Testosterone therapy · Shimbashi & Ginza
One minute from Shimbashi Station. A blood test checks your testosterone level and that treatment is safe before the first testosterone injection. All prices include tax and the consultation, and there is no obligation to take a course. Open until 21:00 on weekdays.
Testosterone replacement therapy at Shinbashi Ginza Swift Clinic starts with a ¥11,000 blood test. The first visit checks your testosterone level, PSA, blood count and liver function; the doctor decides whether treatment is suitable, and testosterone enanthate (Enarmon Depot) is injected into a muscle from your second visit. A 250mg injection is ¥6,600 and a 125mg injection ¥4,400, and a 3-month plan of six 250mg injections is ¥33,000. It is self-pay, so no insurance card is needed. The clinic is one minute from Shimbashi Station and one stop from Ginza on the Ginza Line.
| Item | What it includes | Price (incl. tax) |
|---|---|---|
| Testosterone blood test set (first visit) | Free and total testosterone, PSA, liver function, full blood count, plus the AMS symptom questionnaire | ¥11,000 |
| Testosterone injection 250mg | Enarmon Depot 250mg, one intramuscular injection | ¥6,600 |
| Testosterone injection 125mg | Enarmon Depot 125mg, one intramuscular injection | ¥4,400 |
| 3-month plan | Six 250mg injections (twice a month for three months), ¥5,500 each | ¥33,000 |
| Monitoring blood test | Every three months: blood count (for polycythaemia), PSA, liver function | ¥5,500 |
| To start treatment | Blood test set plus one 250mg injection | ¥17,600 |
All prices include consumption tax and the consultation; there is no separate follow-up fee. Testosterone therapy here is self-pay (自由診療): Japanese national health insurance does not apply. The 3-month plan works out at ¥5,500 an injection, ¥1,100 less than a single 250mg injection. Everyone starting treatment has the blood test first. Full price list: Prices.
In Japan, testosterone therapy can be covered by national health insurance when certain diagnostic conditions are met, and you then pay 10–30% of the cost.
This clinic is self-pay only. Insurance is not used, which means:
If you want insured treatment, ask a urology clinic that offers it.
Testosterone falls gradually with age. When the fall is large enough to cause physical or emotional symptoms, Japanese guidance calls it LOH syndrome (late-onset hypogonadism) — what is often called male menopause.
The Japanese Urological Association and the Japanese Society of Men's Health guideline treats men aged 40 and over with LOH symptoms as the people for whom testosterone therapy is considered.
| Area | Common symptoms |
|---|---|
| Sexual | Lower sex drive, fewer morning erections, erectile dysfunction |
| Physical | Tiredness, loss of strength, more fat around the waist, hot flushes and sweating |
| Mood | Lower motivation and concentration, irritability, low mood, poor sleep |
The same symptoms can come from depression, thyroid disease or simply not sleeping enough. We check both your symptoms (the AMS questionnaire) and your blood, and if low testosterone does not look like the cause, the doctor may suggest seeing another clinic instead.
Your first visit is the testosterone blood test set (¥11,000). It is not only to see whether treatment would suit you, but to check that it is safe to start.
| Test | What it tells us |
|---|---|
| Free and total testosterone | How much male hormone you have. The Japanese guideline uses total testosterone under 250ng/dL or free testosterone under 7.5pg/mL as a guide |
| PSA | The state of the prostate. Treatment cannot be given if there is prostate cancer, so this is always checked first |
| Full blood count | Your red blood cell level, used as the baseline to check it does not rise too far during treatment |
| Liver function | The liver, which can be affected by medication |
| AMS questionnaire | Your physical, emotional and sexual symptoms as a score, used again to compare before and after treatment |
The guideline treats the testosterone number as a guide rather than a strict condition: the decision centres on your symptoms. Even with a level above the guide figure, the doctor may consider treatment if the symptoms fit, and then watches changes and side effects more closely.
The medicine is testosterone enanthate (brand name Enarmon Depot), injected into a muscle. The guideline describes 125–250mg every two to four weeks. The clinic's 3-month plan is 250mg twice a month, six injections over three months.
The guideline cites reports of sexual symptoms improving within three months of starting, but how much changes differs from person to person, and some people do not improve. Every three months the doctor reviews your symptoms and blood results with you and decides whether to continue.
