Wheelchair Travel in Japan

Just wondering what those in wheelchairs who have travelled to Japan would consider the best/worst points of their experience?

Any advice?

I have seen others in wheelchairs getting around Japan, and those who see you trying to get off a train will run and fetch one of the station staff to get a plank for you to wheel off the train. Also, there are plenty of ramps and elevators.

Japan takes very good care of people with disabilities with their facilities. Just be careful, because I have seen SOME train platforms for which you must climb many stairs up, then walk across the railway, then go back down stairs again.

It is my understanding that you'll need to phone ahead to get the the station personnel to help you on or off the train. I do not know where I read that, but it sort of makes sense considering that many of the major trains run on a very carefully planned schedule.

Type "Wheelchair" on this site's "Search" devise and you will find similar questions. If you post something to a thread, it is likely to be automatically sent to the original poster (who asked about traveling with a wheelchair in Japan), so maybe you can get some answers based on experience.

I remember posting a link on one of them for a site on wheelchair travel in Japan, so you might be able to find it if you try hard.

Generally speaking, Japan is on its way to a "barrier-free" society, and a lot of places now have new slopes and elevators. Also department stores, airports and many other places including large parks have toilets for wheelchaired people that can also be friendly for those with infants. I think these toilets are also available at terminal stations, but at terminal stations there are usually department stores just outside the gate, so I (although I'm not wheelchaired) prefer to use the more shiny toilets there.

At smaller stations where they only have stairs, you can request the station staff at the ticket gate to have you carried up and down. If you tell them your destination, they will phone the station to make sure you are assisted there as well.

What Kappa is saying is that it's better to phone in advance to make this request, since station staff give top priority on keeping the trains on time, and therefore may not be available if the request is on sudden notice.

Have fun!