This page is general information from official sources. It is not medical advice, and it cannot tell you whether you need an ambulance or a doctor. If you are not sure, call the advice lines in section 1.2.
If someone in your family falls ill at night or on a Sunday, you need to decide fast where to go, often in a language you do not speak well. This guide covers Kumamoto City, Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town. It explains when to call an ambulance (119), the phone advice lines, the Kumamoto City Holiday and Night Emergency Center, and the holiday duty doctors. It uses pages from Kumamoto City, the Kumamoto City Fire Bureau (熊本市消防局), the medical associations and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA, 総務省消防庁).
In short
- If you judge it to be very urgent, call 119 and say “Kyukyu desu” (救急です, “medical emergency”). Then give the address (section 2).
- Not sure? Call #7119 if the patient is about 15 or older, or #8000 for a child (section 1.2).
- In Kumamoto City at night, go to the Holiday and Night Emergency Center. You walk in; there is no phone booking (section 3).
- On Sunday and holiday daytimes, use a holiday duty doctor. Kumamoto City and the Kikuchi district each publish a rota (sections 4 and 5).
- Bring your My Number health insurance card or eligibility certificate; without it, Kumamoto City says you pay the full cost.
Checked with official pages on October 6, 2026.
| Option | Use it when | When it works | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 119 | It is very urgent | 24 hours | Call. The operator may guide you through first aid |
| #7119 / #8000 | You are not sure what to do | #7119: 24 hours. #8000: nights, and all day on Sundays and holidays | Call. A nurse answers |
| Emergency Center | Kumamoto City, nights, Sundays and holidays | Adults until 23:00; children until 8:00 next day | Walk in with the patient |
| Duty doctors (city) | Kumamoto City, Sunday and holiday daytime | 9:00–17:00 | Check the rota on the day |
| Duty doctors (Kikuchi) | Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town, holidays | By rota; hours not listed | Check the rota on the day |
1. When should I call 119?
1.1 What does Kumamoto City say?
Kumamoto City
Kumamoto City says that if you judge a case to be very urgent, for example someone is unconscious, a seizure does not stop, or there is heavy bleeding, you should call an ambulance without hesitation.
The FDMA guide Making the Most of the Ambulance Service (English, PDF) lists more signs for adults and children. For a child, these include purple lips, weak breathing, and, for a baby under 3 months, any change from their usual state. A separate FDMA leaflet for visitors, Guide for Ambulance Services, is on the FDMA guide page in 16 languages.
1.2 What if I am not sure?
Kumamoto Prefecture
Kumamoto Prefecture runs two phone advice lines for people who live in or are staying in the prefecture. Nurses answer them. They give advice on what to do and first aid, and they can tell you about clinics open at night or on holidays.
- #7119 (Emergency Advice Center, 救急安心センター) is for people aged about 15 and over. It is open 24 hours, every day. If your phone cannot dial numbers that start with #, for example an IP phone, call 03-6456-3290.
- #8000 (Kumamoto Prefecture Children’s Medical Phone Line, 熊本県子ども医療電話相談) is for children under about 15. It is open on weekdays from 19:00, on Saturdays from 15:00, and on Sundays and holidays from 8:00, each time until 8:00 the next morning. If your phone cannot dial #, call 096-364-9999.
The advice is free, but you pay for the call. You can stay anonymous, but Kumamoto City asks #7119 callers to first give their age, sex and the city or town where they live. Kumamoto City’s pages do not say which languages the nurses speak.
2. How do I call an ambulance?
Kumamoto City
The steps below follow the FDMA guide. The Kumamoto City Fire Bureau gives the first three in the same order. If the case is serious, the ambulance leaves before all the questions are asked.
- Say that it is a medical emergency. The operator first asks “Fire or ambulance?” (火事ですか、救急ですか). Answer “Kyukyu desu” (救急です).
