Kirk here with an inquiry we received: “Does anyone know of a podiatrist in Kumamoto City?”
Well, I didn’t expect to be able to recommend a “podiatrist” (foot doctor) because, generally speaking, “podiatry” isn’t a big thing in Japan. I’ll comment below on why I think podiatry is a thing in English speaking countries but not in Japan but first let me introduce the website I found.
I searched for “熊本” (Kumamoto) and “足病医” (sokubyoui), a word that is not used very much in Japanese but is sometimes given as the translation for “podiatrist” or “foot doctor.” This site looks good (and the hospital, Hotakubo Seikeigeka, is not far from my home) but I don’t know anything about it.
My impression is that, generally speaking, Japanese people with foot problems go to a 整形外科 (seikeigeka; orthopedic ward) in a big hospital. I think such doctors are familiar with the sorts of problems that a podiatrist deals with. However, I’ve been told that orthopedic surgeons tend to specialize in particular joints or parts of the body. So, levels of familiarity and skill in dealing with foot problems must differ from doctor to doctor.
Now, I’l like to address the cultural background behind the relative lack of “podiatry,” at least as a popularly recognize area of medical practice, in Japan. If you’d like to check to see what I’m talking about, ask a Japanese friend if they know of or have been to a 足病医 (sokubyoui; podiatrist/foot doctor). I doubt that you’ll get many positive responses. My theory about why this is the case is that the Japanese language doesn’t distinguish clearly between “leg” and “foot.” “Arm” and “hand” are distinguished between as “ude” and “te” but “leg” and “foot” both come out as “ashi”. So, whereas it’s very easy to explain “podiatrist” with the phrase “foot doctor” in English, it’s a bit harder to describe that part of the body in Japanese clearly and concisely.
My little theory comes under the heading of linguistic relativity or the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis. The idea, according to the Wikipedia page on the topic, is that “the structure of a language affects its speakers’ worldview or cognition.”
Back to the original question: Where to go for medical help with your feet. I’ve gotten good help in the past at the Shintoshin Hospital (used to be NTT) near Kumamoto Gakuen University. If others of you can recommend a good foot specialist, please write a note in the comments. Otherwise, the hospital I link to below might be worth checking out.
