Japanese Clinics

Well yesterday I went to the doctor. Not because I am sick, but because Amity requires all of their employees to get a yearly check-up, not a bad idea really. And as long as they are going to foot the bill, which they did, I don't mind a bit. So yesterday my co-NET (Native English Teacher) and I had our appointments. My manager went with us to help translate. The appointment was for 9:00AM, which to me means that we will get there at 9 and sit and wait for about 30 minutes before we see anyone. Because that is usually the way it works back home, not so in Japan. We got there at 9 and they asked me to fill out an information sheet with basic info. Then they wanted a urine sample. Ugh, I hate doing that. I knew it was coming so I drank a lot of water that morning in preparation.

Then they wanted us to put on these gowns. I had imagined the kind back home with the backside open for the world to see, again not the case in Japan. The gowns were more like robes that tied on the side. I liked them much better. We should start using that kind in the States.

Then we were whisked into a room to check height, weight and eyesight. I am 165 cm tall. That is nice to know. I didn't know how tall I was in centimeters. Then the nurse asked me to look into a little box and say which way the letter "E" was pointing. I got to practice my directions in Japanese: up, down, left and right. For those of you who are interested they are ue, shita, hidari, and migi.

Then we sat in the waiting room for about five minutes, before being taken into a room to check hearing and have an X-ray. The hearing check was pretty standard I had to listen for a beep and then push a clicker to indicate that I had heard it. As for the X-ray, I haven't had one since I was 12 and broke my arm, so I don't really remember what that was like. There were other more traumatic events that I remember from that experience, like the pain. Anyway, in Japan I had to stand on this platform and lean up against this big metal square, with my hands on my hips and my arms pushed forward. It was kind of uncomfortable. Then the nurse told me to relax, hah yeah right. And then it was over.

The next and final stop was a meeting with the doctor. She speaks hospital English, meaning she could tell me what she was going to do and what she wanted me to do, but it felt like she was saying lines that she had memorized. I doubt she was conversational, nonetheless, I appreciated the English she did know. She checked my heartbeat. Apparently its still there and doing its job. Then she pushed on my stomach. I have always wondered what exactly they can learn from that. Anybody who knows, I would love for you to enlighten me. Then it was over and she told me I could change back into my regular clothes.

The whole process took about 45 minutes. In America, it probably would have taken twice as long. Sometimes the Japanese really are more efficient. So that was my trip to the doctor in Japan. All in all, not a bad experience.