Getting birth control in Japan

I'm living in Japan for a few months, and I didn't go on BC before I left. Long story short, I want to go on it and I was wondering how difficult it is to acquire. Would I just go to a ladies' clinic, get an examination and get the pills? Or is it more complicated than that?

There is nothing complicated - you go to a ladies clinic, get an examination, and get the pills there :)

in theory it should not be complicated but there are a few buts...the pill used for the purpose of contraception has only been available for 10 years in japan - a relatively short time. and only 3% of women use the pill for contraceptive purposes. this means doctors may not be especially knowledgable or sympathetic - your experience may vary depending on the doctor. Also the pill for contraception puposes is not covered by insurance - it will be relatively expensive. finally an examination shoulld not be necessary but the usual questions about family history and high blood pressure will be.

i mentioned "for contraceptive purposes" a numbr of times. if you require the pill for period pain etc then my answers would be slightly different.