Fees by item
Every paid item below is quoted in writing before it starts. The first two rows cost nothing.
| Item | How it is charged |
|---|---|
| First consultation (30 minutes) | Free. You receive a written note of what we discussed and the next step. |
| Written scope and quote | Free. Nothing is billed until you approve it in writing. |
| Situation review and plan | A fixed fee for the agreed job. It ends with a written step sequence naming the local offices to contact. |
| Facility search and comparison | A fixed fee for the agreed job. It covers a shortlist comparison table, a visit checklist and contract-stage questions. |
| Facility tours and appointments in person | On-site work costs more than the same work done remotely, and the quote shows it. Covers Kanagawa and Tokyo; other areas are assessed case by case. |
| English reports and summaries | Priced by frequency and detail, and by whether reports run in English only or in both languages. |
| Ongoing support | A reporting schedule agreed in writing. Questions between reports are answered within 2 business days. |
| Payment, changes and ending | The payment method and the cancellation and change terms are set out in your written quote or agreement. |
The work behind each row is described in care navigation, facility search support and family reporting support.
Sample consultation note
After the free consultation you receive a short written note. The table shows its layout with the fields left blank. It is a sample of the format, not a quote or a care plan, and it never contains fees.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Your question | What you asked us to look at, in your own words |
| What we know so far | Facts from the conversation, with anything still unconfirmed marked as such |
| Who to ask | The public desk, care manager or provider that can answer each point |
| Next step | The single next action, and who takes it |
| By when | Any date that cannot move, such as a discharge date |
| What JCC could take on | Filled in only if paid support fits; otherwise the note says so |
The note is yours to keep. You can carry on with the public desks alone after reading it.
Return-to-Japan packages
Moving a parent back to Japan into a private senior care facility runs as one package, from the first call to 30 days after admission. Its fees are explained in the free first consultation. What the package covers is on the return-to-Japan coordination page.
What changes a quote
Four things account for most of the difference between two quotes.
- How many people we coordinate. One parent and one care manager is a different job from two households, a guardian and providers in two cities
- How often reports go out, how detailed they are, and whether they run in one language or two
- Whether someone has to be present. A certification assessment visit, a facility tour or a hospital discharge meeting costs more than the same work done remotely
- Whether a date is already fixed. A discharge date compresses the whole sequence and usually adds hours
Two separate budgets
Our fees pay for coordination, preparation and reporting. They never include the care itself. You should always be able to see three separate lines: what goes to providers, what goes to the insurance co-payment and what goes to us.
For a first pass at the provider-side budget, try the care cost simulator: pick one of the seven certified care levels and a co-payment rate of 10, 20 or 30 percent.
What you pay others
These costs are paid directly to the provider, facility or hospital. None of them passes through us.
- Care service co-payment: 10 to 30 percent by income for home help, day care and other covered services
- Care management by a care manager: fully covered by long-term care insurance, at no charge to the user
- Facility rent, management fee and meals: set by each facility and listed in its contract summary (juyo jiko setsumeisho)
- Facility extras: an entry fee (nyukyo ichijikin) and its refund terms, medical bills, incontinence supplies and haircuts
- Hospital interpreter: a hospital may charge an interpreter fee on top of insured treatment, after explaining it and getting consent
- Translated documents: a hospital may charge for translating a medical certificate for an overseas insurer, and a translation service bills you directly
Insured care is billed at the same official rates whatever language it is delivered in. Interpreting and other optional services can be added on top, so check the fee table in the contract summary before signing.