- Give the address, starting with the city. Say the ward, town, block number, building and room number. If you do not know the address, name a nearby building, intersection, bus stop or bridge.
- Say what happened. Say who is sick or hurt, what the symptoms are and how the person is now. The Fire Bureau says whether the person is conscious and breathing is the key information.
- Give the patient’s age. If you do not know it, give a rough age, such as “in his 60s”.
- Give your name and a phone number. The crew may call you if they cannot find the place.
While the ambulance is on its way, the operator may tell you what first aid to give. The Fire Bureau calls this oral instruction (口頭指導). Listen and follow it.
What to say
救急です。住所は熊本市＿＿区＿＿です。
Kyukyu desu. Jusho wa Kumamoto-shi ＿＿-ku ＿＿ desu.
It is a medical emergency. The address is ＿＿ Ward, Kumamoto City, ＿＿.
2.1 Calling from a mobile phone
A 119 call from Kumamoto City goes to the Fire Bureau’s command center. Because of the radio signal, a mobile call can sometimes reach a neighboring fire department, which passes the call on. The Fire Bureau also asks you to:
- use a landline if you have one, because it shows where you are calling from;
- stop the car in a safe place first if you are driving;
- keep your phone switched on after the call, because they may call you back.
2.2 Can I speak English?
The Kumamoto City Fire Bureau and the Kikuchi Regional Fire Department made a video, How to Call an Ambulance (for Foreigners), in 12 languages. The video’s description says it is there so that callers know an interpreter will help: keep the phone connected and answer the questions calmly. Across Japan, the FDMA says that on January 1, 2025, 673 of 720 fire departments used three-way phone interpretation, all with English, Chinese and Korean. In Kumamoto Prefecture, 7 of 12 fire departments had it; the FDMA list does not name them. The FDMA’s guide for visitors also says to ask people nearby who speak Japanese to help you call.
The English version of the video, from Kumamoto City’s official YouTube channel:
2.3 The operator may ask for a video
Since May 15, 2023, the Kumamoto City Fire Bureau has used Live119 (映像通報システム). If the operator decides it is needed, they may ask you to send live video from your smartphone during the call. You do not need an app or to register. You pay the data charges.
2.4 What should I have ready?
Official rule (Japan)
The FDMA guide says it helps to prepare these things when you call an ambulance:
- passport, health insurance card or patient registration card (診察券), cash and shoes;
- the medicine the patient takes now, and when they take it;
- for a young child: the Maternal and Child Health Handbook (母子健康手帳), diapers, a drinking bottle and a towel.
Tip
The FDMA says it is useful to keep a note of chronic illnesses, the patient’s usual clinic and their usual medicine. If other people are with you, send one of them to where the ambulance will arrive, so the crew can reach you sooner.
When the crew arrives, tell them how it happened, any changes since you called, and any first aid you gave. Kumamoto City’s ambulance crews carry an emergency communication board (救急コミュニケーションボード) with pictures of symptoms. The city made it for people with hearing difficulties, and it comes in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. You can see the boards on the city’s page (PDF).
3. Kumamoto City Holiday and Night Emergency Center (熊本市休日夜間急患センター)
Kumamoto City
The center is inside Kumamoto Regional Medical Center (熊本地域医療センター) in Chuo Ward. Doctors from the city’s clinics and hospitals take turns there. It gives first-line emergency care in internal medicine, surgery and pediatrics. As a rule you get medicine for one day only, and the center asks you to see your usual doctor or a nearby clinic the next day.
Reception for adults (internal medicine and surgery) is 18:00–22:00 on weekdays and Saturdays, and 8:00–22:00 on Sundays and holidays. Reception for children runs through the night, until 7:30 the next morning (until 8:00 after a Saturday night). Care itself runs until 23:00 for adults and until 8:00 the next morning for children.
3.1 Before you go
- Bring your My Number health insurance card (マイナ保険証) or eligibility certificate (資格確認書). Without it, Kumamoto City says you pay the full cost yourself.
