Is GOTHE Men's Clinic a good place for std checks such as HIV?

the other comments are right about goethe being legit but honestly for just HIV you're overcomplicating it. the tokyo metropolitan government runs a free anonymous testing center right next to shinjuku station called the "tokyo metropolitan communicable disease center" or something like that - they hand out numbered tickets starting at 9am and you just sit in a waiting room with everyone else, no questions asked. takes like 15 minutes for the blood draw and you get results by text in about a week

only thing is the hours are super limited and if you show up late they'll turn you away. goethe is fine if you want same-day results or a full panel but you're def paying a premium for the english service and the location in shinjuku. for basic peace of mind the public option is totally fine and they see tons of foreigners

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yeah goethe is legit, they cater to foreigners and the staff speak english so no worries about communication issues. but tbh for HIV checks specifically you could also just hit up a public health center like the one in shinjuku or shibuya - they do anonymous free testing on certain days and it's way cheaper. goethe will run u around 5000-8000 yen for a full panel which is fine if u want quick results in english but the public option is solid too if you're on a budget

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honestly goethe is fine but you're paying for the english convenience. if you're worried about safety as a foreigner, all clinics here follow the same regulations - they're not gonna treat you differently just because you're not japanese. the bigger issue is that goethe is a men's clinic so they're prob gonna try to upsell you on other stuff while you're there

for straight up HIV testing, the public health centers are the move. shinjuku public health center does free anonymous testing on tuesdays and thursdays, no appointment needed, results in about a week. they have english info sheets too. only catch is the hours are kinda weird like 9-11am only so you gotta plan around it

if you need results same day or want a full panel with syphilis and hep b, then goethe makes sense. just know they'll push their erectile dysfunction packages on you before you leave

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if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping

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kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.

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tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.

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