Foreign clinics, like the Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic, can follow the vaccination schedule of your home country and they use a mix of imported and local vaccines. Generally in Japan, there are optional and regular vaccinations and parents can decide which ones their children should have – these are free unless you go privately and then you may have to pay the doctors standard fee. The vaccination schedule includes the optional vaccinations of DPT, DT, MR and Japanese encephalitis. The chickenpox vaccination is also available.

The city provides free medical check-ups for babies and medical exams for three year olds at public health centres and approved medical facilities at set times throughout the year. Parents are informed when the vaccination is due via a notice in the post. Whether a visit to a paeditrician is covered depends on your insurance, and under National Health Insurance, subsidies are given for medical expenses for children.

When choosing your paeditrican ask around first and make sure you have a good talk with your health care provider about their immunization schedule before making a decision – especially if you plan to leave Japan part-way through the schedule.