 | Osaka’s 24-hour emergency medical consultation line (also 06-6582-7119). Nurses triage you; English support is limited, so use the JNTO line below if stuck. |
| Need an English-speaking doctor, or help understanding what to do | 050-3816-2787 | JNTO Japan Visitor Hotline, 24 hours, English / Chinese / Korean / Japanese. They will locate a nearby clinic that takes foreigners and can help with insurance questions. Save this number before you fly. |
| Police | 110 | For accidents involving a vehicle, call this too. |
| Children’s medical advice (nights, weekends) | #8000 | Pediatric nurse line; Japanese, but the hotel can call for you. |
Ambulances in Japan are free, and nobody will refuse to send one. But they take you to the hospital with capacity, not the one you choose, and in a true emergency that is correct. For anything that can wait until morning, a clinic is faster and far cheaper.
How the system works for a visitor
Japan has clinics (クリニック / 医院, small practices with one or a few doctors) and hospitals (病院). For a tourist:
- Clinic first for anything not life-threatening: fever, flu, stomach trouble, infection, minor injuries, prescriptions. No appointment needed at most; walk in, wait 20 to 60 minutes, see a doctor, pay, and the clinic either dispenses medicine on the spot or sends you next door to a prescription pharmacy.
- Hospital emergency room for serious injuries, anything needing imaging or a specialist, or at night when clinics are closed. Large hospitals charge an extra fee of ¥7,700 or more for walking in without a referral; it is legal and normal, not a scam.
- Hours: clinics typically 9:00–12:00 and 15:00 or 16:00–19:00, closed Sunday and often Thursday or Wednesday afternoon. Hospital ERs are 24 hours. On Sundays and holidays, each ward has a designated on-duty clinic (休日急病診療所); #7119 or the hotel can tell you which.
Language. English is patchy. University hospitals and the larger hospitals in central Osaka have interpreters or English-speaking staff; small clinics often do not. Three ways round it: 1. The JNTO medical-institution search (japan.travel/en/plan/medical-institutions) filters by language and area. 2. The hotel front desk calls ahead and explains. 3. Your phone’s translator in conversation mode. Doctors are used to it.
Osaka hospitals that visitors regularly use and that have English-capable systems include Osaka Red Cross Hospital (Tennoji), Kitano Hospital (Umeda), Osaka Police Hospital (Tennoji) and Osaka University Hospital (Suita, further out). For Kyoto, Kyoto University Hospital and Kyoto Prefectural University Hospital both handle foreign patients. Check current English support before going; the JNTO hotline can confirm.
What it costs
Japan has national health insurance for residents; visitors pay the full price, which is still low by US standards and roughly comparable to Western Europe.
| Typical cost without insurance | |
|---|---|
| Clinic consultation (cold, flu, stomach) | ¥5,000 – ¥10,000 |
| Clinic consultation + simple test (flu, COVID) | ¥8,000 – ¥15,000 |
| Prescription medicine for a week | ¥1,500 – ¥5,000 |
| Hospital ER visit, basic (consultation + referral-less fee) | ¥15,000 – ¥30,000 |
| Hospital ER with X-ray or CT | ¥30,000 – ¥60,000 |
| Ambulance | Free |
| One night admitted to hospital | ¥50,000 – ¥150,000 |
| Dental emergency (pain relief, temporary fix) | ¥8,000 – ¥20,000 |
Payment is at the time, by credit card at hospitals and most clinics, cash at some small clinics. You get an itemised receipt (領収書) and, on request, a medical certificate (診断書, around ¥3,000 to ¥5,000). Your travel insurer will want both. Many hospitals have a direct-billing arrangement with the big international insurers; ask when you arrive.
Travel insurance pays for itself the first time you need a CT scan. If you have none, your credit card may include some; check before you need it.
The drugstore: what you can buy without a doctor
Drugstores (Matsumoto Kiyoshi, Sugi, Kokumin, Daikoku, Welcia, and the pharmacy corner of Don Quijote) are everywhere and open late. They sell a surprising amount over the counter. A pharmacist (薬剤師) is on duty and can advise; show them a translated note of your symptoms.
