At the heart of Japan's preventive medicine initiative, "human dock" health screenings are credited with contributing to the country's high life expectancy.
We're aligned. Besides the fact that some key tests seem to be missing, at least in the basic program where I go, the only major concern is that it seems that serious problems are rarely uncovered by such screenings. Despite this fact, I plan to continue going every year.
Lung test? Lunch?! I'm in the cohort that has the whole operation brought to my workplace, lock stock and X-ray van. Great way to get talking to colleagues you hardly ever see, waiting in the blood test line.
Great system, and (presumably with actuaries going over huge data sets) it's interesting what questions/factors actually contribute to longevity. Smoking and drinking obviously, but also whether you eat within 2 hours of sleeping, or walk faster than the average person.
Yes, overall I think the system is excellent; but I do feel excluded from it - mainly by my lack of Japanese language skills, which is of course my fault and nobody else's.
Paperwork arrives every year inviting me for a check; but I don't know what exactly is being offered or how much it costs.
I don't go because I think my autism and my lack of language skills would make it an uncomfortable and troublesome experience not only for me but also for the medical staff. Lunch looks good though!
Thank you for reading and leaving a comment. If the only thing holding you back from going is concern about language skills, I have 4 suggestions to support why you should go:
1) Ask for help from the National Health Insurance Help Desk at your local town hall. They will direct you to the right facility near your home where you can get a health checkup at the maximum discounted rate.
2) The local team of health professionals at the wellness screening clinic will most likely do their best to help you.
I would add that my very first ningen dock in 1998 shocked me as I could see the nurses were reusing needles for blood tests……I think enough Japanese staff complained about that that the provider wasn’t asked back.
The problematic check up was through my high school and I’d therefore assume the cheapest they could find. Nothing to do with my nice new deluxe check up. They even offer steak as a menu option for lunch.
As a retiree, I get a voucher worth ¥20,000 that I can use at any clinic offering ningen dock. I choose to add my own ¥20,000 and get a souped up version at my nearby university teaching hospital. Like you I go back every year so they have my full records. The first time I used this hospital, they wanted to check two things but the ningen dock doc just wrote two letters of referral to the same hospital, so I just went round the corner to book myself in. Straight in for a check up at one of the best hospitals in Kanto. It also means I’m a registered patient at that hospital and I carry their patient card in my wallet in case of emergencies. Overall I think the system is great.
There’s a whole range of extra tests you can opt for…..from memory I did opt for blood tests for testicular cancer and an ultrasound for my prostate. What I did like is that they now have a baseline for all the quirks and foibles of my body - the two things they spotted are diagnosed as benign and static though one was described as ‘Really got no idea mate - maybe historic damage from something in your childhood’
Thanks for this very comprehensive article on one of the realities of living and working here.
It’s a great system, if you’ve seen the recent news from the UK you might’ve seen that our once renowned NHS system is in a state of collapse. Shocking state of affairs.
I used to go to a hospital on the list given by my university, but from last year I changed to a new Kenshin centre nearby, data is provided on DVD if requested for a few hundred yen.
I would definitely say yes for the 胃カメラ over barium. I’ve had it through both mouth and nose without anesthesia and I think it just depends on the skill of the doc/technician administering it.
As an aside, I once had the colon examination, outside of the ningen dock, which is quite an experience even if your Japanese is ok. The apron they give me is probably the most embarrassing piece of clothing I’ve ever worn, but at least I could lie back and think of England 😆
Thank you for your positive feedback and sharing your personal experience. Yes, I have read about what is happening with the NHS. It's a pity, because I know how proud your fellow citizens were of the NHS, at least in the past. Overall, Japan seems to be doing a pretty good job of promoting and implementing preventative medicine. I would definitely want to be under for a colonoscopy!
Thank you for the detailed write-up! I'd heard of this system, but only in vague terms. I spent two to three years living in Japan, but I was in my 20s and never went for a physical while I was there. I think the focus on prevention is admirable, and I also think that it's fantastic that Japanese doctors can be blunt with their patients in a way that is no longer possible in the west.
Thank you for reading and sharing your perspective. What makes you think that doctors in the West have trouble explaining the truth clearly to their patients? Is this related to some kind of fear of being doubted and/or getting into legal trouble?
The doctors here are too worried about possibly offending patients, too busy to spend much time with each patient, and too influenced by Big Pharma. Also, many people here don't get regular physicals. In my province, there's a doctor shortage, so one in five people doesn't have a GP and the drop-in clinics became, and remained, 'book a phone consultation and maybe weeks or months after that you might get a face-to-face appointment' clinics.
