English speaking rheumatologist in Tokyo advice?

honestly the referral thing is real but not as strict as people make it sound. if you go to a bigger hospital like juntendo in bunkyo they have an international clinic that can act as your primary and then refer you internally to rheumatology. saves you running around to two different places. just call ahead and ask for the international services desk, they're used to this

for your insurance, most university hospitals take NHI but charge a bit more for the first visit without a referral. it's like a few thousand yen extra, not a dealbreaker. i'd skip the private clinics for rheumatology unless you have deep pockets, they're fine for general stuff but chronic conditions get expensive fast there

also worth knowing that some rheumatologists here focus more on osteoarthritis and gout than autoimmune stuff. when you call ask specifically about their experience with RA or lupus or whatever you're dealing with, not just "rheumatology"

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st luke's is probably ur best bet, they have a rheumatology dept with english speaking staff. to see a specialist directly without a referral is rare here, most places want a letter from a clinic first so maybe hit up a small local doc to get the form

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The referral thing is real but honestly if you're already diagnosed with something specific like RA or lupus, some places will take you directly if you bring your old medical records. Try calling NTT Medical Center Tokyo in Shinagawa, their rheumatology dept has a couple younger docs who trained overseas and speak english well enough for consultations. They take NHI and the wait times are usually shorter than St Luke's or Keio, maybe a week or two for new patients.

For the initial visit without a referral you'll pay a few thousand yen extra as a "first visit without letter" fee, but it's not crazy expensive. Just bring your insurance card and any past test results or imaging you have, japanese specialists appreciate having something to work with rather than starting from zero.

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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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