- If the patient has a fever, the city asks you to phone a medical institution before you go.
- The center recommends filling in its application form (診療申込書, a PDF on its website) before you come.
- You cannot book by phone. Come within reception hours.
3.2 What happens on the day
- Go to reception with the patient. Staff cannot register someone who is not there, because a nurse first checks how urgent each case is.
- Wait for your turn. The most urgent patients are seen first, so someone who came later may go before you. When it is busy, staff may ask you to wait in your car, also while you wait for test results. Bring only one companion.
- Pay at the counter next to reception. Cash, credit cards and debit cards are accepted; smartphone and QR code payments are not.
The center does not issue medical certificates at night or on holidays, including forms for sick-child care or returning to school. It cannot answer phone questions about waiting times. If an evacuation order (level 4) is issued for the Shirakawa river area during a typhoon or heavy rain, care usually stops.
Note
Night and holiday care runs with limited staff. Kumamoto City asks you to see a doctor in normal hours when it can wait, and for regular check-ups. On Sunday and holiday daytimes, the city asks you to use a holiday duty doctor where you can (section 4).
3.3 Can I get help in English?
The center’s website is in Japanese, with machine translation into other languages. Neither the city nor the center says which languages staff can use at the center. Ask when you arrive, or use Navii (section 6) to look for a clinic by language.
A Kumamoto City video (in Japanese) about using night and holiday care properly:
The center asks you to come by car if you can; the hospital lists a lower parking rate for patients; show your parking ticket at reception to get it. By bus from Kumamoto Station, take a Kumamoto Toshi Bus (熊本都市バス) from stop 6 (the hospital says stops may move during work on the station square) and get off at Honjo-machi (本荘町); the hospital is right there. From Kumamoto Sakuramachi Bus Terminal, take a Kumamoto Bus (熊本バス) toward Minami-Kumamoto Station and get off at Honjo Nakadori (本荘中通り), a 1-minute walk.
Address: Kumamoto Regional Medical Center, 5-16-10 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto 860-0811 · Google Maps
Phone: 096-363-3311 (Kumamoto Regional Medical Center)
Official page (Japanese)
4. Kumamoto City: holiday duty doctors and other options
Kumamoto City
On Sundays and holidays from 9:00 to 17:00, clinics in Kumamoto City take turns as holiday duty doctors (休日当番医). Departments include internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, eye care, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, ear, nose and throat, and urology. A clinic may stop taking patients early when it is busy.
- Open the rota. The Kumamoto City Medical Association’s holiday duty doctor site (Japanese) lists the clinics on duty and how busy they are that day. Navii (section 6) also shows clinics on duty.
- Check the clinic before you go. The rota can change, and a clinic may not be able to see some symptoms or ages. Some clinics need a booking, including online booking.
- Or phone the city. The Kumamoto City Call Center (熊本市コールセンター, Higomaru Call) at 096-334-1500 can tell you the clinics on duty, every day from 8:00 to 20:00. It cannot give medical advice.
Some clinics may charge an extra fee called sentei ryoyohi (選定療養費). Bring your My Number health insurance card or eligibility certificate.
4.1 Other places in Kumamoto City
- Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Hospital (熊本赤十字病院) in Higashi Ward is listed by the city for Sundays and holidays from 18:00 to midnight, in pediatrics, internal medicine, surgery and orthopedics. Phone 096-384-2111.
- After 23:00, the city lists hospitals that see walk-in patients in internal medicine, surgery and related fields, such as orthopedics and neurosurgery, on its late-night page (Japanese). Always phone first to check they can see you. These are hospitals that take ambulances, so they may not see you while they treat an emergency. Late-night and holiday fees are added.
- Dentists on duty work on Sundays and holidays, 10:00–16:00 and 18:00–23:00. The rota is on the Kumamoto City Dental Association site. Phone the clinic before you go.
