I thought I would share my experience doing an STD check by mail, in case anyone else finds it difficult to get tested during the pandemic. There was a dedicated clinic in Shimokitazawa, but it has closed. There is a dedicated clinic in Yushima, near Ueno, but it was hard for me to get there during their business hours, which are only in the evening. I didn't want to go to a more general clinic, where people might be going with COVID-19 symptoms.
So I got this test on Amazon:
The instructions are all in Japanese. There are some illustrations on what to do, but you will need to read at least some Japanese to do this. It tests for 6 different STDs: HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, etc.
You basically need to do 4 things. This is for the men's test. The women's test is obviously a bit different.
1. Fill in the form. This includes an "application number" and a space for a 4 to 6 digit pass code you fill in. Be sure to remember these. If you include your mailing address, you will get results in the mail. If you don't you can check them online.
2. There is a fold-out cup you pee into. Then you use a little 10ml bottle to suck up some of your pee. Put this in a zip bag, and write the "application number" on a label, and stick it on, then into another bag.
3. You need to draw blood. After washing your hands and sterilizing your finger tip with the included alcohol wipe, you use a little white plastic device that you push down, plunging a needle into your finger. It didn't hurt much. It is recommended to do it a little on the side, not right in the middle of your fingerprint. You squeeze your forearm downward, then squeeze your finger to get a drop of blood on the end. Press this onto a card, filling up three of the four circles, that are about the size of a one-yen coin. Let this dry, put it in a zip bag, label with the application number. There is a bandage included to put on your finger.
4. There is a swab to take a sample from your penis. Rub it along the ridge between the head and the shaft, being careful not to touch the end of the swab with your hands. This goes back into the vial and then gets labeled.
Then you put your samples in the included envelope, and drop it in the post. Did you know you could send pee through the Japanese post office? The lab is in Gunma. There is a QR code included in the kit that takes you to the site where you check your results, but the URL is not especially long. You need to put in the application number that came with the kit and the pass code you filled in. Two days after I sent off the kit, my page showed as "processing". Later that day, the results were up. In my case, they were all negative. If some had been positive, I would have had to gone to a clinic that probably would have insisted on doing their own test. But at least I was able to get tested without sitting in a waiting room with possible COVID patients.
So I got this test on Amazon:
The instructions are all in Japanese. There are some illustrations on what to do, but you will need to read at least some Japanese to do this. It tests for 6 different STDs: HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, etc.
You basically need to do 4 things. This is for the men's test. The women's test is obviously a bit different.
1. Fill in the form. This includes an "application number" and a space for a 4 to 6 digit pass code you fill in. Be sure to remember these. If you include your mailing address, you will get results in the mail. If you don't you can check them online.
2. There is a fold-out cup you pee into. Then you use a little 10ml bottle to suck up some of your pee. Put this in a zip bag, and write the "application number" on a label, and stick it on, then into another bag.
3. You need to draw blood. After washing your hands and sterilizing your finger tip with the included alcohol wipe, you use a little white plastic device that you push down, plunging a needle into your finger. It didn't hurt much. It is recommended to do it a little on the side, not right in the middle of your fingerprint. You squeeze your forearm downward, then squeeze your finger to get a drop of blood on the end. Press this onto a card, filling up three of the four circles, that are about the size of a one-yen coin. Let this dry, put it in a zip bag, label with the application number. There is a bandage included to put on your finger.
4. There is a swab to take a sample from your penis. Rub it along the ridge between the head and the shaft, being careful not to touch the end of the swab with your hands. This goes back into the vial and then gets labeled.
Then you put your samples in the included envelope, and drop it in the post. Did you know you could send pee through the Japanese post office? The lab is in Gunma. There is a QR code included in the kit that takes you to the site where you check your results, but the URL is not especially long. You need to put in the application number that came with the kit and the pass code you filled in. Two days after I sent off the kit, my page showed as "processing". Later that day, the results were up. In my case, they were all negative. If some had been positive, I would have had to gone to a clinic that probably would have insisted on doing their own test. But at least I was able to get tested without sitting in a waiting room with possible COVID patients.
