SAKAUE DENTAL CLINIC

Sakaue Dental Clinic sits in Itabashi’s Shimura neighborhood — a residential part of northwest Tokyo that most expats don’t end up in unless they actually live nearby. This is a local neighborhood dentist, not an international clinic. They handle standard dental work: cleanings, fillings, extractions, the usual. The website has some English content, which suggests they’ve thought about non-Japanese patients at least a little — but don’t walk in expecting a fully bilingual experience. Reception is likely Japanese-only or close to it. If your Japanese is minimal, bring a translation app and write down your symptoms beforehand. That said, dentistry is one of those specialties where language matters less than in, say, psychiatry. Pointing at a tooth and grimacing gets you pretty far. For expats living in Itabashi, this is a practical local option worth knowing about. For everyone else, the location alone makes it a non-starter unless you’re in the area.