1 of 21

Health, Safety, and

Culture shock

MEN

2 of 21

General Health

“English Speaking Doctors in Akita”

Akita Wiki, Akita Prefecture website

Vocabulary

JET Programme GIH, JET Diary, online (Handbook!)

http://jetprogramme.org/en/gih/

Health page 145

3 of 21

Visiting the Doctor

Remember to bring:

RESIDENCE CARD
HEALTH INSURANCE CARD
Meds currently taken (if applicable)

Don’t forget these and make sure they’re current!

Hospitals and clinics close! If there is an emergency, you can run to the hospital and they have an after hours entrance, but usually there’s no doctor on duty. They may have one on-call for life-or-death situations, but if you accidentally tore part of your toenail off and it’s bleeding, they may tell you to wrap it up and come back in the morning. If you go, bring any medication that you’ve been taking. Don’t assume what you’re taking at home is available here.

Hospitals and clinics give you a patient card, if you forget it or don’t have one, just make a new one with them.

Don’t forget to pay at the receptionist desk when you’re done. If you forget to pay, they’ll mail you a bill to your place or employer, so try to pay before leaving. Also, they may tell you to visit the pharmacy after the visit, usually there’s one nearby they’ll point you to go to.

With COVID cases overcrowding hospitals, you may be turned away due to lack of beds and staff, so be aware of this situation. You may have to visit multiple hospitals and clinics before you can find one that accepts you.�If you have COVID, they may tell you to test first before anyone will see you, and depending on the severity of the symptoms, they may tell you to just stay home, hydrate and isolate. Currently, there’s no medication being offered for COVID in Japan.

And if you’re of a certain age, you’ll want to get your prostate checked, you may be screened for colon cancer (so a stool sample will be required).

4 of 21

Cultural Differences…

Doctor-Patient Confidentiality
Different concept

Confidentiality: something to be shared in a group

E.g. Doctor may send test results to your supervisor as the confidentiality “belongs” to your whole office

Explain what level of confidentiality you expect
OR visit a doctor in another town/city

Doctors are not supposed to disclose your medical information to third parties, but you may not even get to see your own medical records. However, don’t be surprised if your school catches wind of your medical condition somehow, especially during yearly physicals. Your physical condition may be broadcasted to your bosses then your schools. It’s crappy, but expect you may have to hear about it. If it’s a very private matter, you’ll have a better chance you’ll be ok.

It’s not uncommon to find a doctor in another city if there aren’t any competent ones in town or you want to avoid drama. You may have luck at a bigger hospital but remember, hospitals and clinics have operation hours.

Ask your colleagues for recommendations for good doctors. If you can navigate (or BS) your way through the Japanese, the locals can point you to doctors that are reliable. Though, you may have better luck at the bigger hospitals.

5 of 21

Cultural Differences… (continued)

Culture – unquestioning
Doctor as highly respected, highly educated figure
May not explain treatment/prescription etc.
“Take this, it’s good medicine”
Politely ask for more information

Doctor is “sensei.” Best not to try arguing with them. You can try to ask them if it might be xx but it still may offend them. If you feel their prognosis is incorrect, thank the doctor anyway, and find a new doctor.

Medicine can be hit or miss. Sometimes the doctor will try a few different meds to see which sticks. They usually won’t tell you what it is, so you can ask for more details. You may also be able to look it up online, and often times they’re medicines that your country hasn’t used in decades.

Use Google Translate and show the doctor or attending nurse if you need to explain something to them. Don’t try to impress anyone with your lack of Japanese.

Getting sick leave is generally pretty hard to get. The doctor will have to write a note for you to get sick leave, and they tend not to. Expect to use your nenkyu.

6 of 21

Mental Health

Akita gets dark, and the lack of sunshine can be harder on you than you think, when combined with other problems.
Keep active. don't let your mind turn to mush.
Watch what you eat.
Socialize.

7 of 21

Mental Health… (continued)

CLAIR offers two types of mental health counseling, email and Skype. (Contact info is in your handbook)
Both of those require appointments, so try to be proactive based on your condition.
TELL https://telljp.com/counseling/

8 of 21

Culture Shock

Culture Shock comes in waves.
Just because you’ve dealt with it does not mean you’re done.
Treat yourself to �things from home.

9 of 21

Lifestyle

Remember: take care of yourself

New lifestyle, new diet etc.

Exercise (especially in winter)
Vitamins

Food

Many Japanese foods are very healthy (handbook!)
Some popular foods are very high in salt
Fruit and veg expensive BUT: you’re worth it!

10 of 21

Sexual Health

Be safe!

Condoms widely available

convenience stores
pharmacy stores
Don Quijote stores

Birth control not as widely used

Assume your partner isn’t using it

Emergency contraception

Ladies clinics

11 of 21

Sexual Health (continued)

Abortion

Available up to 21 weeks and 6 days (1^st trimester)
Not covered by insurance

Upwards of 200,000円
Complicated procedure, extra costs expensive.

Be safe!

12 of 21

STD Testing

Available at regular clinics or hospitals, and STD specialty clinics;

HANDBOOK!

Consider cultural differences

Confidentiality etc.

Be safe!

13 of 21

Summer

Heat exhaustion - stay hydrated,

Sunscreen, sunscreen sunscreen.

UNIQLO for comfortable breathable clothes.
WORKMAN For cheap, durable, and breathable clothes
Dehydration can be dangerous and it is not always so easy to realise it is happening.

14 of 21

Winter

Stay warm
Accommodation not insulated
Kerosene heaters

Cheap, efficient, heat rooms quickly
Remember to ventilate!

Electric Heater

not so cheap, maybe efficient, heats rooms slowly
Ventilation not essential

15 of 21

TATAMI health

Prevention of Dani (Japanese dust mites) and Kabi (mold)

Vacuum at least once a week
clean along the grain
wipe down tatami at least twice a year
ventilate rooms when possible

16 of 21

Futon/bed health

Prevention of Dani (Japanese dust mites)

Change and wash your sheets
ventilate your futon

UV rays kill Dani

17 of 21

Laundry

Many accommodations do not have a dryer

hang your clothes outside in summer, or indoors with a fan
indoors in winter
for indoor drying look for this label
s

18 of 21

Laundry translation

19 of 21

Laundry

Clean your laundry machine.

mold builds up over time
may cause clothes to smell moldy
may cause skin irritation
deep clean it every 5 years
machines self clean
cleaning takes about 6-8 hours

20 of 21

(Kabi) Mold

Mold Prevention

VENTILATE VENTILATE VENTILATE
Dehumidify your rooms
Dry your clothes with a fan or A/C or outside if possible

21 of 21

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS?

Thanks for listening…