We took a summer break! This post is from July 24, 2025. I write this from by dorm, curtains closed and lights dim to simulate the night, because I’m about to go to bed. In an hour it will be noon, and I’m brushing my teeth and trying to get cozy, but really, I feel like absolute death. It’s been a long time since I’ve been truly sick, and I forgot just how much of a pain it truly is. I don’t want to be going to bed at 11am on a Friday afternoon, but here we are. Tomorrow, or I guess tonight, or whenever I end up rolling out of bed again, I’m going to try my hand at a Japanese clinic. I’m nervous, because despite being here for months, my Japanese hasn’t gotten all that much better. Well, I can say much more now, but I can’t listen. You’re supposed to listen twice as much as you talk, two ears and one mouth you know, but I might as well have no ears here. Well I do, but lately they’re always ringing and my head is always hurting and I think you get the point. I’m scared to go, but I will, because we’re going to Fuji.
4,700 feet, that’s the elevation you’ll gain when climbing Mount Fuji. That’s almost twice as tall as the tallest thing humans have ever built. It’s a long way up, and a long way down. This whole flu thing really throws a wrench into our plan, just five days away is when we leave. The tickets have been booked, the hotels are non-refundable, and I will be incredibly upset with myself if I don’t summit this mountain all becuase my lousy T Cells couldn’t keep up. Well I shouldn’t call them lousy, they are at least trying.
This is a short one, a little preamble to my ascent of Fuji, and how I’m scared how it will go, escpecially if my sleep schedule and physical well-being don’t both see some massive improvements. See you hopefully next week, where I can tell you all about it. Until next time.
We took a summer break! This post is from July 7, 2025. It’s been tough to get anything done this past week as I’ve been stuck in my dorm with a nasty cold. Maybe it was the sudden changes in weather (rainy one day, hot the next) or maybe it was because I would sleep with my wet hair under the AC, but either way, it was really bad.
I’m usually the type to recover after about 2 days, so when I first felt a sore throat coming on, I didn’t think much of it, I even went swimming at Lake Biwako to celebrate my birthday. I probably should have actually stayed in my room and rested though.
The next day, after swimming, my symptoms got worse. My throat was so sore I couldn’t speak, I had a fever, nausea, a cough, and almost no energy. I ended up skipping most of my classes for the week except for one. That one class had a midterm, and even though I could’ve emailed the professor to reschedule, I just wanted to get it over with. So, I dragged myself out of bed, took the test, somehow got back to my room and fell asleep.
For the rest of the week, I stayed in my room, taking Tylenol that a friend gave me, sipping warm tea, and trying to take it easy. Thankfully, I didn’t have too much homework to worry about, so I could focus on getting better without stressing too much.
But after a few more days, things actually got worse. I ended up getting pink eye, too. At that point, I figured rest and Tylenol weren’t enough, so I decided to visit a clinic.
I searched for English-friendly clinics in Kyoto and found one called Sakabe Clinic. It had nearly five stars and over 100 reviews from international patients, so I decided to give it a try. The clinic is about a 20-minute bus ride from my dorm, and when I arrived, I found out it was actually an international clinic.
They normally see walk-in patients in the evening (6:30 pm-12 am) and appointments during the day (9:30 am–12:30 pm), though it’s best to check their website for up-to-date hours. I didn’t have an appointment or a Japanese phone number to call and schedule one, so I went in person and was able to schedule a same-day appointment for 12:20 pm. All I needed was my passport and to write down my name.
When I returned later for the appointment, I filled out a simple form about my symptoms, how long I’d been sick, what medicine I’d taken, and so on. I was surprised by how simple the questions were and how little questions I had to answer compared to back home in the America.
After turning in the form, I had my temperature taken and waited to be called. It seemed like only one doctor was working, but I didn’t mind waiting as I wasn’t sure where else to go anyway. Eventually, I was brought into a room where they took my blood pressure before I met the doctor.
That actually surprised me since usually back home has a lot of tests first, but my Japanese friend who was also sick around the time I was said they usually don’t even take blood pressure during checkups. Soon after, the doctor reviewed my form and told me I could have one of three possible illnesses—one of which might have been COVID (but I figured it wasn’t, since I could still taste food).
The doctor did a nasal swab test and checked my heartbeat, which is something I’m used to—but this time, it was done under my shirt. While it wasn’t invasive, but it made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Thankfully, there was a female nurse present, which helped a little, but it still felt awkward.
After the check-up, I waited for my results. The doctor told me I didn’t have any of the three viruses he suspected but gave me a prescription with five different medications, each targeting certain symptoms.
Thanks to having health insurance in Japan, I only paid about 3,600 yen for the visit. The pharmacy next door charged me about 1,000 yen for the medications—so in total, I spent less than $40. I’ve been taking the medicine for a few days now and feel so much better, though I’m still dealing with a bit of a stubborn cough.
Getting sick while studying abroad definitely isn’t fun, but I’m grateful there were resources available, and that I was able to get help without too much trouble. Hopefully, I’ll be fully recovered soon and back to exploring Kyoto again!
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