The short answer
Most of the people we see from overseas are here for a few days. A steady minority are not — they live here, study here, or have been posted here, and they come back.
That changes what is possible. Everything on this page is about the difference.
Who this page is for
- People living in Kyoto or nearby on a work posting, a visa, or indefinitely.
- Students and researchers on a year or two.
- People here on a long stay — a sabbatical, a working trip, a few months.
- Japanese nationals who grew up or lived abroad and would simply rather do this in English.
If you are visiting Kyoto for a few days, this is the page to read instead. Is one session worth it while you’re travelling?
What changes when you live here
Our full approach is called Re・Form, and it usually runs to six to ten sessions. For someone on a four-day trip that is not available, and we do not pretend otherwise. For someone living here, it is simply how the work is done.
The name is literal. Renovating a house at twenty years old, at forty and at seventy are three completely different jobs. A carpenter who has done it many times can walk through a building and say roughly what it will take. We try to do the same with a body, and to tell you at the start rather than one session at a time.
What that buys you is not more appointments. It is time — the thing that actually changes a body. Tissues renew at their own pace: fluid in a day or two, muscle over weeks, tendon and fascia over weeks to months, bone and cartilage over months. Living here means the sessions can be spaced to match that instead of squeezed into a week.
It also means we get to know your body across seasons, work changes, and whatever else a life here throws at it.
Insurance, receipts and paperwork
Straight answers, because this is where people usually get stuck.
- Japanese national health insurance does not cover osteopathy. OQ is private-pay. Nobody is going to reimburse you through the Japanese system, and we would rather you know that before you arrive than at the counter.
- A simple receipt is free, and we issue one for every session on request.
- A detailed written account of the session — the kind some overseas or private insurers ask for when you claim — costs ¥8,800, because it takes real time to write properly.
- Tell us at the time of booking if you will need the detailed version. It is easier to write while the session is fresh.
Booking without a phone call
You never have to call us.
WhatsApp is how most of our international patients book, reschedule and ask questions. Message us and a person answers — usually the person you will actually see.
Online booking is available in English if you prefer to pick a slot yourself.
For a first visit, we will send you a short pre-visit form at o-q.jp/intake/. Fill it in if you can and copy-paste your answers back to us; no problem at all if it is easier to do when you arrive.
Clothes to change into are provided here — come as you are.
Family
Living here usually means the whole household eventually needs someone.
Children and babies — Yusuke works with paediatric cases, including newborns.
Pregnancy and after birth — Yusuke only, and we will ask about your stage and anything your doctor or midwife has said before we book you in.
Parents do come with a child in the room. It is normal here and nobody minds.
Fees
| First visit (weekday, 60 min) | ¥14,300 |
| Follow-up (40 min / 60 min) | ¥11,000 / ¥16,500 |
| Sunday or national holiday | ¥18,000 |
| With Sota (weekday, 60 min, first visit or follow-up) | ¥11,000 |
| Saturday with Sota (any length) | ¥15,000 |
| Detailed written account for an insurance claim | ¥8,800 |
Cash or card on the day. All major cards.
Who you’ll see
Yusuke Sakata — osteopath, BSc(Ost), Swansea University. Practising in Kyoto since 2007. Paediatrics, pregnancy and after birth, systemic and post-surgical work. Sessions entirely in English. Ground floor, through the wide glass doors in the middle of the building.
Sota Omura — Japanese-licensed physiotherapist (MSc). Lower limb, gait, insoles and stroke rehabilitation. His English is basic and he uses a translation app beyond that; international patients have consistently rated his sessions highly anyway. If you would rather have no language barrier at all, choose Yusuke. The narrow wooden door on the left, up to the second floor.
FAQ
Can I use my Japanese health insurance here?
No. Osteopathy is not covered by the Japanese national system, and OQ is private-pay.
Can you give me paperwork for an insurance claim?
Yes. A simple receipt is free. A detailed written account of the session, which is what most insurers want, is ¥8,800. Ask when you book.
Do I have to call to make an appointment?
No. WhatsApp or online booking, both in English.
How often would I come?
Our full approach usually runs to six to ten sessions, spaced rather than stacked. We will give you an estimate after the first visit, not before.
Can I bring my child to my own session?
Yes. It happens regularly and it is not a problem.
I’m not a native English speaker either. Is that a problem?
No. Many of our international patients are not, and neither are we. Tell us when you message which language you are most comfortable in — it helps us plan the session, and it is worth saying even if your written English is fine.
Kyoto Osteopathy Center OQ — the original osteopathy clinic in Kyoto, established February 2007.
466 Shichikencho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8366 — 2 minutes’ walk from Hankyu Omiya Station.
Tel 075-822-3003 / Reception 9:00–22:30 (last booking 21:30)