| Problem | Ask for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Headache, fever, muscle pain | Loxonin S (loxoprofen), EVE (ibuprofen), Bufferin (aspirin/paracetamol variants), Tylenol (acetaminophen) | Loxonin is stronger than anything OTC in most Western countries. Follow the Japanese dose. |
| Cold, cough, sore throat | Pabron, Lulu, Benza Block, Contac | Combination cold medicines. Many contain caffeine and antihistamines; check if driving or sensitive. |
| Stomach, indigestion, hangover | Ohta’s Isan, Gaster 10 (famotidine), Seirogan (traditional, strong-smelling, works) | |
| Diarrhoea | Stoppa, Seirogan, oral rehydration (OS-1, sold at pharmacies and konbini) | OS-1 is also the thing to buy for heat exhaustion. |
| Allergies, hay fever | Allegra FX, Claritin EX, Alesion | Spring cedar pollen is brutal in Kansai. |
| Motion sickness | Anerol, Travelmin | |
| Cuts, blisters, insect bites | Kizu Power Pad (hydrocolloid plasters, excellent), Muhi (anti-itch), Oronine (antiseptic ointment) | |
| Eye strain, dry eyes | Rohto range | Famous for the icy feel. |
| Heat rash, sunburn | Sea Breeze, aloe gels |
Not available without a prescription: antibiotics, strong sedatives, most contraceptives (the morning-after pill became OTC at selected pharmacies in 2025 with a pharmacist consultation; availability varies), anything codeine-based above small amounts, and your regular prescription medication.
Bringing your own medication. Up to a one-month supply of most prescription drugs and a two-month supply of OTC drugs can be brought in without paperwork, in original packaging, with a copy of the prescription. More than that, or injectables, need a Yakkan Shoumei import certificate applied for in advance. Some common Western drugs are banned outright: anything containing amphetamine or methamphetamine (Adderall, Vyvanse, some decongestants), and pseudoephedrine above small quantities. Check the Japanese Ministry of Health list before you fly if you take ADHD medication or strong painkillers.
Common tourist problems and what to do
Heat exhaustion (June–September). Osaka summers are 35°C with high humidity. Symptoms: headache, dizziness, nausea, stopping sweating. Get into air conditioning (any konbini, station or department store), drink OS-1 or a sports drink, cool the neck and armpits. If confused or vomiting, 119. This sends more tourists to hospital than anything else.
Food poisoning / stomach bug. Usually resolves in 24 to 48 hours. Fluids (OS-1), rest, Seirogan or Stoppa if you need to travel. Clinic if fever over 38.5°C, blood, or no improvement after two days.
Twisted ankle on temple steps. Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari and Nara’s stone paths produce a steady supply. Pharmacy: cold compress sheets (冷却シート), an elastic support, Loxonin. Clinic if you cannot bear weight; they will X-ray for ¥5,000 to ¥10,000.
Tooth pain. Dentists (歯科) are everywhere and many take walk-ins for emergencies. ¥8,000 to ¥20,000 for a temporary fix. The JNTO hotline can find one with English.
Child with fever at night. #8000 for nurse advice (hotel can call), or the ward’s on-duty paediatric clinic via #7119. Children’s doses of Tylenol are OTC. Osaka Red Cross and Kitano have paediatric emergency intake.
Ran out of regular medication. A clinic can usually prescribe an equivalent for a short period if you show the packaging or a photo of the prescription. Bring the generic name, not the brand.
COVID / flu. Clinics test on the spot (¥8,000 to ¥15,000). No isolation rules apply to visitors as of 2026, but hotels appreciate being told, and masks on trains are normal courtesy when sick.
Before you fly: the five-minute medical prep
- Save 119, #7119 and 050-3816-2787 in your phone.
- Photograph your prescriptions and the generic names of your medication.
- Confirm your travel insurance covers Japan and note the claims number.
- Bring your regular medication in original packaging, within the one-month limit.
- Have mobile data from arrival so you can search and translate; a clinic visit without a working phone is twice as hard. Best eSIM for Japan.
FAQ
Will an ambulance refuse a tourist? No. 119 sends an ambulance to anyone, free. They may ask you to go to a clinic instead if the call is clearly non-urgent, but they will not leave you.
Do I pay before or after treatment? After, at the cashier, before you leave. Cards accepted at hospitals and most clinics. A few small clinics are cash only; ask when you walk in.
Can I just go to a hospital for a cold? You can, but you will pay the ¥7,700+ no-referral fee and wait longer. A clinic is faster and a third of the price.
Is Japanese medicine weaker? Doses are sometimes lower than Western equivalents for the same drug, but Loxonin and several cold medicines are stronger than typical OTC products elsewhere. Follow the package.
Can I get a prescription filled from home? No. A foreign prescription is not valid in Japan. A Japanese doctor can write a new one after a consultation.
My insurance wants a medical certificate. How do I get one? Ask the clinic or hospital for a 診断書 (shindansho) before you leave. It costs ¥3,000 to ¥5,000 and may take a day. Ask for it in English if they can; many larger hospitals have a template.
Sources: Osaka City Fire Department (#7119 service); Japan National Tourism Organization Visitor Hotline and medical-institution search; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare guidance on bringing medication into Japan; Japan Pharmaceutical Association OTC classifications. Cost figures are indicative for uninsured visitors in Osaka, 2026. This article is general information, not medical advice; when in doubt, call 119.