観光客は130万人超　5分に1組の患者　長野・白馬支える“外国人駆け込み寺”に密着【羽鳥慎一モーニングショー】(2026年5月8日)

Hakuba Village in Nagano Prefecture is a popular ski resort. There's a clinic here that serves as a haven for foreigners seeking medical help. They utilize their own private ambulance to treat sudden illnesses and injuries. ■Tourist numbers have nearly doubled in 5 years Indonesian tourists: "Hakuba is the best!" Russian tourists: "It's so beautiful!" "Hakuba is like a diamond!" Hakuba Village in Nagano Prefecture, with a population of less than 10,000, attracts 3 million tourists annually. Currently, a popular attraction among foreigners visiting Hakuba is the scenic swing built on top of a mountain. Enjoying the magnificent view of the Northern Alps while swinging has made it a hugely popular attraction. Tourist from Thailand: "I saw it on TikTok!" "Recently, there's been an increase in influencers and word-of-mouth posts about Hakuba." Along with the increase in inbound tourism, the number of tourists during the green season has also surged. The number of tourists, which was around 700,000 in 2020, has nearly doubled in 5 years. In Hakuba, a clinic has become a "refuge" for foreigners suffering from injuries and illnesses… Foreigners arrive one after another with fractures, fevers, bruises, and other ailments. During the busiest winter season, a group of patients arrives every five minutes, with over 1,000 patients a month. Some patients present with serious symptoms. Doctor: "Let's call an ambulance! There's internal bleeding in the abdominal cavity!!" "There's a possibility of a ruptured spleen." ■ Collision with a lift support The Hakuba International Clinic, which opened three years ago in Hakuba Village, Nagano Prefecture, is a popular destination for foreign tourists with illnesses and injuries because all its doctors and staff speak English. An Australian man arrives at the clinic being carried. He appears unsteady on his feet. Australian man's friend: "He's about to pass out, please hurry." "He passed out and threw up a little while ago." The man continues to suffer even after lying down in the examination room. The man crashed into a ski lift support while skiing and was resting at a hotel, but his condition suddenly worsened in the afternoon. Dr. Tetsuya Mikami: "Just keep checking his blood pressure frequently." The doctor noticed an abnormal swelling in the man's abdomen during a physical examination and attempted an ultrasound test… "Let's call an ambulance! Intra-abdominal bleeding." "We'll transfer him to another hospital. There's internal bleeding. His spleen may have ruptured." The doctor determined that emergency surgery was necessary and requested admission to a general hospital capable of handling emergency cases. "Hello, this is Dr. Mikami from Hakuba International Clinic. We'd like you to consider accepting a 32-year-old Australian man. His diagnosis is traumatic splenic injury." "Nagano Red Cross accepts him. Let's call an ambulance." A few minutes later, the ambulance crew covering Hakuba arrived. The doctor gently comforted his tearful friend. "Please contact us anytime if anything happens." The Australian man was then taken to a general hospital in Nagano City. ■Foreigners Working in Hakuba At Hakuba International Clinic, three doctors take turns seeing patients on different days of the week. Dr. Mikami gained experience in emergency medicine at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo, and after working at hospitals overseas, he was involved in the establishment of this hospital. Why did he open a clinic in Hakuba Village? "Hakuba Village is a village with a population of less than 10,000, but (in winter) about 1.3 million tourists come here, and there are people of all nationalities who are struggling with the essential service of medical care, so we thought there might be something we, as medical professionals, could do." Now, not only foreign tourists, but also many foreigners working in Hakuba come here. A British Woman Working in Hakuba "I'm here on a working holiday visa from London. It hurts terribly when I move my leg sideways." A British woman working part-time at a hotel in Hakuba. She said she twisted her ankle while skiing on her day off and couldn't move it. "I'm not afraid of injections, but please count down so I don't get startled!" Doctor: "Relax." "See, that's the fluid that was in your knee." Woman: "I was planning to work until the end of March, but I can't anymore. But it was a good learning experience." The clinic became even busier in the afternoon. To ensure efficient consultations, nurses work as a team to conduct interviews and prepare for examinations. The nursing leader's job is to determine the priority of examinations based on the interview and the patient's condition. How can one doctor efficiently see a large number of patients? The nurses' judgment also contributes to reducing patient waiting times. ■ "As if representing Japan" Furthermore, to cope with the rapidly increasing number of foreign patients, a p...