- Pharmacies on duty open on Sundays and holidays, 9:00–17:00; each has its own hours. The rota is on the Kumamoto City Pharmaceutical Association site.
5. Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town: holiday duty doctors
Kikuyo Town and Ozu Town
On holidays, clinics and hospitals across the Kikuchi district (菊池郡市) take turns to see people who suddenly fall ill. This is the holiday duty doctor system (休日在宅当番医). The Kikuchi District Medical Association (菊池郡市医師会) publishes the rota. Kikuyo Town links to it, and Ozu Town explains the same system, so people in both towns use the same list. The clinics are across the district, including Koshi City and Kikuchi City, so check the address.
- Open the rota. The Medical Association’s holiday duty doctor page (Japanese) lists the next few months by date. Each row gives the clinic name, main departments, address and phone number.
- Check again on the day. The rota can change. Ozu Town asks you to check the Medical Association’s website or its telephone service, 0968-25-3300, before you go. Ozu Town also lists a holiday doctor line run by the Kikuchi Regional Fire Department, 096-292-4299.
- Bring your insurance card. Ozu Town’s page (April 2024) says to bring your health insurance card. Old paper cards expired on December 1, 2025, so show your My Number health insurance card or eligibility certificate, as the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare asks.
The Medical Association says some duty clinics cannot answer the phone. The rota for December 29 to January 3 is posted separately, under the news (お知らせ) on its website. For dentists, Ozu Town points to the Kumamoto Dental Association (熊本県歯科医師会); for pharmacies, both towns point to the Kikuchi District Pharmaceutical Association (菊池郡市薬剤師会). The rota is in Japanese only, and the towns do not say which languages the clinics or phone lines can use.
6. How do I find a clinic that speaks my language?
Official rule (Japan)
Medical Information Net (Navii, 医療情報ネット) is the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s national search for hospitals and clinics. You can search for clinics open now or on duty at night and on holidays, and narrow the search by the foreign languages a facility can handle. It has English, Chinese and Korean pages, but they are machine translations. Its phone service for night and holiday clinics is in Japanese only.
For help with medical questions in your language during the day, see Where to get help in your language in Kumamoto.
Common questions
Can I call #7119 or #8000 from a phone that cannot dial #?
Yes. From a dial-type phone, an IP phone or a fiber-optic phone, call 03-6456-3290 for #7119 or 096-364-9999 for #8000.
Do I need to register or download an app for the video call?
No. The Kumamoto City Fire Bureau says Live119 needs no app and no registration. You pay the data charges.
My mobile call went to a different fire department. What happens?
The Fire Bureau says a mobile call can sometimes reach a neighboring fire department because of the radio signal. That department passes the call on to the fire department for your area.
Does the emergency center do PCR tests?
No. Kumamoto City says neither Kumamoto Regional Medical Center nor Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Hospital does PCR tests.
Can I ask the city call center whether I should see a doctor?
No. Higomaru Call (096-334-1500) can tell you which clinics are on duty, but it cannot give medical advice. For advice, call #7119 or #8000.
Next steps
Sources (checked October 6, 2026)
- Kumamoto City: when you get sick at night or on a holiday, Holiday and Night Emergency Center, holiday duty doctors, hospitals after 23:00, #7119, #8000
- Kumamoto City Fire Bureau: how to call 119, Live119, emergency communication board, videos, including How to Call an Ambulance in 12 languages
- Kumamoto Regional Medical Center: Holiday and Night Emergency Center, Kumamoto City Medical Association: holiday duty doctors
- Kikuchi District Medical Association: holiday duty doctors, Kikuyo Town: holiday duty doctors, Ozu Town: holiday duty doctors
- FDMA: Making the Most of the Ambulance Service (English, PDF, April 2024), Guide for Ambulance Services for visitors, three-way interpretation for 119 calls and status as of January 1, 2025 (PDF, Japanese)
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Medical Information Net (Navii), expiry of paper health insurance cards
