Hey everyone
I sprained my ankle in June and expected it to recover before my trip but I actually received the wrong treatment and care so it’s broken now 😣. I’m travelling to Japan in a few days for 2 weeks and will do it on crutches (changed the itinerary and removed the day trips so now it is Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka-Hiroshima-Tokyo).
My insurance won’t cover anything so the only possibility would be to postpone it for the fees of 400€ per person (we are 3).
Do you think this will ruin my vacation and I should postpone even though the fees are high? Could I still enjoy the trip on a slower pace, do some sightseeing and shopping and have a reason to come back for the temples in Kyoto (steps and hills won’t be possible for me lol) or the country is really not PRM friendly? I read many people saying the stations are full of stairs and commuting is complicated… others say it’s still doable.
I’m really torn and sad to possibly have to postpone it as I’ve been waiting for this trip for months. Any type of advice and feedback will help me
Thank you for your help 🫶
15 comments
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Tokyo is full of elderly so it’s somewhat access friendly. Look for elevators in stations most have them but they can be tricky to find.
I would postpone. Japan is pretty accessible, and you would able to get by, but man… I’ve been on crutches before, and you only want to use them as little as possible.
If you can’t eat those fees (I sure can’t) then you could look into renting a wheelchair. Much more comfortable than hobbling all over the place. You might struggle to get to some places though.
For some reason I saw a bunch of foreigners in crutches at multiple tourist sites this year so I guess it’s possible. You probably want to change all your plans so you’re only doing one thing a day as getting around will take a lot longer and be more physically exhausting.
I would postpone. I lived in Japan and was on crutches for a while. It was HARD. Walking with crutches is hard and really tiring. I ended up spending a fair bit on taxis because I just couldn’t manage it and I had to go to some places like work (and I even had two weeks off work when I was first injured) and follow up appointments.
Because Japan is so public transport centric there is a decent amount of walking – it’s not direct point a to b like driving is. Walking also let’s you see and do much more so in general it’s a good thing but not if you’re on crutches. There are elevators and/or escalators at almost all train stations but sometimes you’ll need to walk a bit to get to them as well- I found this to be problematic for me, especially in larger stations I used less frequently because there are many options to get on/ off the platforms and enter and exit the stations and I didn’t know them quite so well.
ETA: is it technically possible to go? Yeah. But you’d find it so hard and miss a lot. I get that it’s expensive to postpone but I’m sure the trip is expensive too. Don’t you want to be able to get the most out of it and really enjoy it? It’s up to you, and I guess partially depends on the cost of the overall trip, but I would postpone.
Based on what I saw on my trip to Japan last month, I would not recommend traveling to Japan on crutches.
Unless you have a high budget and can take taxis everywhere, you will need to walk around A LOT. I averaged 10 miles of walking per day.
Also, some subway entry/exits don’t have elevators, so you would need to walk the stairs (with all your luggage if you are transferring cities).
There’s also no where to sit in Japan. Very little public bench options. I got very tired from walking on my trip. Finding a place to sit and rest was difficult.
If you can handle those challenges, go for it. Japan is wonderful country.
I would postpone most definitely. I’m in Japan right now and everything I’ve done so far would have been miserable with crutches
I broke my fibula a couple years ago and found this amazing knee crutch that SAVED me. It isn’t for everyone of course. Took some practice. But I could walk around!!!! I could have managed the Japan trip we did with it for sure with a few modifications. [https://www.amazon.com/iWALK-Hands-Free-Crutch-Alternative/dp/B08WLMYC1P](https://www.amazon.com/iWALK-Hands-Free-Crutch-Alternative/dp/B08WLMYC1P)
Having broken my foot on vacation before- I’d postpone. Japan is a very walking heavy place- the last time I was in Kyoto I clocked 20k steps one day. So many amazing places, like Fushimi Inari, will be totally inaccessible to you. If it was the sort of holiday where you spend a lot of time by the pool- go. But Japan is not that holiday. 400 euro is a lot. But spending even more so you can hang out exhausted and hurting in a tiny Tokyo hotel room isn’t my idea if a good time.
Bro, I am having a plantar fasciitis problem in one foot and am wondering how I will make my trip to Japan in October with all the walking. I was looking and one of the stations to the hotel is like 12 min walk by itself.
I can’t even imagine a broken ankle. Plus the whole plane ride there without probably being able to elevate your ankle. Having a broken ankle (don’t know how bad yours is) was the most pain I’ve experienced in my life (worse than childbirth)..so to me..you will probably be mentally and physically exhausted quickly, in pain, etc. if you can change your trip with the fees, I would.
I am 3 days into my trip with chronic illness and I am struggling. It is hot, humid and very walk heavy. I’ve just decided to wear the cost and get taxis and limit my adventuring and let my husband go off on his grand adventure while I rest in the hotel.
Awful idea. Not only that, you could make your fracture worse from all of the activity, e.g. making it displaced or more displaced, and then now requiring surgery.
I’d postpone, personally, travelling is tiring and walking on crutches is really exhausting, plus you need to rest as well when recovering from a fracture.
Have you considered a knee scooter? I haven’t taken one to Japan, but we took one to Spain when my husband was in an ankle boot and it was a life saver.
On smooth surfaces like an airport or subway they are super fast – like riding a regular scooter like kids use.
You can get one for around $100
And if you aren’t feeling well you can sit on it to rest or even have someone push you, though it’s a little awkward.
He was a little embarrassed by it because people do tend to look at it, but by the 2nd day he was zipping along and laughing that we were now the slow ones.