So, continuing on from my other post on getting the pill in Japan, today I wanted to go into getting STI/STD tests in Japan.
Related: Getting the Pill in Japan
Get Health Insurance
As mentioned in the aforementioned post, it is imperative that you get health insurance in Japan. Japanese health insurance gives you 70% off all medical costs and is fairly inexpensive. You can get health insurance from a decent company as a full-time employee, or you can apply for it individually from your local ward office. The word for ‘health insurance card’ in Japanese is 保険証 (ほけんしょう) ‘hokenshou’. So, just pop along and say those words at the ward office and I’m sure someone will help you out!
Health Insurance Achieved
Right! Now you’re all ready to go and get tested for sexual nasties! The clinic I have been to during my time in Japan is K Ladies Clinic in Shinjuku. Without health insurance, it would cost about ¥30,000 to get your typical swab test done (for STIs/STDs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, herpes etc.). With health insurance, however, this is drastically reduced to around ¥6,000 – hooray! It costs more money to also have a blood test (for HIV/syphilis), but I can’t give you exact figures.
Find a Sexual Health Clinic Near You
I used Google to help me achieve my answer by typing in “English-speaking sexual health clinic Shinjuku”. That’s the area where I live, and it led me straight to K Ladies Clinic. It’s best to check whether or not health insurance is accepted at the clinic you plan to go to because not all clinics accept it. I like the place I go to because it’s a walk-in clinic and the staff are all really friendly. The only issue some people may have with it is that the only English-speaking doctors there (at present, March 2021) are male. And old.
Getting the Test
At the clinic I used to go to in the UK, I was given my own swab. The nurses sent me into the toilet and gave me clear instructions on how to use the swab correctly. I then stuck it in a tube and left it in a safe holding place for the staff to come and collect themselves later. Nice and private. No embarrassment.
Spread Your Legs, Please
Now, in Japan, the doctors insist on you clambering into a remote-controlled gynecologist’s chair and performing the swabbing deed on you themselves. When I asked the doctor why I couldn’t just swab myself, he said that only doctors know how to swab people effectively. Apparently we are all incompetents and bring about fake-negative results if we do it ourselves… Anyway, this is Japan and we must all accept that and move on.
Now, the Japanese are also prime to extreme secrecy and embarrassment. So, what they have is a little curtain that floats in front of your torso. This is so that, when your legs are spread to all and sundry, you can’t see the doctor and he can’t see you. Well, your face at least. The doctor does take the time to ask whether you’d rather not have the curtain. So, you can give him a beady look in the eye if you’d prefer – don’t worry.
Receiving the Results
I can’t speak for every clinic in Japan, but the one I go to sends the results by email within one week of having had the test. This is a nice email and often the results are written out in a cheery manner. Lovely jubbly.
Et Voilà!
Now you are all sexually tested and whatnot and can go about your day with peace of mind. Or you can return to the clinic if you get tested positive for anything and let the doctors tell you what to do next. Either way, getting STI/STD tests in Japan isn’t as daunting as it may seem, hooray!
Have an STI/STD-free day, smeglets!
Love Jade xxx