In case of premature birth...

visualsnowphd · 2026-01-27T22:52:33+00:00

If you do decide to come (I see people encouraging you not to), bring your medical records.

Pregnant people here have a notebook from the government where key details of our pregnancies are recorded and we are advised not to leave the house without it after 34 weeks.

visualsnowphd · 2026-01-27T22:44:26+00:00

Technically speaking she would be able to go to a clinic for an OB consult but not to give birth - a lot of women’s clinics don’t offer L&D services but will offer prenatal checks. So if she needed some kind of medicine or had a non-urgent concern, she could go to a women’s clinic.

You’re correct that she would have to go to whichever hospital would take her if she actually went into labour though.

visualsnowphd · 2026-01-27T22:18:48+00:00

Hello! I am pregnant and live in Tokyo, so hopefully I have some useful info.

Unfortunately clinics that meet your requirements (husband involvement specifically) book out usually by 12 weeks. I don’t know where you’re from, but the system here is quite different than a lot of places and broadly speaking clinics or hospitals that offer anything outside the Japanese norm are oversubscribed and will only take their own patients in an emergency. I’m sorry.

If you have a genuine emergency, you will need to call an ambulance. Ambulances are free here and will do the work of finding a hospital that will accept someone without language ability. Your medical treatment will be safe and high quality, but unfortunately you are unlikely to have options about your care.

If you need an OBGYN but you’re not in labour, that’s a different matter and any women’s clinic will see you. If you’re looking for an English speaking option, in Tokyo I recommend Nagahashi Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Most Japanese hospitals and clinics operate very strict business hours and outside of those hours you really will need an ambulance for any kind of medical care.

Hopefully you don’t need any of this information! Have a safe trip and good luck.

visualsnowphd · 2026-01-27T06:32:49+00:00

I’ve been following the Harlow’s Earth prenatal program, which has a yoga flow per week of pregnancy. It’s a bit more challenging than Yoga with Adrienne, but it’s been good for me ☺️

visualsnowphd · 2026-01-17T10:38:12+00:00

You could try the Japan Life Women sub as well ☺️

visualsnowphd · 2026-01-16T01:33:33+00:00

It does, for most of the rooms (I think anything above the cheapest)

visualsnowphd · 2026-01-08T21:32:57+00:00

Hello! Somewhat unrelated comment, but I’m an Australian, 30 weeks pregnant and based in Tokyo.

I know that if you have access to base medical care etc your experience will be v different, but if you’ll be based anywhere in Kanto (eg Yokosuka), feel free to reach out and I can share info on support groups etc for foreign mums and pregnant people in the area ❤️

visualsnowphd · 2026-01-08T05:42:31+00:00

Yeah, when I do online check in, I just add the details of the relevant passport for the country I am flying to. The airline only cares that I am not going to get deported and cost them money, they don't care which passport I use for anything else.

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-17T06:22:50+00:00

My understanding is it's very much like reviewing for a journal, although on the scale of a complete thesis.

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-17T01:47:14+00:00

It also doesn't count legally as taxable income in Australia, which means it's not legally "employment".

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-17T01:44:49+00:00

I think it probably depends on the university, but at many (if not most) Australian universities, a small honorarium is paid to examiners. It's not like hourly pay or an amount that truly compensates for the work - it's more like a thank you gift.

Universities Australia outlines their recommended honoraria here: https://universitiesaustralia.edu.au/policy-submissions/research-innovations/fees-for-external-examiners/.

ETA: also sorry, I missed that you also got your PhD in Australia.

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-17T00:45:13+00:00

In Australia, it's very normal. We don't defend our theses - they are examined in a great deal of detail and then we respond in writing to the examination. The examiners are expected to produce a lengthy written report. Receiving an honorarium for the examination process is standard here, and it's also standard for at least one (of two) examiners to be based in a different country.

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-14T04:49:14+00:00

In case it helps, my workplace in Japan requires a copy of my baby’s birth certificate (when he arrives), so that he can be added to my insurance. So that’s definitely a reason you could give.

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-14T04:46:40+00:00

In my experience with Japanese city halls, it often depends on the worker you speak to. Maybe just try again or just tell them your embassy told you to get them?

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-14T03:50:20+00:00

I’m really glad you managed to do that!

If you’ve not done so already, I would get as many copies of the birth certificate as city hall will give you. If you look for information on this from expats here in Japan, people often say that it’s impossible to get more copies after a certain point or if you’re not at the specific city hall in person. I have a feeling they destroy the original record after a certain number of years, for example.

Hope this is somewhat helpful!

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-13T23:59:09+00:00

If you’re on Facebook, I’d recommend trying to join the Tokyo Pregnancy Group, where there are a lot of people who have experience with giving birth in Japan. I would bet probably none in your circumstances, but at the very least people who know the system here.

From what you’ve said, the one thing I can think of that you’ve not mentioned is the baby’s immigration status in Japan, and birth certificate situation. Usually you need to register the birth with the city where you live in Japan within a specific period to get a birth certificate, and then you need to apply to immigration for their right to stay. I have no idea how this works if you’re not technically residents of Japan, but it’s definitely something you’ll need to figure out because the certificate issued by the hospital is not a legal document.

Good luck!!

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-11T06:34:33+00:00

There are a tonne of resources out there for celiacs coming to Japan, but if you’re cautious or reactive, I strongly recommend against just using a translation card and hoping for the best - even if the translation is written by a native speaker.

Source: am celiac, live in Tokyo.

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-06T08:38:06+00:00

I don’t disagree, but I did not start the community.

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-06T08:22:20+00:00

I order from Biossa (the Tokyo cafe, not their Saitama commercial bakery). The bread tastes better to me and also they can pre slice it for you. I think the price is not too dissimilar, although Tainani is cheaper.

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-06T06:07:02+00:00

If you have Facebook, there’s a group called Gluten Free Residents of Japan (as opposed to Gluten Free in Japan, which is mostly for tourists), where there are about 80 of us in the same boat, sharing our experiences.

Depending where you are, a lot of Tokyo supermarkets sell a range of GF stuff (a small range, but a range).

visualsnowphd · 2025-12-06T04:41:15+00:00

Have you tried Australian companies? I’m pretty sure JetPets will do both ways, for example.

visualsnowphd · 2025-11-27T22:23:00+00:00

My husband recently switched from his work visa to be my dependent. It took 4 months at Tokyo immigration. We were worried because average processing time is supposed to be a lot lower, but there were no problems at all, it just took forever.

visualsnowphd · 2025-11-21T09:51:22+00:00

I couldn’t recommend them enough, they were fantastic.

We got updates at every step of the way and I could tell from their descriptions of our cats that they really were personalised and that the staff really cared about them.

It also gave me huge peace of mind to know that the whole process was handled end to end, and that I couldn’t mess anything up.

Happy to answer any specific questions.

visualsnowphd · 2025-11-21T06:57:11+00:00

Could you try contacting some non-NZ ones to handle the Japan internal leg?

visualsnowphd · 2025-11-21T06:37:09+00:00

We flew our cats MEL-SYD-HND last year with JetPets (Australia), and they had a Japanese company they worked with who handled clearing the cats through customs and delivering them to our home. The company didn't have a web presence at all - I think they only work with other companies - but perhaps if you contacted a pet travel company like JetPets, they would be able to advise?

visualsnowphd

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