For International Patients
Travelling for surgery means committing to a plan you cannot easily change once you have landed. So we do the deciding first. Your candidacy, your surgical plan and your full quotation are settled by online consultation, from your own country, before you book anything.
This page sets out what that process looks like, what it costs, how long you will need to be in Japan, and what can go wrong. It is written to be read before you enquire, not after.
The Process
Length of Stay
This applies to every procedure we perform, not only the larger ones. It is the single figure most worth knowing before you start planning, because it determines your leave from work far more than the operation itself does.
Those two weeks are not a buffer. They are working days: early recovery, wound and compression management, and at least one in-person follow-up before you are cleared to fly. Long-haul flight too soon after surgery carries real risk, particularly of venous thromboembolism, and clearance to travel is a clinical judgement made at the time — not a date agreed in advance.
Your arrival date before surgery is set separately, in your written plan, to allow for the in-person examination and blood tests. Your total trip is therefore those pre-operative days plus at least two weeks.
Book a flexible return ticket. Two weeks is a minimum, not a maximum, and it can be extended if your recovery calls for it. Patients who book a fixed cheap fare and then need to change it invariably pay more than the flexibility would have cost.
For rib remodeling in particular, this two-week period also covers early fixation management, which is as much a part of the result as the operation. The full article on RIBXCAR explains why.
Fees
All figures are in Japanese yen and include Japanese consumption tax. Please convert at the current rate — we do not quote in other currencies, because an exchange rate printed on a web page is out of date the day after it is written.
These are surgical fees only. Anaesthesia, blood tests and the standard post-operative set are listed separately below and are additional. Flights, accommodation and living costs in Japan are not included, and are not subsidised for patients travelling from outside Japan.
| Procedure | Fee (JPY, incl. tax) |
|---|---|
| RIBXCAR — rib remodeling | ¥2,200,000 |
| FRONTXRIB — anterior rib contouring | ¥2,200,000 |
| RIBXCAR × FRONTXRIB — combined | ¥4,400,000 |
| Area | Fee (JPY, incl. tax) |
|---|---|
| Abdomen | |
| Upper abdomen | ¥275,000 |
| Lower abdomen | ¥275,000 |
| Flanks | ¥275,000 |
| Abdomen, complete (upper, lower and flanks) | ¥770,000 |
| Arms and back | |
| Upper arms | ¥275,000 |
| Upper arms with shoulders | ¥418,000 |
| Upper arms, full circumference | ¥650,000 |
| Back, above the scapula | ¥286,000 |
| Back, below the scapula | ¥286,000 |
| Back, upper and lower | ¥495,000 |
| Legs | |
| Thigh, inner | ¥330,000 |
| Thigh, outer | ¥330,000 |
| Thigh, front | ¥275,000 |
| Thighs, full circumference | ¥770,000 |
| Calves | ¥275,000 |
| Calves with ankles | ¥418,000 |
| High definition | |
| HD abdominal etching (six-pack definition) | ¥1,210,000 |
A surcharge applies by body mass index: ¥55,000 for BMI 25–30, and ¥110,000 for BMI 30 and above. Liposuction of more than one area is quoted as a combination, not as a simple sum — your written quotation will state the total.
| Procedure | Fee (JPY, incl. tax) |
|---|---|
| Fat transfer augmentation, Condense Rich (2 donor areas) | ¥1,320,000 |
| Fat transfer augmentation, second session | ¥990,000 |
| Silicone implant augmentation | ¥880,000 |
| Hybrid augmentation (fat transfer with implant) | ¥1,650,000 |
| Fat transfer with implant removal | ¥1,540,000 |
| Implant removal | ¥385,000 |
Fat transfer augmentation requires liposuction to harvest the graft; that liposuction is included in the fees above for the stated number of donor areas.
| Procedure | Fee (JPY, incl. tax) |
|---|---|
| Gluteal fat transfer (2 donor areas) | ¥1,265,000 |
| Hyaluronic acid gluteal augmentation, per 100 cc | ¥550,000 |
| Procedure | Fee (JPY, incl. tax) |
|---|---|
| Tummy tuck, without umbilical transposition | ¥1,320,000 |
| Tummy tuck, with umbilical transposition | ¥1,584,000 |
| Reverse tummy tuck | ¥1,110,000 |
| Abdominal wall repair (rectus plication) | ¥132,000 |
| Area | Fee (JPY, incl. tax) |
|---|---|
| Fat harvesting and processing (Condense Rich) | ¥220,000 |
| Décolletage | ¥660,000 |
| Banana roll | ¥550,000 |
| Pectoralis | ¥770,000 |
| Deltoid | ¥440,000 |
| Biceps | ¥440,000 |
| Triceps | ¥440,000 |
| Rectus abdominis | ¥330,000 |
| Quadriceps | ¥660,000 |
Body fat grafting requires a separate liposuction fee to harvest the graft.
| Item | Fee (JPY, incl. tax) |
|---|---|
| Initial consultation | no charge |
| Blood tests | ¥11,000 |
| 3D simulation | ¥3,300 |
| General anaesthesia | ¥165,000 |
| Standard set (anaesthetic, medication, compression garment) | ¥66,000 |
| Standard set with intravenous sedation | ¥66,000 |
If pre-operative blood tests return positive for an infectious disease (HBV, HCV, HIV or syphilis), an additional sterilisation and hygiene management fee of ¥44,000 applies. This is disclosed here rather than at the counter.
