The government-run hospitals offer a comprehensive range of medical services and are well-staffed with hundreds of nurses and (depending on size) around a hundred doctors. The most foreigner-friendly places are the National Center for Child Health and Development and the Tokyo Metropolitan Hirō Hospital. Others include National Tokyo Hospital Organization Medical Center and Tokyo Metropolitan Otsuka Hospital. If you want to talk with an English speaker once at the hospital, call the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Medical Information Center (03 5285 8181) between 09:00 and 20:00. They have English, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Spanish speakers available to provide information about medical institutions. They can also answer questions about the medical and health insurance system.

The fee to see a doctor at a general hospital or clinic is around ¥10,000, slightly more at some of the larger hospitals such as St Lukes. Appointment fees (as well as any other fees incurred) have to be paid at the time of the visit. If you have National Health Insurance (NHI) you will pay 30% of the total amount on the day and if you have private insurance you will have to pay the full amount and claim it back later. When visiting a hospital, you should have your health insurance details with you, or if you have one, your NHI card.

Emergency services are available at government-run hospitals but you or the ambulance will have to call ahead to see if they are free to accept you. The Japan Red Cross Medical Center is your best option if you have an emergency at night as they have English-speaking staff there.