I found many things daunting about moving abroad. One of those things was the concept of getting the pill in Japan. So, I made a point of stocking up on an entire year’s worth of contraception before moving out here.

Of course, the problem with this is that I couldn’t count on being able to return to the UK every time to get a top up. I was very poor when I first moved out here and flights are expensive. So, this brings me to the main topic!

How to Get the Pill in Japan

You will need: a Japanese health insurance card. You can get one of these as an employee at most decent companies (note how I added “decent” there). Another way to get one is to simply apply for one at your ward office, which is what I did. The word for health insurance card in Japanese is 保険証 (ほけんしょう) “hokenshou” and if you ask for one at your ward office, they will help you set up a monthly payment system for one. In Japan, you get 70% off your medical bills and things like contraception when you use a health insurance card.

Related: The Time I Got Dengue Fever

Insurance Card, Check!

Okay, so once you have one of these (which I highly insist you do because Japanese healthcare can get expensive if not), it’s time to find a sexual health clinic. I simply Googled ‘English-speaking sexual health clinic, Shinjuku’ as that’s the area I live in here. If you also live nearby, the one I really recommend going to is K Ladies Clinic. It’s a walk-in clinic that accepts health insurance and also has English-speaking staff and doctors. For the contraceptive pill, it costs ¥3000 per monthly pack – the equivalent of ¥100 per day. Considering this stuff is free in the UK, I felt robbed, but then again, not many Japanese women actually use the pill apparently. I wonder why…

The staff ask you to fill in a form and create a members card for their clinic. Then, you just walk in every few months and ask for however many packs you want. Then, you wait a short while, pay up and leave. You can’t pay by credit card unless you’re ordering online, so make sure you bring cash if you also end up using this clinic. Alternatively, you can order from home by sending them an email and paying online. Then, they will send you the packs directly to your house.

Et Voilà!

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Now, you are all pilled-up and ready to go! When it comes to other types of Japanese contraception, I don’t know what the options available or prices are, but I’m sure you can ask during the initial consultation and the staff will explain everything. They are incredibly kind there, which is another reason I like it there. So, yes, getting the pill in Japan doesn’t have to be as scary as you think!

There are also STI/STD checks you can do at this clinic, which I will write a more detailed post on later!

Have a baby-free day!

Love Jade xxx