As a result, the doctors don't know the patient and don't have time to thoroughly read up on the patient's background. God forbid that the doctor be frank about poor lifestyle choices or delve deep enough to suggest counselling (I was entitled the latter after a bad car accident in February 2023, but the waitlist was so long that I couldn't get an appointment until this year, by which time I had sorted myself out). Much easier, and lucrative, to instead just prescribe medication.
First of all, thank you for sharing a detailed account of your personal experience. Now I understand. In this situation, there probably just isn't time (or other resources) for preventive medicine. While Japan's system is not a panacea, it seems to do a reasonably good job that works for the vast majority of the population. However, as the number of elderly continues to grow and the overall population continues to shrink, the system may become strained. In any case, stay healthy, even if you have to take care of yourself.
I do once in two years adding brain and cardiovascular “docks”, some cancer risk tests all adding up to ard 170K. System is ok, but I’m yet to find hospital which is able to provide data not on paper , but digitally. Plus I miss my Sydney GP thoroughness to go through my test results . So far here I could not find a doctor (kakaritsukei) who is focused on prevention rather than symptoms.
Thank you for reading and sharing your perspective. That's quite an investment. I can see why you only do this every other year. While you may have already tried this, it might be a good idea to check with the National Health Insurance help desk at your local town hall. They may have some suggestions on where to go to get more detailed feedback and electronic documentation at a more reasonable cost. It may lead to nothing, but you might be surprised.
I go every year and my university foots the bill. It’s not much fun, but if there’s an issue I’d rather nip it in the bud, as you wrote.
We're aligned. Besides the fact that some key tests seem to be missing, at least in the basic program where I go, the only major concern is that it seems that serious problems are rarely uncovered by such screenings. Despite this fact, I plan to continue going every year.
Lung test? Lunch?! I'm in the cohort that has the whole operation brought to my workplace, lock stock and X-ray van. Great way to get talking to colleagues you hardly ever see, waiting in the blood test line.
Great system, and (presumably with actuaries going over huge data sets) it's interesting what questions/factors actually contribute to longevity. Smoking and drinking obviously, but also whether you eat within 2 hours of sleeping, or walk faster than the average person.
It sounds like your missing out on some super-high fiber food for lunch.
Lunch at your check up? 😋I would need a translator of course! It looks like they do a pretty thorough job Mark!
You would enjoy this sort of lunch.
My clinic also offers lunch after the exam. I was surprised the first time -- and happy about that, too.
Fasted when at 9 AM came back at 1 PM. All the test process beautifully explained to me!
Why can’t America do this?
Yes, in the long run this kind of basic application of preventative medicine would save lives, improve QOL, and probably end up saving money.
Yes, overall I think the system is excellent; but I do feel excluded from it - mainly by my lack of Japanese language skills, which is of course my fault and nobody else's.
Paperwork arrives every year inviting me for a check; but I don't know what exactly is being offered or how much it costs.
I don't go because I think my autism and my lack of language skills would make it an uncomfortable and troublesome experience not only for me but also for the medical staff. Lunch looks good though!
Thank you for reading and leaving a comment. If the only thing holding you back from going is concern about language skills, I have 4 suggestions to support why you should go:
1) Ask for help from the National Health Insurance Help Desk at your local town hall. They will direct you to the right facility near your home where you can get a health checkup at the maximum discounted rate.
2) The local team of health professionals at the wellness screening clinic will most likely do their best to help you.
3) Just use my article as a basic reference.
4) Use an online translation program to decipher this comprehensive website: https://www.docknet.jp/media/
Depending on your individual circumstances, it's likely to be quite inexpensive and undoubtedly worthwhile.
Many thanks, Mark. That's good advice :)
I would add that my very first ningen dock in 1998 shocked me as I could see the nurses were reusing needles for blood tests……I think enough Japanese staff complained about that that the provider wasn’t asked back.
Yeah, that's a red flag! Sounds like the facility is now better managed.
The problematic check up was through my high school and I’d therefore assume the cheapest they could find. Nothing to do with my nice new deluxe check up. They even offer steak as a menu option for lunch.
As a retiree, I get a voucher worth ¥20,000 that I can use at any clinic offering ningen dock. I choose to add my own ¥20,000 and get a souped up version at my nearby university teaching hospital. Like you I go back every year so they have my full records. The first time I used this hospital, they wanted to check two things but the ningen dock doc just wrote two letters of referral to the same hospital, so I just went round the corner to book myself in. Straight in for a check up at one of the best hospitals in Kanto. It also means I’m a registered patient at that hospital and I carry their patient card in my wallet in case of emergencies. Overall I think the system is great.
