Photo: Behrouz Mehri/Pool Photo via AP
Have you received your vaccine yet? As of now, only approximately 28% of the Japanese population has done so. To help get things back to normal, it is important that you book your COVID-19 vaccine appointment as soon as possible. Here’s how to do it:
Jump to
Find a Doc vs. Vaccine Navi
Find a Doc is a community-driven database. While Find a Doc is not 100% accurate, it is the fastest method to find a nearby clinic. On the other hand, Vaccine Navi is run by the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare. Therefore, it is more official but takes more time. Choose the method that best fits your needs.
Using Find a Doc
Go to the Find a Doc website. Find a nearby clinic within your area.
There, you can check if vouchers and ward residency are required or not. It will also direct you to the location’s website for further information. Be aware that this site runs on community submissions, so it is not 100% accurate.
Using the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s Site
For an official source, go to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s Corona Vaccine Navi website.
STEP ONE
First, click the button that says ‘接種会場を探す’ or ‘Search Vaccination Venue’.
STEP TWO
Select the prefecture that you are living in. If you cannot read Japanese letters, right-click the page and select ‘Translate to English’. You can do this for any of the following pages.
STEP THREE
Select the city that you are living in.
STEP FOUR
Next, you will be brought to a page that shows all vaccination locations in your city/area. In order to narrow down the list, enter restrictions regarding location/zip code, preferred vaccine brand, etc.
STEP FIVE
They will provide a list of vaccination venues that best fit the criteria you entered.
Most will contain a hyperlink that will lead you to the establishment’s website. However, if they do not contain one, simply copy and paste the name and address into Google and search for it yourself.
If there is a green circle next to it, they are open for reservations, and if there is a triangle, they are slightly available. Moreover, diamonds indicate that no reservation is required, dashes indicate that they are not ready for reservation, and X’s indicate that they are not available.
STEP SIX
Finally, look to see if the venue allows direct bookings, if you can book through their website, or if you can book over the phone. Follow whatever steps their website tells you, and be sure to use Google’s translate option if you need it.
Good luck with booking your COVID-19 vaccine appointment. We hope it goes smoothly!
—
As things go back to normal, you are probably looking to travel to different parts of Japan again. Check out the Tokyo Michelin Star Restaurants 2021 or Cute Japanese Stamps Galore in Downtown Kyoto.
