massage therapy

Is there any massage therapist places in Japan, such as in Kobe or Osaka? I am not talking about a "naughty" massage but a massage used for medical purposes, that a chiropractor care would recommend, such as for past body injuries or muscle displacement/tensions.

Yup, it's called sekkotsuin (接骨院) in Japanese. Just copy+paste that into google maps and a number should pop up. I can't recommend a specific one in the area, but there should be plenty to choose from.

When I visit for back and shoulder pain, the usual routine is ~10 minutes on a water massage bed, ~10 minutes of electricity therapy, and then 6-10 minutes of actual massage and stretching by the doctor. However I've only ever been to one clinic, so I can't say whether this is standard practice or just that one clinic's style.

My local clinic also has acupuncture and a few other treatments, although I've never tried them.

As said by scarreddragon, it is called sekkotsuin. The training course is for two years, I think.

The sekkotsuin I went to (in Tokyo -- he spoke English) did acupuncture, acupressure (shiatsu), and moxibustion as a combination. (Only if you want it.) Some (many?) sekkotsuin take national insurance.

There's another group of massage type people called 整体 (seitai), but as I understand it, they take a course for two days. I think their massage might feel nice, but it won't do much for underlying issues.

Thanks scarreddragon and MN, for the details of the method choices and time, that's very helpful. Appreciate it. And thanks MN for the info about seitai I'll avoid that one and look for sekkotsuin (接骨院).

any idea, how much it cost for this service?

With or without national healthcare? With, the first time in a month is a little more expensive, around 500 yen for my clinic, then drops to around 300 with subsequent visits. Without, may depend, but for my clinic around 1500-2000. Could depend a lot or a little on the place, but not sure as I've only ever gone to the one.