Search for a clinic open late at night in Japan and the results can be misleading. Many of the places still lit at 22:00 cannot help with a fever or a sprain, because they are doing something else entirely.
Counting by department, 1,307 hospitals and clinics nationwide run past 22:00 on weekdays. Of those, 468 are open for dialysis — 人工透析内科 — which is over a third of the total.
Dialysis is built around evenings
A dialysis session takes around four hours and has to happen three times a week. For patients who work, that only fits in the evening, so units schedule late shifts. 577 run past 20:00 and 468 past 22:00.
And almost never on Sundays
Only 13 facilities nationwide run dialysis on a Sunday. Sessions are scheduled on alternating days — Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday — so three sessions a week fit without touching Sunday. Public holidays are different again, at 513, because many units treat holidays as ordinary weekdays.
| Condition | Facilities with dialysis open |
|---|---|
| Late (past 20:00, weekdays) | 577 |
| Past 22:00, weekdays | 468 |
| Public holidays | 513 |
| Early (from 08:00 or earlier) | 261 |
| Sunday | 13 |
The shape of this table is the inverse of most other departments.
Reading late-night results properly
- Open late does not mean accepting walk-in patients for any condition. Dialysis units, health-screening centres and cosmetic clinics all appear.
- On the search pages here you can filter by department as well as by hours. If you need general medicine, select 内科 (internal medicine).
- If you are unwell and unsure where to go, call #7119 — an English line is available in some prefectures — or #8000 for a child.
Find facilities near you
Browse by prefecture and filter for late-night dialysis.
Frequently asked questions
- Why are so many Japanese clinics open late doing dialysis?
- A dialysis session takes around four hours and has to happen three times a week. For patients who work, that only fits in the evening, so units schedule late shifts. Of the 1,307 facilities open past 22:00, 468 are open for dialysis.
- Does a clinic being open late mean I can walk in?
- No. Open late does not mean accepting walk-in patients for any condition. Dialysis units, health-check centres and cosmetic clinics make up much of the late-night listing. Filter by department as well as by hours.
- Can I get dialysis on a Sunday in Japan?
- Rarely. Only 13 facilities nationwide run dialysis on a Sunday. Sessions are scheduled on alternating days — Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday — so three sessions a week fit without using Sunday.