The Annual Health Check

The annual health check in Japan can be quite a surprise to lots of us Westerners, and fill us with dread. However, it only takes up about an hour of your day, and really isn’t as bad as it sounds. 

The health check isn’t mandatory, but strongly encouraged. It includes some more intrusive tests (the barium test) that you can opt out of, or are only offered to older people.

Here’s a short guide so you can go in knowing what to expect.

Before the Health Check

First of all, you will be expected to not eat the night before. Midnight is usually the cut-off point, so no midnight snacks or breakfast I’m afraid. 

You will need to prepare a urine sample in the morning, and sometimes even a fecal sample. These will be checked for common illnesses.

There is also the questionnaire. It is usually in Japanese, and asks about your health history, lifestyle, and stress levels. Enlist a JTE or Japanese friend to help you, because even intermediate Japanese speakers would find medical kanji hard to read. If this isn’t possible, try asking your contracting organisation for an English version.

The Tests

Once you’ve handed in your questionnaire at reception and been guided to a chair, your tests will begin. The first is just measurements - waist, height, and weight.

Next up is the vision test. Usually, this is the Landolt C test. A screen will show you a C shape, which then rotates, and you have to move the joystick in the direction of the gap. For example, a U orientation means moving the joystick up. C would be right, etc.

Now for the blood test. They’ll pump up a tourniquet around your arm and draw blood from your non-dominant arm. The nurse usually chats to you to distract you. If you hate needles, you can just look away and it’ll be over before you know it.

After this, you’ll be sent to a room with a doctor who will look over your details and ask if you have any concerns. Normally, the doctor will be able to speak some English. If you’re worried about this, take Google Translate or ask for a colleague to accompany you. Sometimes, the doctor will also take this opportunity to check you with a stethoscope.

Next up, the hearing test and eye exam. You’ll be given headphones, and told to press a button when you hear a beep. The eye exam is just a photo of your eye, which they’ll examine later.

Now for the ECG test, which can be a bit alarming at first (especially for women.) You have to lie down in a curtained-off bed and lift up your shirt really high (women might have to lift their bra a bit.) This is usually done with a nurse of the same gender as you, so don’t worry. The nurse will stick nodes on you, which read your heart rate and check for aberrations. It doesn’t take long.

For most people, the final step is the X-ray test. Sometimes, this will be held in a trailer parked in the carpark. A note for women: the doctor could be male, and you’ll have to take off anything with wires. You can wear a thin vest or underlayer. Some women bring in a modesty towel. There’s a curtained-off area to change in, then you’re led to the x-ray machine. The machine will often have English instructions, or the doctor will know enough English. This test just involves holding your breath, so it’s very easy.

For older people or those whose CO requires it, you might have to do a barium test. Here you will swallow barium to check your upper gastrointestinal tract. You will then hold onto a pair of handles as the x-ray machine moves up and down, moving the barium through your body. This test has a radiation and cancer risk, and is best avoided for young people and pregnant women. You can opt out if you want. It does provide detailed images of the esophagus, stomach, and small intestines to check for ulcers, cancer, reflux disease etc., so it’s worth weighing up the risk with the benefits.

Afterwards

Well done, you did it! Wasn’t that bad, right? Now just wait a few months, and your CO or school will deliver you a sealed envelope with your results. Again, enlist a Japanese-speaker to help you make sense of it, but overall you will be given a grade from A to D. 

If you get a D in an area, don’t panic! Talk with a JTE or trusted friend, and book yourself in for a check-up at a clinic.

Always better to be safe than sorry.