Tell ski patrol or resort staff firstOn the mountain, tell any ski patrol or resort staff first — they coordinate rescue and call emergency services for you.
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.
The secondary-emergency (二次救急) hospital for this area, taking emergency internal medicine, paediatric and surgical cases. 274 beds. It is the nearest facility with orthopaedics plus emergency medicine in one building -- the village clinics have neither out of hours.
ENT: Tuesdays (by appointment) and Friday afternoons. Ophthalmology: by appointment. Neurosurgery: appointments on Mondays. Obstetrics and gynaecology: Mondays in the 2nd and 4th weeks. Dermatology: appointment and referral letter only.
The national medical register lists it in the holiday and all-night emergency scheme (internal medicine, paediatrics, surgery), but we could not confirm when it takes emergency patients. Phone before going.
Hours follow the national register: Tuesday 13:00–15:00 only. The village's own page instead lists it open daily 13:00–16:00 and closed on Tuesdays. Phone before going.From website
Afternoons are by appointment: urgent patients should phone first to discuss. Others please come by 11:00 on a following morning. No general outpatients on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons (home visits).
Same-day appointments by phone from 08:30. Closed Thursdays, Sundays, holidays, and the 1st and 3rd Saturdays; also closed for about a week around Obon in August and over New Year (dates vary by year).
Endoscopy and gynaecology are seen at the clinic attached to the health-check centre. Gynaecology sees patients on a Saturday or Sunday only one day a month.
General internal medicine, surgery and orthopedics, with a focus on gastroenterology, heart and lung, breast and health checks. Also treats anal conditions with outpatient surgery.
Also closed 1/1, 1/2, 1/3, 8/14, 8/15, 8/16, 12/31
Emergency
Emergency status not listed
Drive
1 minNormal conditions, no snow delay
Departments
Dentistry
Note
Dentistry and paediatric dentistry. The village's only dental option -- a cracked tooth from a face-first fall is otherwise an Iiyama trip.From website
The village's only dispensing pharmacy, and it is closed on Sundays and public holidays. The registry lists a separate out-of-hours dispensing line, which this page does not print because the number has not been confirmed with the pharmacy.
Gathered ahead of your trip as a planning aid — details change; verify locally on arrival.
Backcountry policy
Ducking the boundary ropes is banned outright. The only legitimate way out of the ski area is through one of two marked access gates at the top of the Yamabiko Four lift -- one on the left of the summit station above Yamabiko A course, one on the right above Yamabiko D -- and you are asked to close the gate behind you. An entry notification (nyuzan-todoke) should be filed with a patrol station or the ski area office before you go; the form is downloadable from the resort site.
As of 2026-08-13
Nearest emergency hospital
There is no emergency hospital in Nozawa Onsen village. The nearest is Iiyama Red Cross Hospital, about 20 km away in Iiyama City, which is the designated secondary-emergency (nijikyukyu) hospital for the area and takes emergency internal medicine, paediatric and surgical cases. It has orthopaedics and emergency medicine in the same building and 274 beds. A serious injury on the hill goes there by ambulance rather than by anything you arrange yourself.
As of 2026-08-13
Pharmacy
Kono Pharmacy in Toyosato is the village's only dispensing pharmacy. It runs 09:00-18:00 on weekdays and 09:00-17:30 on Saturday, and is closed on Sundays and public holidays -- so a prescription written on a Saturday afternoon may not be fillable in the village until Monday.
As of 2026-08-13
Show this to staff
Each line is in Japanese a receptionist can read, with its meaning underneath.
スキー中にけがをしました。
I was injured while skiing.
ここがとても痛いです。
It hurts a lot here.
診察を受けたいです。
I would like to see a doctor.
海外旅行保険に入っています。
I have travel insurance.
クレジットカードで払えますか？
Can I pay by credit card?
英語を話せる人はいますか？
Is there anyone who speaks English?
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
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 2026-07-21
Some 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 2026-07-21
Nothing 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.