Traveling with Ulcerative Colitis

My wife and I are planning on traveling to Japan and will mainly be staying in and around Tokyo. We have been there once several years ago, but that was before I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. At the time I was not constantly worried about where the closest restroom was, so I don't really remember running into toilet availability issues. However, I now have a few questions.

In Tokyo, how easy is it to find a public toilet quickly?

Are there toilets on trains, or just in the train stations?

Will it cause a lot of complication if I have a train ticket to a certain destination, but get off at all earlier stop to use the restroom?

Would it be beneficial to have any translated information about my condition and immediate need of a restroom, if I need any assistance from someone to locate the closest toilet?

Are there any cultural sensitivities I need to be aware of in explaining my condition, or requesting assistance in locating a toilet quickly?

Sorry for the long list of questions, but hopefully this will help me calm my traveling fears.

Have you considered wearing adult-size diapers (very common in Japan due to the aging population)? That would at least make less of a mess if an accident happens.

In Tokyo, how easy is it to find a public toilet quickly?

My experience of Tokyo is limited, but I just use Google Maps to find the nearest department store/shopping mall, convenience store or train station.

Are there toilets on trains

Depends what kind of trains. Commuter trains/subway, usually not. Long-distance trains like Shinkansen, yes.

Will it cause a lot of complication if I have a train ticket to a certain destination, but get off at all earlier stop to use the restroom?

Depends what kind of train and what kind of tickey, also whether you need to exit the ticket gates at the intermediary station. At worst, you'll have to buy a new ticket to your destination and may lose some money.

Every convenience store will have a restroom available (and they're not horror-shows). In a department store, it might be tricky tracking one down if time is of the essence. At a convenience store, it's super easy to find, and they're plentiful.

Every convenience store will have a restroom available

No, not every. Especially in busy areas where it would be overcrowded if there was one.

Japan is definitely one of the countries with the highest density of available public toilets. They can vary in quality from luxurious to pretty basic but they are abundant. Typical places to have a toilet:
- convenience stores (nearly all have one. I think in 3 yrs in Japan I only had one conbini w/o toilet)
- department stores
- underground shopping arcades
- play grounds (not all of them but many)
- public parks
- train stations and subway station (even very small ones)

Often toilets are indicated with internationally recognizable symbols but it might help to look up on the internet other possible way me that they could be indicated. トイレ、化粧室、お手洗い、御手洗い... come to mind.

Commuter trains might be a problem but not long distance. Mostly (but not always) the toilets are within the gates so getting off and catching the next train should normally not be a problem.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!

Thank you so much for your replies. It doesn't sound like I'll have much trouble.

The only question that's left is if it's ok to ask anyone for assistance finding a restroom? I'm not sure if there is any cultural etiquette I need to keep in mind about a subject like this.

Yes, it is ok.

Thank you all for your help!

I did not have a problem like yours but before my first trip years ago I asked a close friend who was living in Kyoto to phonetically spell out some common Japanese phrases. One of them was "Where is the restroom"? Here is a short YouTube video so you can hear how that is pronounced:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Vybh3OpV_I

"Toire wa doko desu ka" is definitely one of the first things we learned in Japanese 1.

Yes, after 10 trips with 3 females in the family I learned very quickly how to ask for the toilet. One tip - dont ask for "restroom" or "bathroom", because the locals wont know what you are talking about. Ask for a "toilet" which they usually undertand, or (phonetically) "toirru", though they seem to say it a little differently in Kyoto.

Thank you! I will keep that in mind.