Does anyone have an insight to how accessible Tokyo is, particularly in December if that changes anything. I have damage to my sciatica and I’m working on being able to walk for long distances/times, but I still have bad days and stairs trigger issues. I always have painkillers on me but sometimes it gets a bit rough to move and I’m worried about wasting time moping around a hotel during a flair up.
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Super accessible, IMO
There are elevators and escalators basically everywhere, plenty of public transportation, and I’m pretty sure there are ways to plan your commute according to which stations offer disability-friendly access (in case smaller/older stations aren’t yet fitted with elevators on every track, Asasuka’s Ginza line comes to mind, I think it only has an elevator on one side)
It very accessible if you are in a wheelchair – pretty much all street crossings have the little dips, there are elevators at pretty much every subway/train station etc. Restaurants etc might not be – some are very small and might have stairs that would be hard to navigate.
Not sure if you are going to be using a wheelchair but this website might be useful to you https://www.accessible-japan.com
I would check that your meds are accepted though. Since japan has pretty strong restrictions on things even if they are otc in other countries.
Most public places and major attractions are accessible but not everything is! If you plan to take public transportation or stay in remote areas, you will probably end up having to walk or stand for a pretty long time. Temples and historic sites often have many steep stairs. However, many of them have very accessible rope ways. I recommend trying to find actual walking distances rather than relying on the cartoon maps, since there might be a steep walk or stairs to get to the “start” point! Restaurants and bars in older places in cities, like Golden gai for example, also have only stairs, so that is another thing to double check if you like to plan meals.
I’m not handicapped myself so I don’t know from experience but Tokyo seems pretty accessible for someone in for example a wheelchair. Unless you’re planning on going to small izakayas or something.
Pros – Good footpaths, footpath ramps, lifts in big stores and train stations, reserved seats for disabled on trains.
Cons – Lots of stairs, especially at smaller train stations and temples. Also some smaller stores/restaurants are above/below street level and only have stair access.
Overall it’s a lot better than a lot of places, but it’s good to do some research on the specific places you want to see or you may encounter The Dreaded Stairs.
Also I second the suggestion that you check if your specific meds are permitted in Japan – Some stuff that’s considered low level elsewhere is Hard Drugs according to Japanese customs.
If I understand correctly, you are able to walk. It would make things easier for you if you are able to use escalator, as sometimes the elevators would require to do a detour inside of the station.
Obviously, there is some things that would not be as easy, especially some temple/shrines that have many stairs and if you go out of Tokyo, original castle would be out of question, even as an able person, the stairs to the upper levels are scary (extremely steep with short stairs).
I do not think that December or any other month would change anything. I think the only difference with winter is the possibility of snow. However, it usually snow only once or twice a year in Tokyo, the year I lived there, it was once in January and once in February and it all melted after 1-2 days.
As for walking distance, this is a big thing, visiting Japan usually mean walking a lot. I would make sure to be in a hotel as close as possible to a train station and do not chose the biggest station like Tokyo, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro as you will have to walk much more inside the station. Then you will want to have a lighter itinerary than other people, check distances between station and location you want to visit to make sure it is realistic for your situation.
You mention stairs, and there are a lot of stairs in Tokyo – there are also hills. Not sure of those bother you the same way, just be prepared – Tokyo is a hilly city. I would recommend getting accommodations as close to the train station as possible.
Shinjuku and surrounding is pretty flat!
For rough days, perhaps you could rent a wheelchair? I’ve rented a wheelchair in Japan few years back. They were able to deliver it to the Airbnb, though it took 1-2 days to arrive, so you would have to rent in advance. Depending on where you’re going, most places are wheelchair accessible. The railway definitely is.
When you tap in the railway gantry, the staff will ask you for your destination and guide you to specific doors on the platform. At your destination, there will be a staff waiting to guide you as well.
I can’t remember where I rented the wheelchair, but I think it’s [this](https://www.ido-support.com/english/introduction.html).
The trains used to be pretty accessible for people with injuries, but now you have those Ketai Zombies and Undiagnosed Narcoleptics taking them seats in droves.
Literally just did a little docu shoot for BBC about this, and there is an app called “Wheelog!” that is curated with accessibility routes and activities. Obviously it’s mainly built for wheelchair users, but may be useful for OP’s needs.
Unfortunately there’s very few outside places to sit, lots of walking, stairs, and when there are elevators a lot of times they’re tucked away in weird places.
Not a lot of incline in Tokyo to worry about, maybe some in Shibuya that I can remember. If you stick to bigger train stations you should have escalators and elevators at your disposal.
FWIW I am overweight and even like 30 lbs ago I found it very tiring and difficult, there’s little places to sit anywhere and rest and most restaurants we went to were really not “sit and hang out” type places, more like “eat and leave”. Public transport can be difficult to get a seat in as well – but you could try to budget for taxis. You could also stay in more upscale western style hotels that might have services like shuttles to take you to and from train stops or other local hubs to save yourself walking and stairs. Some days after 12-14 hrs of sight seeing I was crying in pain, but we could’ve gone much easier on ourselves and taken a slower pace.
One thing I’d recommend is if you need to transfer between different lines, look up directions on google map. Even though a station is listed as an interchange on the map, the walk from one platform to the other can be quite far. And benches to sit and rest are almost non-existent.
Purely my experience here, but I found Tokyo and Japan on the whole to be generally terrible as far as accessibility. Stairs and inclines and just walking massive distances are the norm. Almost every train station had multiple levels of stairs and only about 60% had escalators. There is no public seating anywhere, and it’s completely frowned upon to sit on the ground (locals do this squat thing, but my knees/ankles don’t bend like that). I would duck into cafes and buy a drink/snack just to sit down for a few minutes. Of all the places I’ve stayed, only one building had an elevator, the others were all stairs, including one 4th floor room (this is airbnbs and vrbos, not hotels). I love going to japan, but with my disabilities I know i’m going to come home and be massively injured for months due to the stress on my body.
Wasn’t part of Tokyo’s plan for the 2020 Olympics to make sure that every train station had at least 1 elevator? Most stations will have escalators that only go up, and there can be a shit ton of stairs down. The Tsukuba Akihabara platform is like 10 flights of stairs below ground.
The one area west of Shibuya (Dogenzaka?) is SUPER hilly. And walking from Shinagawa to Gotanda is a huge ass incline. I didn’t notice hills anywhere else.
I spent 5 weeks in Japan in 2018 and 2019. I am 74 and also get tired so I limited my sightseeing from 9-5, returning to my business hotel with dinner from 7-eleven. My legs got enough rest that way. A train to Nikko is a wonderful day trip.