St. Luke’s International Hospital

"I have nothing but bad things to say about the ER at this hospital. I could have died because of their incompetence & what seemed like outright discrimination. Was never offered an interpreter. The "doctor" was not at ALL interested in my medication list, preexisting conditions, or anything but single-minded crap. He gave me Tylenol for agonizing pain due to - AND I LITERALLY TOLD HIM THIS - my autoimmune disease that NEEDS steroids when it flares up. I genuinely feel my blood boiling when I think about this filthy, cursed place. One added star because the nurses did their best and showed me kindness. The "doctor", who looked little older than a boy, stared at me with cold, dead, outright predatory eyes and accused me of "drug seeking" when I am already prescribed sufficient pain meds I have been on for literal decades. I have MCAS and could have gone into anaphalyctic shock and died right then & there but he didnt care. Just wanted me out of his sight as soon as possible. Avoid going here"

"This is a very beautiful, clean, and well organized hospital. It is efficient and easy to navigate. However the doctors lack compassion and empathy. English is not well understood and they are more focused on labs and numbers than how the patient is actually feeling. I’m shocked that a doctor in neurology wouldn’t understand the stress and strain of brain fog. The medical consultations I’ve had here average 5-15 minutes and then I pay hundred of dollars for wasted time and no answer to the concerns I expressed. The doctor I’ve visited often laughed at my expressed concerns that impact my daily functioning and told me “maybe overtime it will get better on its own by doing nothing” I’ve never heard something so incompetent and cold in my life. It’s been very disappointing. I’m grateful to have a facility that I can go to but I’m having a hard time with the disconnect between doctor and patient. The interactions I’ve experienced here have been very mechanical, impressionable, aloof, and insensitive."

"The hospital staff and doctor were incredibly friendly and supportive. The doctor we consulted was fluent in English and had a great sense of humor. My husband had a knee injury from snowboarding, and the doctor conducted a thorough examination, gathering all relevant historical details. He promptly made a well-informed decision, administering painkillers and draining fluid from the knee, resulting in significant relief from pain and swelling. The overall experience was exceptional, with a reasonable waiting time of approximately 1 hour for visitors without a referral letter or prior reservation."

"Never, ever go to this hospital if you actually need help rather than just want to spend a lot of money. I came to this hospital with a very clear request: I urgently needed an MRI. At the reception desk, the staff member told me that a doctor could order an urgent MRI and that the consultation would cost $300. When I asked if she could check whether an MRI was actually available, she said no — only the doctor could decide. I then went to the appointment, where the doctor was completely unhelpful. He did not speak English, and the receptionist did not speak English either. All communication had to go through a translator, which made the process extremely slow, uninformative, and frustrating. In the end, the doctor did not order an MRI and told me that the next available slot was in 20 days. I don’t understand why this could not have been checked at the reception before sending me to a $300 consultation. I came in with a severe headache that has lasted for 9 days straight. Sometimes it hurts so much that I can’t even speak normally. Despite this, the only thing the doctor prescribed was regular paracetamol — for a total cost of about $330. On top of that, the clinic initially said they could provide a medical certificate for my insurance. At the reception desk they said the doctor would issue it. After the consultation the doctor told me to get it at reception, and then the reception told me to contact them by email. Finally, by email they informed me that the medical certificate costs another $100. This honestly feels like a complete money grab. They are not interested in helping patients — they are only interested in charging as much as possible. If you are a tourist and you value real medical help and professional service, stay away from this place."

"The subway had multiple issues, and I also got lost walking from the Tsukiji station to the hospital, so I ended up arriving much later than my appointment time. The receptionist nurse seemed to notice I was a foreigner and spoke to me very bluntly, saying I should call if I’m going to be late. However, I’ve been using this hospital for 15 years since I started working in Japan. Normally, you don’t get seen at your scheduled appointment time anyway—it’s common to wait one to two hours. What’s even more ridiculous is that I’ve already been waiting for another hour on top of that. When I asked the nurse how much longer I would have to wait, she responded in a curt manner, saying she didn’t know and that I should change to another time slot. When I then asked to cancel, she just told me to leave. This was the worst experience I’ve had with a nurse in my 15 years living in Japan. I would strongly recommend avoiding the ENT department at this hospital. I’ve filed this case."