Testosterone therapy has side effects. To keep treatment safe, everyone on treatment has a monitoring blood test every three months (¥5,500).
| Side effect | What it is | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Polycythaemia | Too many red blood cells, making the blood thicker. More common with injections and in older men | Blood count every three months; the dose is reduced or treatment stopped if it rises too far |
| Lower sperm production | Common. The testes can also become smaller | Tell the doctor before starting if you want children |
| Prostate | There is no evidence treatment causes prostate cancer, but it can make an existing cancer worse | PSA before starting and every three months |
| Liver function | Liver values on blood tests can rise | Checked in the monitoring blood test |
| Skin and body | Acne, hair loss, pigmentation, higher sex drive, prolonged erections | Mention anything you notice at your next visit |
| Injection site | Pain and lumps | Injections are not given in the same spot twice in a row |
Sleep apnoea can also get worse. Experts disagree on the effect on the heart and blood vessels, and the guideline advises particular care in the first year of treatment. If you notice chest pain, breathlessness, or swelling or pain in the legs, call 03-5962-8738 straight away.
Erectile dysfunction is one of the symptoms of LOH syndrome. When low testosterone is behind it, ED medication alone may not be enough. The clinic also prescribes ED medication, so both can be discussed at the same consultation — see ED treatment.
Pattern hair loss involves DHT, a hormone made from testosterone, and hair loss is a reported side effect of testosterone therapy. If you are on hair loss treatment or worried about thinning, ask the doctor about taking both — see Hair loss treatment.
All treatment here is self-pay (自由診療), so Japanese national health insurance is not used. For someone not on the national system, that removes several obstacles:
What does not change is how the treatment works. The first visit is a blood test only; results come by LINE, and injections start at the second visit. After that, injections are given at the clinic every two to four weeks, with a blood test every three months, so this suits people living or working in Tokyo rather than a short trip.
If you are already on testosterone therapy in another country, bring the name and dose of what you use and your most recent blood results. We can also write down the active ingredient and dose in English for a doctor in your own country. We are not able to advise on customs rules for carrying medication between countries.
The clinic is on the 7th floor of the Marucho Building, one minute on foot from Shimbashi Station. From Ginza it is one stop on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, about two minutes, or roughly an eight-minute walk from Ginza 8-chome. Shiodome, Uchisaiwaicho, Toranomon and Hibiya are all within walking distance, which makes injections every two to four weeks easy to fit around work.
Weekdays run 14:00 to 21:00 and weekends and public holidays 10:00 to 18:00. Full directions are on the Access page.
You can be seen here without speaking Japanese. There is no English-speaking doctor: consultations are handled with a translation app and written notes, which works for describing symptoms and going through results, and is slower where you have a complicated history to explain. Treatment information, pricing and access details on these pages are in English. The booking system and the pre-visit questionnaire are in Japanese, and LINE enquiries are answered in Japanese or English.
Book online and come to the clinic, one minute from Shimbashi Station and one stop from Ginza on the Ginza Line. The first visit is a blood test (¥11,000) to check your testosterone level and whether it is safe to start. The doctor decides from the results, and injections start at your second visit.
At this clinic, the blood test set is ¥11,000, then a 250mg injection is ¥6,600 and a 125mg injection ¥4,400. If you continue, the 3-month plan (six 250mg injections) is ¥33,000, or ¥5,500 an injection, plus a ¥5,500 monitoring blood test every three months. All prices include tax and the consultation. Getting to your first injection costs about ¥17,600.
No — the first visit is the blood test only. Testosterone therapy cannot be given to anyone with prostate cancer, among other things, so PSA, blood count and liver function are checked first. Results are sent by LINE, and the doctor explains them at your second visit before the first injection.
Testosterone enanthate is usually injected into a muscle every two to four weeks. Every three months the doctor reviews your symptoms and blood results with you and decides whether to continue. How much changes differs from person to person; if there is no improvement, the doctor will suggest changing or stopping treatment.
No. The injections are given at the clinic, and the blood tests are done here too, so treatment only works if you can come to Shimbashi every two to four weeks. If you are moving away, the doctor can write down the medicine and dose in English for a doctor where you will be living.
Not here: this clinic is self-pay only, so the full amount is charged. Testosterone therapy can be covered by insurance in Japan when certain diagnostic conditions are met — for that, ask a urology clinic that offers insured care.
Testosterone therapy frequently reduces sperm production, so it may not be suitable if you want children. Tell the doctor before treatment starts.
Yes. Weekdays run until 21:00 (last first-visit admission 20:30) and weekends and public holidays 10:00 to 18:00. Ginza is one stop on the Ginza Line, about two minutes, and Shiodome, Uchisaiwaicho, Toranomon and Hibiya are all within walking distance.
Blood test ¥11,000, injections from ¥4,400. One minute from Shimbashi Station, one stop from Ginza. Weekdays until 21:00, weekends from 10:00.
