My bucket list trip to Japan is finally on the horizon! However I have a severe mobility disability and have several questions and concerns about travelling to Japan. Such as:
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1. To summarize my disability, I can walk, however I have issues with uneven terrain and walking without a mobility aid (if I fall I can’t get back up without a chair or other help). Yes I can climb stairs, but I MUST have guard rails to assist me in getting up. But I’d prefer an elevator, in general I try to avoid stairs and escalators just in case. I use a walking stick for short distances but I have to use an electric wheelchair or scooter for longer distances. I expect to use the wheelchair all day if I am out and about in Tokyo or any other city.
2. Further to above, I’d likely use a travel electric wheelchairs (50lbs or less, foldable) because I heard that scooters aren’t really allowed. Can I get into trains, subways and other travel within Japanese cities with this type of wheelchair? Will I be able to store my wheelchair in a train? Noting I have gotten around Hong Kong with a similar wheelchair (there were some areas that weren’t accessible but in general I could still get on subways and other major areas with little issues)
3. Nothing is booked or confirmed yet, I am only in planning stages. Locations, hotels and activities can still be decided.
4. Do Japanese hotels have disability accessible rooms? When I look online there doesn’t seem to be any indication that they have disability rooms. Specifically a place with a safety shower would be ideal.
5. I know from looking that most theme parks can accommodate my disability. For instance, I can go to Disney Tokyo or Universal Studios and still go on most of the rides. But I can tell going to the Godzilla Zipline would be basically impossible for me (because I’d have to climb stairs). Are there other theme parks to avoid or just not bother?
6. I already know some activities are impossible or extremely dangerous for me – such as an Onsen, or hotsprings (where it’s easy to slip and fall). But is there any other unique Japanese destinations that can accommodate disabled persons? Maybe going to a Sumo match? Noting that architectural destinations such as going up the Tokyo Tower isn’t necessarily what I’m into.
7. I’m a big time Otaku / fanboy. Ideally I’d like to visit Tokyo to see: the Gundam Statue, Godzilla Statue / store, Pokemon Centers, Akihabara, Studio Ghibli stores, Nintendo, Japanese arcades, etc. Anything indoors (like malls) usually has disability access with Elevators, but it’s Akihabara that has me worried. I’ve been to Hong Kong several times, and their toy streets and some stores / malls are not disability accessible. Are there any locations like this in Akihabara or other fanboy areas in Japan to avoid with a disability?
8. I’m not picky about where I eat. So long as I can get in with my wheelchair or even one step, I’ll be fine. I ain’t climbing any stairs to get to a restaurant. I don’t think that will be an issue, will it?
9. If I can make Orlando and Hong Kong work with my disability, I’m pretty sure I can make it work in Japan as well. The above is all I can think of for concerns for now, but any other suggestions or tips for persons with disabilities in Japan would be great. Thank you all.
8 comments
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Not disabled, just my observations in passing from a recent trip:
trains are wheelchair accessible, there is a certain spot in each car for them, a conductor puts out a little ramp to let you on (not exactly sure how this guy is summoned, I just noticed it happening and in particular noticed the elegant flourish he did the job with, it was almost funny)
this is really unfortunate but stairs are EVERYWHERE. Especially Akihabara is extremely vertical with lots of buildings having 8 floors of stuff to do. Elevators are common (maybe even universal?) but aisles are NARROW. If at all possible you’d maybe want to get up to explore within some of these places, maybe park the wheelchair near the elevator so you can walk around just that floor a bit? Because they are so tall, the floors are not actually that big individually. Or in the case of some buildings like the Radio Kaikan, there is a central common area that is wide enough and used to access the shops, but the shops themselves can be really narrow. Probably really similar to what you experienced in Hong Kong though I’ve never been.
Restaurants can vary a lot, there are some you won’t really be able to access, but plenty will be fine if for no other reason than just being on the ground floor.
I can’t say from experience but I imagine if you need to ask for help most staff will be very helpful
Overall I’d say don’t skip it, but you maybe be limited in some places. There may be other accommodations I didn’t notice simply because I wasn’t looking
Uneven ground is an issue you will run into at temples and many walkways. Often buildings have these plastic or metal transitions between street level and the sidewalk and they can be deceptively uneven. So will the narrowness of everything (streets,paths, hallways, etc)
In midsize and large stations should have elevators (small ones can be hit and miss), but the placement of them means adding 5 mins to every stop you go to. Staff are very accommodating and will even meet you at the station to help ramp you off, but again asking for help like this takes extra time. Not sure what you mean by store the chair, but yes you could bring it with you on the train. Some Hotels definitely have handicap accessible rooms, but they need to be booked in advance and unfortunately might not be as large as you are used to.
