Iwappara Safety & Emergency
In an emergency
Many Japanese fire departments handle 119 calls in major foreign languages via three-way simultaneous interpretation through a telephone interpretation center, 24 hours a day, year-round. Reviewed 2026-07-21
Medical facilities nearby
This list shows the nearest 15 hospitals, 10 clinics, 10 pharmacies and 5 dentists, plus every emergency hospital. More are in the area.
Facts marked "From website" come from the facility's own website or the town's page. The national medical register does not list them, so check with the facility before you go.
| Facility | Straight line | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital 6 | ||
| Hours not listed Accepts emergencies Emergency care: 24 hours | 2.8 km | 9 min |
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| Hours not listed Accepts emergencies Emergency care: 24 hours | 13.3 km | 30 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details Accepts emergencies Emergency care: 24 hours | 16.7 km | 29 min |
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| Hours not listed | 25.4 km | 32 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details Accepts emergencies | 27.1 km | 43 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 32.4 km | 39 min |
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| Clinic 10 | ||
| Reception hours are in the details | 2.5 km | 8 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 7.5 km | 22 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 7.5 km | 22 min |
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| Hours not listed | 7.5 km | 20 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 11.3 km | 26 min |
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| Hours not listed | 11.6 km | 27 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 14.0 km | 30 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 14.5 km | 30 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 14.6 km | 29 min |
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| Hours not listed | 15.9 km | 26 min |
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| Dental 5 | ||
| Reception hours are in the details | 2.6 km | 9 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 3.3 km | 11 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 9.8 km | 26 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 11.1 km | 25 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 13.6 km | 30 min |
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| Pharmacy 10 | ||
| Reception hours are in the details | 2.7 km | 9 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 2.8 km | 9 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 2.9 km | 10 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 7.5 km | 22 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 9.7 km | 27 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 11.2 km | 26 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 11.6 km | 27 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 13.2 km | 30 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 13.2 km | 30 min |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 13.3 km | 29 min |
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Pre-trip planning notes
Gathered ahead of your trip as a planning aid — details change; verify locally on arrival.
- First-aid room
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Iwappara's first-aid room is at the No.2 Pair Lift boarding station, which is also where the patrol is based. The FAQ says to speak to nearby staff if you need help, and that anyone able to ski down can come to the patrol post there themselves. The resort does not say that a doctor or nurse staffs it, so treat it as a first-aid post, not a clinic.
As of 2026-10-17 - Rescue protocol
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Iwappara runs its own patrol. Its safety page says the rescue staff train in driving snowmobiles and handling stretchers so they can reach an accident on the slopes quickly and give first aid on the spot, and that patrol circulates checking the snow and making sure safety nets and signs are in place. Lift staff also drill regularly for getting passengers off a stopped lift. The resort's terms ask anyone at an accident to help with first aid and report it to staff.
As of 2026-10-17 - Backcountry policy
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Entering a closed course or a no-entry area is a prohibited act under Iwappara's terms, and patrol and staff instructions must be followed. Anyone who leaves the managed area in breach of the terms and has to be searched for is billed afterwards for the full cost of the search and rescue.
As of 2026-10-17 - Nearest clinic
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For a ski injury the nearest specialist is Kadoya Orthopedic Clinic (角谷整形外科医院) in Kandatsu, Yuzawa town. Its health-ministry page lists orthopaedics and opens it Monday to Saturday, Saturday afternoon included, closed Thursdays, Sundays and public holidays. Yuzawa Town Hospital (町立湯沢病院) near Echigo-Yuzawa station also has orthopaedics, but its ministry page says orthopaedic Saturday clinics run irregularly, once or twice a month, and that general surgery is currently not seeing patients. For an orthopaedic clinic open on Sunday, the nearest on the ministry register is Niigata Bone and Sports Clinic (新潟 骨とスポーツのクリニック) in Uonuma City, further down the valley.
