Japan trip day 12: Kyoto (July 27th, 2009)

(Monday)

We had a private visit of the Kamigamo shrine in the morning. It was arranged by the hotel. We got a detailed schedule, including arriving at the lobby at 7:10am, getting the taxi at 7:15am, meeting the priest at 7:50am, and starting the ceremony at 8:00am. When we arrived at the lobby the person took us to the waiting taxis. Everything occurred on schedule or slightly ahead of schedule.

The priest met us when we left the taxi. We were the only guests at the morning ceremony. The priest spoke very good English. He wrote down our names, then gave us white ribbons to place around our necks. He wrote something in Japanese on these ribbons. After that we washed our hands for purification. Dorit also washed her mouth, since she was the only one who mentioned it to the priest. We walked to the main shrine and watched the morning ceremony. The main part of the ceremony is the presentation of food to the deity in the main and backup locations, and then the removal of the food.

The priest explained the history of the deity which is enshrined there, the history of the shrine, and the festivals that are associated with the deity. Interestingly, the shrine undergoes renovation every 21 years. The shrine collects donations between the renovations to finance the next renovation. They have to completely replace the roof of the shrine, which is made of hollyhock.

We took the bus back to the hotel. Since Rena complained that she is bleeding when she urinates and a lot of discomfort, Dorit wanted to take Rena to a pediatrician. We went to the concierge desk and asked for their help. The concierge staff, Mr. Kawabata and Ms. Yamamoto, recommended that we see a pediatrician at the Kyoto First Red Cross Hospital. They spoke to a nurse at the hospital and then arranged for us to speak with the pediatrician before we even left the hotel. They also signed us up in the hospital and arranged a taxi to take us to the hospital. In addition, Mr. Kawabata explained the situation to the taxi driver, who in turn explained it to the reception person at the hospital. We did not expect the taxi driver talk to the person at the hospital.

The person at the entrance to the hospital spoke some English. He explained that we have to obtain a patient card for Rena before she gets any treatment. He spoke to the clerks everywhere and ensured that we did not wait in any line. He then brought us to the waiting room of the pediatric department and spoke to the nurse. The nurse apologized that we have to wait about an hour, because Monday is the busiest day of the week. We sat on the bench among many other mothers and sick children. After about 80 minutes we entered the pediatrician's office. He spoke better English. He said that it is rare to have bleeding from the vagina, but it is more likely to be the result of a bladder infection. He used a portable ultrasound device to look at Rena's bladder. He then wanted to send a sample of Rena's urine to the laboratory. It took Rena some time until she was able to urinate. We gave the sample to the nurse, who took it to the lab. In the meanwhile we bought soft drinks and snacks at a counter close to the waiting room. The results came back from the lab after about an hour, and we spoke to the pediatrician again. He said that the results do not show any active infection, so he believed that the infection was already abating. He gave Rena a prescription for antibiotic powder and a pain medicine, also in powder.

The nurse showed us the way to the front office, where I paid for the doctor visit. The person who helped us enter the hospital now took us to the nearest pharmacy, where they filled the prescription. When I asked them for Glucose tablets, they could not answer in English. After some discussion in Japanese they gave me about 20 packets of Glucose tablets free of charge.

The cost of the doctor visit and the medicine where amazingly low considering that we did not have any Japanese health insurance. We paid ¥7,450 (about $75) for the doctor visit and the lab, and we paid ¥5,250 (about $52) for the medicines. I suppose that national health care can be cost-effective and high quality as shown in this example. You just have to wait in large waiting rooms with many other patients.

Dorit and I were very impressed by the willingness of the Japanese we encountered during this ordeal to help us. Every person who helped us along the way handed us over to the next person and ensured that we were not stranded along the way. This was a chain which started with the concierge staff, the taxi driver, the person at the entrance to the hospital, the pediatrician's nurse, and the person at the entrance to the hospital again. They really help tourists.

After we returned to the USA I wrote a letter to the general manager of the Granvia Hotel and commended the concierge staff.