I like your style. Does yours include the extra tests that I mentioned?
There’s a whole range of extra tests you can opt for…..from memory I did opt for blood tests for testicular cancer and an ultrasound for my prostate. What I did like is that they now have a baseline for all the quirks and foibles of my body - the two things they spotted are diagnosed as benign and static though one was described as ‘Really got no idea mate - maybe historic damage from something in your childhood’
Thanks for sharing this? I still have a report from my ningen dokku from 30 years ago. I was a healthy boy back then!
健康診断のシステムに満足しています。岸田首相が最初に提言した通り、歯科検診はやった方がいいでしょう。59歳の母に歯科検診とがん検診の書類が届きましたが、何歳からそういったものが無料で受けられるのかは分かりません。とにかくこのシステムは素晴らしい👏
Thanks for this very comprehensive article on one of the realities of living and working here.
It’s a great system, if you’ve seen the recent news from the UK you might’ve seen that our once renowned NHS system is in a state of collapse. Shocking state of affairs.
I used to go to a hospital on the list given by my university, but from last year I changed to a new Kenshin centre nearby, data is provided on DVD if requested for a few hundred yen.
I would definitely say yes for the 胃カメラ over barium. I’ve had it through both mouth and nose without anesthesia and I think it just depends on the skill of the doc/technician administering it.
As an aside, I once had the colon examination, outside of the ningen dock, which is quite an experience even if your Japanese is ok. The apron they give me is probably the most embarrassing piece of clothing I’ve ever worn, but at least I could lie back and think of England 😆
Thank you for your positive feedback and sharing your personal experience. Yes, I have read about what is happening with the NHS. It's a pity, because I know how proud your fellow citizens were of the NHS, at least in the past. Overall, Japan seems to be doing a pretty good job of promoting and implementing preventative medicine. I would definitely want to be under for a colonoscopy!
I’m kind of glad I wasn’t under, learnt some super polite language from the nurses during the procedure! 😀
I did this a few years ago……..America is so far behind………..it was great!
Thank you for the detailed write-up! I'd heard of this system, but only in vague terms. I spent two to three years living in Japan, but I was in my 20s and never went for a physical while I was there. I think the focus on prevention is admirable, and I also think that it's fantastic that Japanese doctors can be blunt with their patients in a way that is no longer possible in the west.
Thank you for reading and sharing your perspective. What makes you think that doctors in the West have trouble explaining the truth clearly to their patients? Is this related to some kind of fear of being doubted and/or getting into legal trouble?
The doctors here are too worried about possibly offending patients, too busy to spend much time with each patient, and too influenced by Big Pharma. Also, many people here don't get regular physicals. In my province, there's a doctor shortage, so one in five people doesn't have a GP and the drop-in clinics became, and remained, 'book a phone consultation and maybe weeks or months after that you might get a face-to-face appointment' clinics.
As a result, the doctors don't know the patient and don't have time to thoroughly read up on the patient's background. God forbid that the doctor be frank about poor lifestyle choices or delve deep enough to suggest counselling (I was entitled the latter after a bad car accident in February 2023, but the waitlist was so long that I couldn't get an appointment until this year, by which time I had sorted myself out). Much easier, and lucrative, to instead just prescribe medication.
First of all, thank you for sharing a detailed account of your personal experience. Now I understand. In this situation, there probably just isn't time (or other resources) for preventive medicine. While Japan's system is not a panacea, it seems to do a reasonably good job that works for the vast majority of the population. However, as the number of elderly continues to grow and the overall population continues to shrink, the system may become strained. In any case, stay healthy, even if you have to take care of yourself.
I do once in two years adding brain and cardiovascular “docks”, some cancer risk tests all adding up to ard 170K. System is ok, but I’m yet to find hospital which is able to provide data not on paper , but digitally. Plus I miss my Sydney GP thoroughness to go through my test results . So far here I could not find a doctor (kakaritsukei) who is focused on prevention rather than symptoms.
Thank you for reading and sharing your perspective. That's quite an investment. I can see why you only do this every other year. While you may have already tried this, it might be a good idea to check with the National Health Insurance help desk at your local town hall. They may have some suggestions on where to go to get more detailed feedback and electronic documentation at a more reasonable cost. It may lead to nothing, but you might be surprised.
Thank you. Will check. Remember once going there for some other reason, but since I’m shakai hoken person they declared disability to help.
"Although I had tried this several years ago without anesthesia to put me to sleep, it was one of the worst experiences of my life."
My girlfriend also did her endoscopy without anesthesia. "Never again," she said.