Clinics and medical practices
Practices that need clear appointment types, accurate durations and reminders for patients. Explore suggested settings for 28 types of business, including appointment lengths, time between bookings, payments and considerations for operating in Japan.
International clinics and GP practices#
A first consultation needs longer than a follow-up, and the patient usually wants to know before booking whether the doctor speaks English and whether their insurance is accepted.
| Duration | 30 minutes for a first consultation, 15 for a follow-up — two event types |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 4 hours |
| Time between appointments | 5 minutes after, for notes |
| Max bookings per day | A daily cap per consultation type keeps the afternoon from filling with new patients |
| Location | In person, with the nearest station in the description |
| Payment | Paid in person — the fee depends on insurance and what is done on the day |
| Cancellation policy | No refunds needed; nothing is taken online |
Suggested booking questions: Is this your first visit? · Do you have Japanese health insurance? · What would you like the doctor to look at?
Most patients present a 健康保険証 and pay 30% on the day, so the amount is not known when they book. Show the price as a range in the description rather than charging a card.
Booking guide for international clinics and gp practices in Japan
English-speaking dentists#
Check-ups, cleanings and treatment appointments are different lengths, and a patient who cancels an hour before leaves a chair and a hygienist idle.
| Duration | 30 minutes for a check-up, 60 for a cleaning or treatment |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Time between appointments | 10 minutes after, to turn the room over |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person, or a small deposit online if no-shows are a problem |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before, if you take a deposit |
Suggested booking questions: First visit or returning patient? · Are you in pain right now? · Do you have Japanese health insurance?
Routine dentistry is covered by insurance and 自由診療 work is not, and the difference is the single most common question from foreign patients. Make it two event types so the price is unambiguous before anyone sits down.
Orthodontists#
A long paid consultation in advance, then a two-year run of short adjustments roughly every four to six weeks.
| Duration | 60 minutes for the consultation, 20 for an adjustment |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 48 hours |
| How far ahead customers can book | 120 days, so a patient can book the next adjustment as they leave |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online for the consultation, in person for adjustments |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: Have you had orthodontic treatment before? · Do you have recent X-rays?
Dermatology and skin clinics#
Medical consultations and cosmetic treatments sit in the same diary but behave completely differently — one is insured and short, the other is paid and long.
| Duration | 15 minutes medical, 45 to 90 for a treatment |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Time between appointments | 15 minutes after a treatment |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Cosmetic treatments paid online; medical consultations in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before, nothing inside 24 |
Keep 保険診療 and 自由診療 as separate event types. Mixing them in one booking flow is where the price confusion starts.
Cosmetic and aesthetic clinics#
A free or cheap counselling appointment sells the treatment, and the treatment itself is expensive enough that an empty slot hurts.
| Duration | 30 minutes counselling, 60 to 120 for treatment |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 48 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Counselling free, treatment paid online as a deposit |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 72 hours before, 50% inside that |
Suggested booking questions: Which treatment are you interested in? · Have you had this treatment before?
Ophthalmologists and eye clinics#
Dilating drops mean the patient is in the building far longer than the consultation itself, which the booking length has to reflect.
| Duration | 20 minutes, with a 45-minute version for anything needing dilation |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Suggested booking questions: Do you need a prescription for glasses or contacts? · Are you able to avoid driving afterwards?
Paediatricians#
Parents book around school and nap times, often at short notice, and want to know whether the appointment is for a sick child or a scheduled vaccination.
| Duration | 15 minutes, 30 for a first visit |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 2 hours — a sick child cannot wait a day |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Suggested booking questions: Child’s age · Is this a sick visit or a vaccination? · Do you have the 母子手帳?
Vaccination schedules follow the 予防接種 calendar and the free municipal vouchers, so a separate vaccination event type with the sheet to bring listed in the description saves a lot of phone calls.
OB-GYN and women’s clinics#
Appointments are personal enough that people book online specifically to avoid explaining themselves on the phone in a second language.
| Duration | 20 minutes, 40 for a first visit |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Suggested booking questions: First visit? · Reason for the appointment · Do you have Japanese health insurance?
Fertility and IVF coordinators#
Treatment is driven by a cycle, so appointments are urgent, frequent and cannot be moved by a week to suit the schedule.
| Duration | 45 minutes for a consultation, 15 for monitoring |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours for monitoring, 48 for a consultation |
| How far ahead customers can book | 90 days |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Public subsidies for fertility treatment changed in recent years and the paperwork is heavy. A first-consultation event type whose description lists what to bring is worth more than any feature here.
Psychiatrists#
A long intake appointment followed by shorter medication reviews at a steady interval, with the same patient for years.
| Duration | 50 minutes for intake, 20 for a review |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Location | In person, or video for reviews |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Suggested booking questions: Is this your first appointment? · Are you currently taking any medication?
Counsellors and therapists#
The same client at the same hour every week, a free or reduced first consultation, and a late cancellation that cannot be filled because nobody books therapy at two hours’ notice.
| Duration | 50 minutes, the standard therapeutic hour |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Time between appointments | 10 minutes after, to write notes |
| Max bookings per day | Consider a daily limit of four or five sessions |
| Location | In person or video |
| Payment | Paid online — it settles the cancellation question before it arises |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before, none inside 24 |
Suggested booking questions: Have you had therapy before? · What would you like to work on? · In person or online?
English-speaking therapy is one of the hardest things to find in Japan, and clients often search in English and book from a phone at night. Fill in both languages so the page reads naturally either way.
