Companion · Interpreting
Someone who speaks your language, from the hotel door to the consultation room and back
Most hospitals in Japan work in Japanese, with some English at the reception desk. Our companion staff go with you: they check you in, read the forms with you, interpret what the doctor and nurses say during the appointment, and sort out the pharmacy afterwards. They are travel companions with language skills, not medical professionals; they do not advise, decide or sign for you.
Languages
Vietnamese, Korean, English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese. Tell us your language when you send the request; if we cannot cover it for your dates, we say so rather than send someone who cannot.
Before the appointment
- Confirm the appointment time, department and what to bring (passport, referral letter, insurance documents) the day before.
- Arrange the car for the morning with a margin for traffic and fasting instructions.
- Explain the hospital's usual flow: reception, number ticket, waiting area, payment counter, pharmacy.
During the appointment
- Check-in at reception and help completing forms about your name, address and contact details.
- Sit with you in the waiting area and go into the consultation room when the hospital allows it.
- Interpret what the doctor says and the questions you want to ask, as faithfully as possible, without adding or leaving out.
- Handle the payment counter and the pharmacy counter with you at the end.
After the appointment
- Note the next appointment date and time and pass it to our driver schedule.
- Read the pharmacy leaflet with you: how many times a day, before or after meals.
- Help with everyday needs on the same day: a soft-food restaurant, a convenience store, a rest at the hotel.
What companion staff do not do
- Give medical advice or opinions, or choose between options the doctor offers.
- Sign consent forms or any document on your behalf.
- Hold or handle your medical records; documents go from you to the hospital.
- Replace a certified medical interpreter when the hospital requires one; in that case the hospital or medical coordinator arranges it and we work alongside.
How it is quoted
By half day or full day, based on the appointment schedule you send us. Waiting time inside the hospital counts, because the companion is there for you the whole time. The quote arrives with your travel plan; there is no price list on this page because every hospital day is different.
Who asks for this
- Guests travelling alone for a check-up or treatment.
- Families where the patient speaks no Japanese or English.
- Older parents accompanied by children who cannot take the whole trip off work.
- Guests who want a second person listening in the consultation room.
Sample itinerary (10-day example)
The length of stay adjusts to the programme you have chosen with the facility; this is only a frame to picture the trip.
Day 1
Arrival
A private car meets you in the arrivals hall and takes you straight to the hotel. The companion meets you there, walks through tomorrow's schedule, confirms the pickup time and any fasting the facility has asked for. Evening to rest.
Day 2
Examination day
The car and companion take you to the facility for the check-in time. The companion handles the paperwork, stays in the waiting area and interprets during the appointment. Afterwards the car returns you to the hotel or to lunch; the afternoon is usually free.
Day 3
Results and consultation
The meeting with the doctor to hear the results and talk them through; the companion interprets and keeps note of the questions you want to ask. If the facility schedules a further visit, we rearrange the car and hotel the same day. What is said in the consultation stays between you and the doctor.
Request companion staff
OlaChill coordinates the travel side of your medical trip: we take your purpose and dates, connect you to a suitable facility through its international patient desk, help confirm the appointment, and handle transport, stay, companion staff and paperwork. We do not give medical advice, choose treatments or promise outcomes; medical decisions and medical fees are between you and the medical institution. The identity guarantee for a Medical Stay Visa goes through an organisation registered under Japanese rules; we prepare and follow the file.
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