Job Discussion Forums

[Heifer]

I am considering taking a job in Japan, and I need regular chiropractic care at least twice a month. Are chiropractors easy to find in Japan?

[Vince]

In 2003-2004, I went to an Australian chiropractor in Tokyo. He was right by Temple University Tokyo. I don't remember his name, but you should be able to google him if he's still there.

[Heifer]

Thanks for the info, Vince. I'm hoping to find a chiropractor further south than that, but at least there is one in the country.

[Apsara]

Chiropractic is very common in Japan, and there is also the Japanese version, which you will find all over the place- their clinics are called "seikotsuin".

There will be plenty of chiropractic and Japanese-style chiropractic clinics pretty much wherever you are going, but perhaps not so many with English-speaking practitioners.

[mimimimi]

There are many chiropractors in Japan and there are many "chiropractors" in Japan. You must be careful to research the educational background and licensing of any chiropractor that you choose. This is especially true in Japan.

I taught a private student for over a year in Japan. She was a professionally trained midwife, and had worked in the industry for a number of years. During the year I taught her, she was taking a course in chiropractics from one of her hospital connections. By the end of the year, she had opened her own chiropractics clinic for pregnant women. She said that she could legally call herself a chiropractor, but to my knowledge she had not taking any other courses or written any national examination or registered with any licensing board.

In Canada to become a chiropractor, you take post-secondary courses full-time for at least 7 or 8 years (usually 9 or 10), plus write several exams and license yourself provincially and nationally. My Canadian chiropractor told me that when he went to school and did his practicum, he was in the same class as two Japanese students, who said they came to North America to do their practicum because it was illegal to work with cadavers in Japan. The Japanese students told him that many chiropractors in Japan are not trained to the rigorous standards of Canadian and American chiropractors.

To my understanding, it's not the custom in Japan to "interview" potential health care providers, so it may be difficult to find a suitable one for your health care needs.

[Vince]

When I did a bit of research on chiropractic in Japan, I read about situtations similar to what mimi� wrote about. Chiropractic was apparently lumped in with other alternative modes of treatment (i.e. accupuncture or moxybustion) and had little serious regulation. That was a few years ago, so things might have gotten better. Definitely research it before letting somebody manipulate your spine.

[Heifer]

Thanks for your information. I am not scared to take a job in Japan now.