Psychologists and assessments#
Assessments run for hours and sometimes across two days, which is a different booking shape from an ordinary session.
| Duration | 50 minutes for a session, a separate 3-hour event type for assessment |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 48 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 72 hours before |
Couples and marriage counselling#
Sessions run longer than individual therapy, and two people have to agree on the time, so evenings and weekends carry the practice.
| Duration | 80 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 48 hours |
| Location | In person or video |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 72 hours before, 50% inside that |
Suggested booking questions: Will both partners attend? · Have you worked with a counsellor before?
Addiction counselling#
People reach out in a narrow window of willingness, so short notice and an immediate confirmation matter more than a tidy diary.
| Duration | 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 2 hours |
| Location | In person or video |
| Payment | Free first conversation, paid sessions after |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Speech and language therapists#
Mostly children, in a fixed weekly slot after school, booked as a term rather than a session.
| Duration | 45 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| How far ahead customers can book | 120 days |
| Location | In person or video |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before |
Bilingual children in Japan are a large part of this work, and parents want to know which languages you assess in before they book. Say it in the event description.
Occupational therapists#
Home visits and clinic sessions in the same week, with travel between them that the schedule has to allow for.
| Duration | 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Time between appointments | 45 minutes after a home visit, for travel |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before |
Physiotherapists#
A long first assessment, then a course of shorter treatments booked as a block over several weeks.
| Duration | 60 minutes for assessment, 30 for treatment |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Time between appointments | 10 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online, or in person if insurance is involved |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: What is the injury or problem? · How long has it been going on? · Referred by a doctor?
Chiropractors#
A 45-minute first visit and a 20-minute adjustment, with regulars who come back every few weeks and expect to book the next one on the spot.
| Duration | 45 minutes first visit, 20 for an adjustment |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 4 hours |
| Time between appointments | 5 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person, or online for a first-visit package |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: First visit? · Where is the pain? · Any recent imaging or diagnosis?
Chiropractic is not a licensed medical qualification in Japan and is not covered by insurance, so foreign residents specifically search for practitioners trained abroad. Put the qualification in the description — it is the deciding factor, not the price.
Osteopaths#
Hands-on sessions of a consistent length, with most of the schedule filled by people who rebook before they leave the room.
| Duration | 50 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Time between appointments | 10 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Acupuncturists#
Needles stay in for twenty to thirty minutes, so the room is occupied considerably longer than the practitioner is, and the first session includes a long intake.
| Duration | 75 minutes first session, 60 after |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 12 hours |
| Time between appointments | 15 minutes after, to turn the room over |
| Max bookings per day | Six a day is realistic with one table |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online or in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: First session? · What are you hoping to treat? · Any needle sensitivity?
Japanese 鍼灸 is licensed and some treatment is insured with a doctor’s referral, while Western-style acupuncture usually is not. Foreign clients often want to know which they are getting — make it two event types rather than one explanation.
Shiatsu and seitai practitioners#
Sold in 60 and 90 minute blocks, often as a course of ten, with clients who book the same slot each week.
| Duration | 60 or 90 minutes — two event types |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 4 hours |
| Time between appointments | 10 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 12 hours before |
Sports therapists#
Athletes book around training, which means early mornings and late evenings rather than a standard nine-to-five schedule.
| Duration | 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 6 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Podiatrists#
Routine care at a steady interval, plus one-off assessments for orthotics that take twice as long.
| Duration | 30 minutes routine, 60 for a biomechanical assessment |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Nutritionists and dietitians#
A long first consultation and a run of short reviews, most of it by video because there is nothing to examine.
| Duration | 60 minutes first, 30 for a review |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Location | Video |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before |
Suggested booking questions: What are you hoping to change? · Any diagnosed conditions or allergies? · Do you cook at home?
Travel and vaccination clinics#
Demand arrives in waves before holiday seasons, and some courses need a second and third appointment weeks apart.
| Duration | 20 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| How far ahead customers can book | 180 days, because courses are planned around a trip |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Suggested booking questions: Where are you travelling and when? · Which vaccinations have you already had?
Health checkup (人間ドック) coordinators#
A fixed-length morning slot with strict fasting instructions, sold almost entirely in the first quarter of the year.
| Duration | 3 hours, morning only |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 7 days |
| How far ahead customers can book | 180 days |
| Max bookings per day | Whatever the clinic can physically process before lunch |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person, or online for the self-funded option |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 7 days before |
Fasting from the night before is the instruction people most often miss. Put it in the confirmation message, which is repeated in every reminder email.
Medical interpreters and patient advocates#
Booked to accompany somebody to an appointment that already has a time, so the slot is dictated by a third party and travel is part of the job.
| Duration | 2 hours, covering travel and waiting |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 48 hours |
| Time between appointments | 60 minutes after |
| Location | In person, address supplied by the client |
| Payment | Paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before, 50% inside that |
Suggested booking questions: Which hospital or clinic? · Date and time of the appointment · What is it for?
Home-visit nursing#
A round of visits at the same addresses each week, where the constraint is the route rather than the schedule.
| Duration | 45 minutes |
|---|---|
| Booking notice required | 24 hours |
| Time between appointments | 30 minutes after, for travel |
| Location | In person, at the patient’s address |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Start taking bookings online
The Free plan includes booking pages, Google Calendar and Outlook connections, working hours, Japanese holiday settings and booking on your website. No credit card is required, and there is no time limit. The Paid plan is ¥1,200 per month including tax and adds online card payments, team bookings and LINE integration. Business Box charges no booking commission; Stripe processing fees apply separately.
Last reviewed 16 October 2026.