As of 2026-10-17 - Nearest emergency hospital
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Two tiers. Yuzawa Town Hospital (町立湯沢病院), in the town centre, is on Niigata Prefecture's list of designated emergency hospitals and takes part in the area's on-call rota. The list dated 1 April 2026 shows its current designation running to 21 October 2026, so check that it has been renewed. A serious injury goes on to Uonuma Kikan Hospital (魚沼基幹病院) at Urasa in Minamiuonuma, the area's emergency and critical care centre, which states that it accepts emergency patients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Two more designated emergency hospitals sit in Minamiuonuma: Minamiuonuma City Hospital in Muikamachi and Saito Memorial Hospital at Kakenoue.
As of 2026-10-17 - Pharmacy
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Yuzawa town has three insurance-designated dispensing pharmacies: Trim Pharmacy Yuzawa (トリム薬局 湯沢店) in Kandatsu, and Chushin Pharmacy (中信薬局) and Kinseido Pharmacy (金生堂薬局) in the town centre near Echigo-Yuzawa station. Their health-ministry pages give weekday hours of 09:00-18:00, except that Trim closes at 13:00 on Wednesdays. On Saturday Kinseido stays open until 18:00, while Chushin and Trim close at 13:00. All three are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
As of 2026-10-17 - Pediatric care
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Yuzawa Town Hospital (町立湯沢病院) lists paediatrics, but its health-ministry page says that on Thursdays paediatrics sees patients only on the second Thursday of the month. Uonuma Kikan Hospital lists paediatrics and takes emergency patients around the clock. For advice at night, Niigata runs the #8000 children's medical phone line for under-15s: 18:00 to 08:00 Monday to Saturday, and 24 hours on Sundays and public holidays, free apart from the call charge.
As of 2026-10-17 - Major trauma center
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Uonuma Kikan Hospital (魚沼基幹病院) at Urasa, Minamiuonuma, the nearest emergency and critical care centre on the health ministry's list, which states it accepts emergency patients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Niigata's western doctor-helicopter (the Nagaoka doctor-helicopter) covers the Chuetsu, Uonuma and Joetsu areas, and the ministry's coverage list also records the prefecture's eastern doctor-helicopter as covering the whole prefecture. No source publishes a flight radius.
As of 2026-10-17
Show this to staff
Each line is in Japanese a receptionist can read, with its meaning underneath.
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スキー中にけがをしました。
I was injured while skiing.
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ここがとても痛いです。
It hurts a lot here.
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診察を受けたいです。
I would like to see a doctor.
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海外旅行保険に入っています。
I have travel insurance.
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クレジットカードで払えますか？
Can I pay by credit card?
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英語を話せる人はいますか？
Is there anyone who speaks English?
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保険請求用の診断書と領収書をください。
Please give me a medical certificate and a receipt for my insurance.
Cost, insurance and medicines
- Rescue costs
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The resort's terms separate two cases. On an open run, they say nothing about a charge for being brought down by patrol. Leave the managed area in breach of the terms and the resort, alone or with the authorities, will mount a search and rescue once someone reports you missing, and afterwards bill you for all of it: staff costs, snow vehicles, running the lifts, lighting and electricity, and any other cost incurred. The terms also say the resort takes no part in collisions between guests: injuries are settled between the people involved, through the police. They ask every guest to carry accident and liability insurance.
As of 2026-10-17
Japan's National Health Insurance does not cover tourists — hospitals bill the full cost and generally expect payment upfront by cash or card. Ordinary travel insurance often excludes off-piste and backcountry rescue; dedicated mountain-rescue insurance exists, so check your policy before you ride.
Reviewed 2026-07-21Some common medicines are restricted in Japan — e.g. codeine-containing products, pseudoephedrine above set limits, and ADHD stimulants — and may require advance permission to bring in. Check the MHLW guidance before you travel.
Reviewed 2026-07-21Nothing here is medical advice. We compile this information from Japan's national medical registers and the official websites of facilities and resorts, as a planning aid. Hours, phone numbers and services change, and we cannot guarantee that any of it is current or correct. Decisions you make with it are your own responsibility: check with the facility before you go, and in an emergency tell ski patrol or call 119.