Magdalena Korb
Consultant, 31
I have both Japanese health care and private health care. Here, it's like, take this medicine, but they never explain what the medicine is or what it's for. In Europe they give you a list of what could happen to you.
Kat Nower
Teacher, 21
In England we have NHS so I'm not used to paying for health care. I'm paying about 7,600 yen a month, which covers extreme sports. I'm going skiing, so it's good for that, but I guess if you got really seriously ill you'd go home to get treated anyway.
James Howell
JHS, 28
I don't have any insurance. I heard that because I've been here for 3 years, I would have to backpay it all. Once I went to a doctor because my foot hurt. He just told me it was because I was getting old. Generally, though, I have no complaints -- it seems modern and up-to-date.
Shinobu Tsuchiya
Office Worker, 24
I don't think it's good because we have to pay a lot of money and get deductions from our salary for health care, but I don't know where my money goes. I want more detailed information.
Aisa Haga
Office Worker, 27
When I was 22 years old, I had a problem with my reproductive system, so I went to the doctor and had an internal examination which was horrible, and I started bleeding really badly. I reluctantly went back and my doctor said I had a scratch inside, which required surgery. He didn't admit causing it, instead he told my parents, it must have been caused by me using sex toys. We did consider suing him for a while, but it's so expensive here in Japan to get into a court case; anyway, doctors are like gods and you're not really allowed to question them.
