保健室

Hopefully if you are ever in Japan, you have an amazing fun and safe trip. But, for some reason if you do feel sick or injure yourself, which can happen because Japan is a place where you do a lot of walking, climbing stairs and crossing intersections where for some reason drivers forget to stop.

Especially if you are going to ride a bicycle. Riding a bike presents its own set of dangers because there are not very many bike lanes for cyclists. And if there are, people park cars in that lane which prevents you from riding on it and you end up in the street. So then, "what about the sidewalk?" Well, it's against the law to ride on the sidewalk, but with very little options, you end up doing it regardless, I did anyway, just watch out for people walking because they have the right away, and always be on the lookout for people coming out of buildings.

I'm serious. A friend of mine's coworker, he was from Canada, was riding his bike on the sidewalk and a man, he was Japanese, came out of a building and the coworker hit him. The man sued him and won. The coworker had to pay for the medical bills, time off work and the man was even trying to get disability payments for lasting pain. The bills became too much and the coworker had to leave the country to escape the payments. 

So please Be Careful! And if something does happen, be on the look out for this sign.

保健室 (ほけんしつ) - Nurses office, School infirmary

This sign you will most likely see in a school, yet with the growing number of Nurse Practitioners you could see a sign with this 漢字, 保険.

A 漢字 that might be better to look out for is 医院 (いいん), meaning Doctor's office.

In case of serious injury, look for this 病院 (びょういん), meaning Hospital.

The real problem, don't get sick at night. These places close early and don't have emergency rooms open all night. You're best bet in these situations is to call 119 for a 救急車 (きゅうきゅうしゃ) or ambulance, and they will take you somewhere to get help, if they can't help you right there.

いつものように、気をつけてね。

それは、以上です。

ジョシュア