The best ningen dock in Tokyo in English, and how to choose

What a ningen dock is

A ningen dock is a full health check in a single day, a habit in Japan since the first one was run at a Tokyo hospital in 1954. It is offered at 1,727 facilities across the country to about 3.7 million people a year, and the person having the check pays for it [1].

A standard course covers your measurements, blood and urine tests, a chest X-ray, an abdominal ultrasound, an ECG, eye, hearing and lung tests, and an examination of the stomach. At the preventive medicine centre of St Luke's International Hospital the day takes about 5 to 6 hours, and a doctor goes through most of your results with you before you leave [2].

St Luke's advises that a ningen dock is meant for people who feel well. If you already have symptoms or are being treated for an illness, it suggests seeing the right specialist instead [2].

What a ningen dock costs in Tokyo

The most complete course on a provider's own page is the Super Midtown Dock Royal at Tokyo Midtown Clinic, at ¥594,000 including tax for about 7 hours. It adds about 78 blood tests to the Super Midtown Dock and includes a repeat blood test and a doctor's review six months later [3].

The Super Midtown Dock itself costs ¥330,000 for about 6 hours, with more than 30 tests including endoscopy, CT, MRI and 3D mammography, a private room and a concierge who stays with you through the day [3]. The clinic's Standard Dock costs ¥72,600 and takes about 2 to 3 hours [3]. Its own laboratory means a doctor can give you some results on the day, and on Wednesday mornings women are examined by women doctors and staff [3].

St Luke's charges ¥69,300 for its one day course without a stomach examination, ¥74,800 with a barium X-ray and ¥84,700 with an endoscopy, all including tax [2]. St Luke's publishes its course prices in full, which makes it easy to compare.

If you live outside Japan

The prices above are for residents of Japan. Tokyo Midtown Clinic books visitors from abroad only through an agent, at a separate price paid in advance, and the agent arranges a medical interpreter. The clinic says it sees 50,000 people a year for health checks and has English speaking staff on site [4].

St Luke's publishes an English guide to reading its one day results and sends the full report about 3 weeks after the visit. A medical certificate in English costs ¥13,200, and it takes 2 to 3 weeks to prepare [2] [5]. Ask for one when you book if your employer or insurer needs it.

Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic runs its annual check-up in English and bases it on international recommendations. Each one starts with a consultation about which tests suit you, with ultrasound, gastroscopy, colonoscopy and sleep apnoea testing among the options on site, and its check-up page shows no price [6]. It suits a resident who wants one English speaking clinic for check-ups and illness.

What a health check can and cannot do

A general check for everyone has a weak record. A Cochrane review of 17 trials, with outcomes for 251,891 people, found that general health checks made little or no difference to deaths from any cause, from cancer or from heart disease [7].

Japan has studied its own national check-up. In 74,693 men aged 40 to 74, being assigned to lifestyle guidance after the check led to a small fall in weight at one year, which had faded by years 3 to 4, and to no change in blood pressure, HbA1c or LDL cholesterol [8].

A review of the ningen dock from the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo notes that a check can miss disease, and that a false positive can lead to tests and treatment you did not need [1]. A check is most useful when its tests are chosen for your age, sex and family history, and a doctor acts on the results.

Six questions to ask before you book

Clinic pages in Japan carry no patient reviews, because the health ministry's advertising guideline prohibits testimonials about the effects of treatment. A page that offers self-pay care must also state its usual cost and its main risks [9]. Compare courses on those facts and on the answers to these questions.

• Will the doctor who explains my results speak English?
• Will I have the full report in English, and how soon?
• Is the price I am quoted the resident price or the visitor price?
• Is my stomach examined by barium X-ray or by endoscopy, and is sedation offered?
• If something is found, who arranges the next test, and what does it cost?
• Can I take my images and report home for my own doctor?

Appointments in Tokyo

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