One thing I’d consider would be the slope of paths. Depending on where you go, how much you weigh, and the power of the wheelchair it can be an issue. But Japanese people wouldn’t hesitate to help you if your chair didn’t have enough power so don’t be shy about asking.
As far as food, your options will be more limited, but no you won’t have issue finding places to eat. Websites like tabelog (the japanese version) you can filter for wheel chair accessable by “search more detailed conditions” then click drop-down menu for space/equipment and check wheelchair accessible. Often the elevator will be tiny so take your time.
You might miss out on some places in Akihabara, but most of the main ones are multi story and have elevators (just your wait time might be long to use one).
I’ve been in Japan for almost two weeks now and I’m hyper sensitive to disability friendly environments because my mom is elderly and I have a sister and niece who are both wheelchair bound.
Pros:
– There was a ramp and wheelchair accessibility at my hotel
– there are even an extra set of elevator buttons set lower than the standard height so wheelchair users can hit the floor buttons
– the train stations have some elevators, but not sure about all
– Ubers/taxis are easy to access if you’re able to sit in the car and fold up your wheelchair for the trunk
Cons:
– As another user mentioned, stairs everywhere and curbs everywhere – it’s helpful if you’re able to walk some
– the area I stayed in was Shibuya, and there are a ton of hills
– lots of super narrow streets with an overwhelming number of pedestrians and cars maneuvering through the same streets
– lots of restaurants are super tiny and cramped
– trains and train stations can get insanely busy and cramped as well
I definitely don’t want your disability to see you back because Japan is a super unique and wonderful country with polite people and I consider it the finest organized chaos. Are you traveling with anyone? If you are, that would definitely be helpful. I think if you’re able to walk some, you’ll be able to manage!
Just do thorough research and contact hotels in advance to get a gauge of the facility and the landscape. It is also helpful if you stay near a train station.
while japan has a lot of accessibility features, some stations are so huge it can be a chore to find them. and some elevators dont even reach every floor.
many of the elevators in other buildings (particularly in osaka it seems) are ancient and dont even have sensors and WILL close on you when trying to get in or out. they even have signs saying watch out for doors. we made it a habit of running in and out of them and even then some would close insanely fast lol.
i dont think you’ll have issue finding places to eat especially if you’re not picky. many places/bars unfortunately are in basements or on higher levels or just really really small, but theres definitely enough on ground level to check out.
stuff like the godzilla statue should be fine. you can literally see it from the street or take the elevator up the adjacent hotel for free.
The disability accessible rooms are “universal rooms” in Japan. Generally more spacious and barrier free.
You would have to be mindful of the stations you’ll selecting to travel to and from. Even the very big and busy stations might have their elevators tucked away somewhere, so you’ll want to confirm where the accessible entrance is. That way, if you had the choice for example, you could select a hotel on one end of the station versus the other to make it more convenient for you – some of these stations can take like 20 minutes to go through. [You can refer to this page](https://www.tokyometro.jp/lang_en/station/search_accessibility/index.html) to figure out the stations for your needs.
I found Google Maps pretty helpful with navigating the metro and trains, even listing which car or platform area to go to. You can also filter for wheelchair accessible journeys.
I’ve been to Odaiba and that had lots of fun Otaku stuff you can enjoy. It’s also a little bit more spacious since it’s not central Tokyo but the aisles in shops even at a big mall can be a bit of a squeeze.
King Kogi on YouTube has mobility issues and makes it a point to share accessibility information in her travel guides.
Restaurants may also need some research prior to going. So many are just tiny little narrow spaces or have counter only seating. I also found that sometimes online sources about restaurants are missing info about it’s location – it’ll say it’s at an address but fail to mention it’s on the 3rd floor of a walk up. Luckily, there’s a lot of good restaurants at department stores and stations if you want an easy place to show up and get a meal.
watch this: https://youtu.be/xycecbwpIzE