So my first trip to a hospital in Japan was not nearly as horrendous as I had imagined it would be (I have managed in 21 months of living in Japan to never visit a doctor or a hospital, up until now). It wasn't a huge thing- I somehow got an infection in my thumb and it has swelled up and turned purple. A rather stupid and unexciting injury. In Japan people don't go to a personal doctor when they are sick, they just go to the hospital. So I went this morning expecting long lines, doctors who don't speak English and lots of money. It took less than 30 minutes total, no massive forms to fill out (just wrote down my address), the nurses were nice, the doctor spoke lovely English and the total bill was $40 (but the insurance company will reimburse me for the whole thing). The last time I went to the hospital in the US it took 3 hours of waiting, the nurses were not friendly, I saw the doctor for maybe 3 minutes, despite speaking the same language as me he was incredibly rude and the whole painful experience was closer to $400 before insurance. I was amazed at how great the medical system here is and will no longer have qualms about going to the doctor. The hospital is also maybe 2 blocks from my house which makes popping over before work easy. Yeah for socialized medical systems! Yeah!

It's too bad I can't get snow chains for my bike tires, it would make transportation in the snow so much easier (although perhaps less exciting).