I’m thinking of tacking on a week in Tokyo at the end of an existing work trip to Bangkok. My 15 year old will be joining me in Bangkok and this would be a surprise for her.
We are both giant Disney fans and love theme parks, so that’s our focus, though we’d also like to see some of Tokyo, having never been to Japan.
I have some mobility issues and need to minimize walking, standing, and stairs. At Disney I’ll rent a scooter or wheelchair and bring doctor’s notes so I’m eligible for their disability service.
I am planning to stay in Tokyo a few nights, then move to Disney for 2 or 3 nights.
Questions I have include:
1) What area in Tokyo should we stay in to maximize what we can see around there – and get to other parts of the city via public transportation (with moderately priced hotels)
2) is there a website or service that can help me understand how to go in and out of subway stations to make use of elevators and escalators (I’ve heard there are a lot of stairs)
3) Is it okay for my 15 year old to wander Tokyo by herself during the day? In case I’m too exhausted one day. She’s a very savvy international traveller.
Welcome to any other advice or ideas for mobility-impaired travel!
10 comments
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Not speaking to your specific questions, but there have been a couple of semi-related questions lately where folks’ answers might help you:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/18corw8/recommendations_for_wheelchair_accessible_kaiseki/](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/18corw8/recommendations_for_wheelchair_accessible_kaiseki/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/17reyvy/travelling_to_japan_but_im_disabled_advice/](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/17reyvy/travelling_to_japan_but_im_disabled_advice/)
Tokyo is very safe. It’s fine for a teenager to wander around, especially at touristic sites. Japanese people even trust their children from the age of around 6 to navigate the train system by themselves. It was a shocker to me to see little kids going to school alone..
It’s also extremely accessible and basically everywhere you would want to go is near a railway station.
The farther to the west you stay in Tokyo, the easier things will be if you’re using a wheelchair, canes, or other mobility aids. Streets tend to be wider and many of the bigger ones have sidewalks.
Be aware that visiting many tourist areas in Tokyo involves a lot of moving and that older places (such as shrine and temples) can have very uneven pavements or graveled walkways.
All subways will have signs in English and Japanese, with international icon markers indicating where elevators are. Train stations will be the same. *Some* subways have escalators, but you often cannot count on them continuing all the way to your goal. It’s not uncommon to have two stories of escalators, then a flight of stairs.
In most areas of Tokyo it’ll be OK for your child to be alone in the city. Have her stay away from the Kabukicho area of Shinjuku and the Shibuya area after dark, though. Our child (raised in Tokyo) started going out alone or only with friends from the age of 6, and he is required to go to school alone or with other children.
Without an estimate of what ‘moderately-priced’ means to you, it’s hard to advise regarding hotels, but we, for example, recently paid about ¥10,000 per night (breakfast included) total for our family of three, although that was not in Tokyo.
I wish you good luck.
Tokyo may be challenging in some places, the websites for all stations will have a detailed map showing you accessibility features like lifts. Some buildings will require the use of steps and just aren’t accessible. Of the big cities it’s definitely the most accessible though, just research everywhere you’re going and use street view to scope things out.
Disney you’ll be absolutely fine, it’s super accessible, much more so than the rest of Japan.
Japan is relatively safe just don’t go to Kabukicho Shinjuku at night.
Use an AirTag or have SIM card for the your kid and have tracking on just in case.
Also escalators are more readily available then elevators. You might have to wait a while for an elevator especially at big train stations.
Use taxis for parts of the trip.
Not sure if you’re going to rent a wheel chair or bring one with you, but I suggest doing so. There are many websites to use to choose where to go. My dad reinjured and old knee injury and needed a wheel chair for a bit I used this to help come up with last minute things to do [accessible things to do ](https://www.sangyo-rodo.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/tourism/accessible/en/). Many restaurants are not accessible, I use tabelog (the japanese website not English to find restaurants that are accessible).
Be sure to rent / reserve at least two weeks in advance as often the powered wheelchairs are hard to come by last minute. I’d stay at a hotel on yamanote line avoiding the larger stations like shibuya or Shinjuku. [has some useful links for accessible hotels](https://www.accessible-japan.com/)
Finding the right exit that has an elevator is a pain in sometimes. But station staff are always helpful and will do there best to assist you. You will likely find yourself doubling back or going a longer route, so always give yourself extra time if it’s a station you haven’t been to before. With my dad we always added 10-15 mins to travel. Also treat yourself with taxi to avoid a walk when you’re tired, they are a little expensive, but for short hops it won’t be super expensive (for two people maybe 2-3x more expensive than public transport). They are a little intimidating at first but in Tokyo they are used to travelers so it’ll be okay.
Have fun my dude
Regarding your daughter: We allowed our 15 year old to wander a good bit when we were in Ueno, Asakusa and Harajuku, and he loved it. But he was too intimidated by Shinjuku on his own. During the day it will be fine. We had location services on in their phone for the trip, and an AirTag in their wallet. He had a great time and never felt unsafe.
Regarding Disney: we witnessed Disney being accommodating to those with disabilities or physical limitations in many ways, especially to those in wheelchairs. There were a lot of ramps, and a fair bit of benches and seating. It’s a smaller park, and quite doable in the time you have allotted.
As far as where to stay, I would say if you can find an affordable place in Shibuya I’d stay there. But it can be a little pricier, and affordability is relative. You will find hotels are less expensive over near Ueno/Asakusa, as well as more spacious for mobility. But if you are trying to limit walking and be closer to sites etc, I’d advise Shinjuku/Shibuya. But that of course depends on what you want to see too :)!
Have a great trip!
Note, that Japan is not very wheelchair friendly. I remember they had a elevator to a floor for a restaurant, but there was two steps directly outside it.
Many shops are multiple floors, and many are not on the ground floor. Get used to many small cramped elevators.
I liked Asakusabashi, it’s a great area and its station is the nexus of two lines, and its right next to Asakusa and Akihabara, both of which are major centres and have multiple lines.
I would probably look to stay in Asakusa. It’s a beautiful part of Tokyo, has some great shops and parks, beautiful shrines, etc.
Your 15 year old will be fine to travel solo in the city. If your phone doesn’t work, perhaps something like Facebook messenger, or discord might work?
I don’t believe there is a website for that info, but the major stations will have information and all stations have a handy map. Most stations will have escalators and elevators, though there is some that don’t.
There are Disney Stores and Kiddy Land stores in multiple locations, and they all have heaps of Disney merchandise. You might want to book some things ahead, some of the attractions are popular. Be sure to have the Tokyo Disney app downloaded – you can use it to see waiting times etc