Tokyo

Three kids, foreign country, and you need pediatrician. We've been in that exact spot in Tokyo.

What We Found

Finding an English-speaking pediatrician in Tokyo takes some effort but it's doable. The Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic has a pediatrics department with English-speaking doctors. St. Luke's International Hospital also sees children in their outpatient clinics. For after-hours pediatric emergencies, the National Center for Child Health and Development in Setagaya is a full children's hospital, though English support there is less consistent.

The Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic near Kamiyacho station is the easiest option for a quick pediatric visit. You can call ahead and book an appointment, which saves waiting. St. Luke's requires going through their international department but the quality of care is excellent. For minor things like colds, ear infections, or rashes, there are also neighborhood pediatric clinics (shonika) scattered across the city. These are almost entirely Japanese-language only, so use the AMDA phone service for interpretation. We ended up at a neighborhood shonika once when our youngest had a stomach bug on a Sunday evening. The doctor was kind and thorough even through the phone interpreter.

The Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic and St. Luke's are your best bets for fluent English. Neighborhood pediatric clinics operate in Japanese. The AMDA medical hotline (03-5285-8088) provides free phone interpretation and is essential if you end up at a Japanese-only clinic.

Japanese pediatric clinics are incredibly organized. Even the small neighborhood ones have separate waiting areas for sick and healthy children, which we thought was brilliant. The attention to hygiene is noticeable. Our kids were seen quickly and treated carefully every time.

We've done this route with a stroller and a baby carrier. It's doable.

When it matters, travel-ER finds the closest medical facility to your exact location. No app to install, no signup.

This page is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Information may be outdated or inaccurate. Always call ahead to confirm. See our full disclaimer.

See something outdated or wrong? Let me know!

Sources: CDC Travel Health: Japan · AMDA International Medical Information Center