RAKUWAKAI HEALTHCARE SYSTEM was founded in 1950 with the opening of the Yano Clinic in Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City, which provided medical care and house calls. In the more than 70 years since then, the company has expanded to operate approximately 170 locations, including medical departments, nursing care departments, health check centers, and childcare facilities, and has built a comprehensive network of "medical care," "nursing care," "health and childcare," and "education and research" covering Kyoto, Shiga, and Tokyo. While continuing to grow to meet the needs of the times, the company is also focusing on providing advanced, state-of-the-art medical care. Among them, Rakwakai Otowa Hospital, located in Yamashina-ku, Kyoto City, is a hospital promoting cancer treatment in Kyoto Prefecture, providing services from early detection to treatment and palliative care. As a tertiary emergency medical institution that provides advanced emergency medical care, the hospital also makes a significant contribution to local healthcare. In addition, the hospital has been providing health checkups since its opening in 1982, and continues to communicate the importance of early detection and preventive medicine.

The "Rakwakai Healthcare System" values its ties with local residents and holds a variety of events at each of its hospitals and offices. One of the most significant events is the "Medical Festival" held every October. As an annual festival of appreciation, the company prepares events in which both children and adults in the community can participate. For example, at Rakwakai Toji Minami Hospital in Kyoto City's Minami Ward, there are booths where visitors can experience a physical checkup, and a kids' corner where they can scoop candy and toys. In addition, since the hospital is reinforcing its dialysis function, it used a dialysis machine to demonstrate an experiment in which coffee milk was used as blood. Filtered coffee milk was separated into caramel coloring and milk components, recreating the removal of waste from the blood by dialysis. It was an opportunity to show the role of the kidney in an easy-to-understand way for both adults and children.

By actively connecting with the community, each facility of Rakwakai has become a place where local people can feel familiar and secure even before they become ill or need nursing care.

It is said that one in nine Japanese women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. However, the stress of pain and embarrassment of breast checkups keep some women away from regular checkups. The "Doebs Search," available only in Kyoto Prefecture at the Rakwakai Kyoto Health Screening Center (Marutamachi Hospital), is attracting attention as a new type of breast cancer screening that does not cause embarrassment or pain from being exposed to the breast, since the breast is placed in a hole while wearing clothes and imaging is done without compression. It can detect cancers on the side of the chest wall, which was not possible with similar forms of testing, and since it can image without being affected by the mammary gland, it has demonstrated a positive predictive value about 3.5 times higher than mammography testing (national average in 2018). There is no radiation exposure, and screening can be performed after surgery and during the lactation period.

Returned items can also be given as gifts to others. Last year, one person gave a painless breast cancer screening as a gift to his wife and daughter, and it is a great way to show your appreciation to your loved ones.

If you only want to take the test, please check out the campaign for a discounted "Doebs Search" if you follow the Rakuwakai Kyoto Health Checkup Center's Instagram.

Flow of medical examination 

Place of examination：Rakwakai Kyoto Health Checkup Center (Marutamachi Hospital)

• If you have any concerns about your chest, fill out the medical questionnaire.
• MRI is performed while the patient is lying face down on the table. Time required is about 20 minutes.
• Judgment / Judgment by the reader based on the images taken. The report is written in easy-to-understand sentences, not in technical terms.
• The physician in charge checks the test results/appropriate content, and the test results are delivered to the examinee approximately two weeks later.

Included with the inspection is a pair of dining coupons for two at Hyotei, which has been awarded three Michelin stars for the past 14 years. ［Hyotei is a long-established ryotei (Japanese-style restaurant) that has maintained its reputation for more than 450 years, since its origins as a teahouse in front of Nanzenji Temple for visitors to the temple. In addition to the main building along the road leading from Nanzenji Temple, there are five other buildings on the large site: Tansen-tei, Kuzuya, Shinseki, and Hiroma. The restaurant is built on the road leading to Nanzen-ji Temple, and has five buildings: Kuzu-tei, Shinseki, Shinseki, and Koroma. The restaurant's seasonal morning rice gruel, including Hyotei Tamago (Hyotei egg), which has been passed down from generation to generation, is a well-loved specialty of the restaurant. The pair meal ticket allows you to enjoy kaiseki cuisine in the main building, which still retains the atmosphere of the time when the restaurant was founded.

*This year's Osechi plan has ended for a limited time. (December 20, 2023)

［Among the hometown tax payments registered by Rakuwakai Kyoto Health Checkup Center, a set (795,000 yen) of "Executive Cancer Screening" and Osechi cuisine from the long-established Kyoto-style restaurant Mangokoro is available for a limited time only. The "Executive Cancer Screening" includes a PET-CT scan and CT scan at the same time, as well as about 30 tests useful for the early detection of non-cancer diseases such as lifestyle-related diseases. It is recommended for people with a family history of cancer, smokers, and those who only receive regular checkups, as it can detect the presence of cancer in almost the entire body at once in a 3-hour examination.

The Osechi dishes included in the set are from Mankenro, a long-established ryotei (Japanese-style restaurant) with a history of about 300 years in Nishijin, Kyoto. Mangenro" has inherited the elegant style of yushoku ryori that was served at festivals held by the imperial court, and is now in its 10th generation. The cuisine, based on traditional techniques but prepared in a modern style, is elegant and the very essence of Japanese cuisine. The restaurant uses seasonal ingredients and Kyoto vegetables in abundance. Why not welcome the New Year with an Osechi meal from Mangokuro, where you can enjoy the traditional taste of Kyoto woven by such a historic ryotei restaurant?

［In October 2021, RAKUWAKAI Kyoto Health Checkup Center registered a physical examination service as a return gift for taxpayers in their hometown. Behind this decision was the desire to give back to the city of Kyoto and to contribute to its development. The "Rakwakai Healthcare System" has continued to play a part in the development of the city by supporting local people from the aspect of healthcare. That is why they have come to the conclusion that they would like to be of service by paying tax to a hometown that can bring vitality to the city.

The aftercare is one of the key factors to consider when choosing a physical examination. RAKUWAKAI HEALTHCARE SYSTEM" provides treatment for a wide range of cancers, which is reassuring in the event of an emergency. If you are outside of Kyoto City and wish to donate, why not treat yourself to a visit to Kyoto as you can also come and see the sights of the city. Don't miss this opportunity to support Kyoto City while dealing with your health and enjoying the taste of Kyoto's long-established restaurants!

Click here for details of Kyoto City Furusato Tax Payment Plan
https://rhs.rakuwa.or.jp/kenshin/otowa/hurusato.php