You may see two figures quoted for these procedures in Japan. The lower one is the monitor price, offered in exchange for consent to use your before-and-after photographs for education and publication.
Every figure on this page is the standard price, not the monitor price. We quote it that way deliberately: a patient travelling from abroad should be able to budget without first deciding whether to publish images of their own body. If you would like to be considered for the monitor programme, say so in your enquiry and we will explain exactly what consent it requires.
Aftercare
The part of overseas surgery that is most often glossed over is the part after the flight home. We would rather be specific about it.
The following procedures carry a guarantee for one year after surgery: VASER liposuction, VASER 4D, Condense Rich fat transfer breast augmentation, and gynecomastia surgery.
Being outside Japan does not void the guarantee, but making use of it means returning to Japan. Please plan on that basis rather than assuming otherwise.
Between visits, we structure remote check-ins so that your recovery continues to be monitored after you fly home. Photographs at agreed intervals are more useful than descriptions, for the same reason they are at the planning stage.
Risks
These are elective aesthetic procedures. They are not covered by health insurance in Japan, results vary between individuals, and none of them can be guaranteed. Travelling for surgery adds one further consideration: a complication that would be a minor inconvenience at home becomes a changed flight, an extended stay and an unplanned cost. Budget for that possibility rather than assuming it away.
Risks include, but are not limited to: pain, swelling and bruising; seroma, haematoma and infection; asymmetry, contour irregularity and skin-quality change; changes in skin sensation or pigmentation; fat-graft resorption, oil cyst or nodule formation; delayed wound healing; the need for revision surgery; and complications of anaesthesia. Skeletal procedures such as rib remodeling are substantially more invasive than soft-tissue surgery and carry additional risks including pneumothorax and injury to underlying structures.
Long-haul flight after surgery carries its own risk, particularly of venous thromboembolism. Your fitness to fly is assessed before you are cleared to travel, and that assessment is clinical — it will not be adjusted to fit a booked ticket.
Each procedure page and journal article sets out the risks specific to that operation. For rib remodeling in particular, please read the full article on RIBXCAR before enquiring.
Language & Location
English-language support and interpretation are available throughout — from your first enquiry, through consultation and surgery, to post-operative follow-up.
Tokyo · Ginza
Our Tokyo atelier in the heart of Ginza. Easiest for patients arriving at Haneda or Narita, and the simpler choice if you are combining surgery with time in Tokyo.
Map & contact →Fukuoka
The home of the body contouring practice, where surgical planning, procedures and aftercare sit under one roof. Fukuoka Airport is unusually close to the city centre, which makes the travel days easier than they look on a map.
Map & contact →If you have no preference, say so in your enquiry — the choice is often decided by Dr. Higuchi’s operating schedule rather than by geography.
Questions
No. The first consultation is held online, in English, from your own country. Your candidacy, surgical plan and full quotation are settled before you book travel. You are examined in person once you arrive, before anything is scheduled.
Plan for at least two weeks in Japan after your operation, whichever procedure you have. Those two weeks cover early recovery, wound and compression management, and at least one in-person follow-up before you are cleared to fly. Your arrival date before surgery is set separately in your written plan, so your total trip is those pre-operative days plus at least two weeks. Two weeks is a minimum and can be extended if your recovery calls for it — book a flexible return ticket.
Yes. English-language support and interpretation are available from the first enquiry through to post-operative follow-up.
The fee schedule is published in full above, in Japanese yen and including consumption tax. Surgical fees are listed separately from anaesthesia, blood tests and the standard post-operative set, all of which are additional. Flights, accommodation and living costs are not included.
Those are usually monitor prices, offered in exchange for consent to publish your before-and-after photographs. Every figure on this page is the standard price. If you would like to be considered for the monitor programme, say so in your enquiry and we will explain what consent it requires.
Yes, and that is the purpose of the online consultation. If you are not a good candidate, or if a less invasive plan would serve you better, you will be told so before you have spent anything on travel. An honest consultation sometimes ends with a recommendation not to operate.
We structure remote check-ins after you return. VASER liposuction, VASER 4D, Condense Rich breast augmentation and gynecomastia surgery also carry a one-year guarantee that includes re-examination by your operating surgeon at no consultation charge. Making use of it does mean returning to Japan, so please plan on that basis.
Either. Ginza is easiest from Haneda or Narita; Fukuoka is where the body contouring practice is based, and its airport is unusually close to the city centre. In practice the choice is often decided by the operating schedule rather than by geography.
Often, but not without limit. Combining procedures is decided by safety — operative time, recovery capacity and the practical reality of healing away from home — not by convenience. Your plan will state what can responsibly be done in one operation and what should be staged.
Yes. Male body contouring, HD abdominal etching, gynecomastia surgery and pectoral fat grafting are a substantial part of the practice.
Enquiry
Tell us what you would like to change and we will tell you, honestly, what is possible for your anatomy. There is no charge for the consultation, and no obligation.
What you send here is health information. It is used only to assess your enquiry and plan your care, is not shared with third parties for marketing, and can be deleted on request. Please do not send identity documents, payment details or insurance numbers through this form — we will never ask for them by email. Read the full privacy notice.
Japan is UTC+9. If you telephone, please allow for the time difference — the form and email reach us at any hour.