First Visit to OQ | English Osteopathy in Kyoto

Your first visit to OQ — what to expect

If you’ve never been to an osteopath before — or you’ve seen osteopaths back home and want to know how OQ works — this page is for you.

OQ is a small osteopathy clinic in central Kyoto, run by two osteopaths. Yusuke Sakata (1st floor) holds a BSc in Osteopathy and works primarily with women’s health, children, pregnancy, postnatal care, and whole-body concerns. Sota Omura (2nd floor) specialises in stroke rehabilitation, lower limb issues, gait analysis, and low back pain.

We see patients of all ages — from newborns to elderly — and we welcome visitors passing through Kyoto as well as people living in Japan long-term.

Is osteopathy the same as massage or chiropractic?

Not quite. Osteopathy is a manual therapy that looks at the whole body — how your structure, nervous system, and internal environment interact — rather than treating the symptom in isolation.

Where a massage focuses on relaxing muscles, and chiropractic focuses primarily on spinal alignment, osteopathy asks: why is this pattern here, and what does the whole body need to find its own balance?

The approach is gentle and specific. Most people are surprised by how subtle the work feels — and how much can shift.

→ What is osteopathy? (English)

What happens at your first session

1. We listen first (about 15 minutes)

Before any hands-on work, we take time to understand why you’re here. Current symptoms, history, lifestyle, any medications or diagnoses — all of it matters. This isn’t small talk. Understanding your whole picture is how we decide where to work.

2. A whole-body assessment

We look at your posture, movement, and how different parts of the body are relating to each other. Where is the load concentrated? What is restricted? What is compensating for what?

3. Hands-on treatment

Treatment is calm and precise. We use a range of techniques — soft tissue, articulation, cranial, visceral — depending on what your body needs. We don’t force. We listen through our hands and respond to what we find.

4. After the session

We’ll talk through what we found and what we’d suggest next. For visitors in Kyoto for just a few days, one session can still make a real difference — and we’ll give you clear guidance on what to do after you leave. For those living in Japan, we’ll discuss an appropriate plan together.

What we work with

These are some of the reasons people come to OQ:

Not sure who to see? Book with Yusuke — he’ll let you know if Sota’s approach would suit you better.

Practical information

Address	466 Shichikenmachi, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8366
Nearest station	Hankyu Omiya Station — 2 min walk
Hours	9:00–22:30 (last booking 21:30) / By appointment only
Closed	Sakata: Sundays & public holidays / Omura: Saturdays
Phone	075-822-3003
Booking	Online booking strongly recommended

Frequently asked questions

Q. Do I need to speak Japanese?

No. Yusuke Sakata is fully fluent in English and conducts sessions in English without difficulty. You do not need to prepare anything in Japanese.

Q. I’m only in Kyoto for a few days. Is it worth coming for just one session?

Yes. One session can address acute tension, jet lag, travel fatigue, or a specific symptom that’s been bothering you. We’ll make the most of the time we have and give you clear guidance for after you leave. Many visitors find a single session genuinely shifts something they’ve been carrying for a while.

Q. I’m living in Japan long-term. How does ongoing care work?

We’ll talk through a realistic plan together after your first session. OQ uses a structured care approach — an initial phase to address the presenting issue, followed (if appropriate) by a longer-term maintenance rhythm. There’s no pressure to commit to anything upfront. We’ll see how your body responds first.

More in English

• OQ — English top page
• Director’s credentials & training history
• Evolutionary medicine series (English)
• 初めての方へ（日本語版）