Accessible travel with wheelchair in Japan

[prudence passenger]

Due to a fractured ankle, I am traveling with a manual folding wheelchair.  I cannot put any weight on my foot.  We have had to cancel our planned tours, and have hired a van at ports that can take the wheelchair, we were told it would not fit in trunk of a car, we will also go to Kyoto for 5 days, and Tokyo for 6 days after a 2 week cruise circumnavigating Japan.  I have tried watching YouTube’s on accessible tours in Japan.  Any hints, or definitely do not go there tips for us? My hubby will be pushing me. I can also roll along a little bit myself.  We are hoping our driver/guide will also assist us a little bit.  When there are only short port stops, for ½ a day, we will stay onboard.  We do have 2 overnight port stops, so no worries to be back on time.   Still looking forward to finally traveling to Japan after Covid cancellations, even with my left foot 🙂  thanks for any suggestions, I have never broken anything before, and I am 71- I was hiking in Iceland, so previously pretty active.   Judi

[BruceMuzz]

Although things are slowly improving in Japan, handicapped access is still not great in the country.

The rare exception is train and subway stations. All now have ramps and elevators.

[lahore]

Hi. I highly recommend 'Tabifolk' website: a site for travellers in Japan with disabilities.  

[shecritic]

I agree. Here's the website https://www.tabifolk.com/groups/japan/

[JomCruise]

I'm sorry to hear about your fractured ankle, but hope you can still enjoy your trip to Japan despite this obstacle. Since you'll be traveling with a folding manual wheelchair, here is some useful information about transportation options in major cities like Tokyo and Kyoto.

Many taxi companies in large Japanese cities like Tokyo now have "wheelchair-accessible taxis" equipped to transport one wheelchair user and one accompanying person safely. The website https://wheelchairtraveling.com/tokyo-japan-wheelchair-accessible-taxis/ provides helpful details on identifying and booking these taxis, which could be ideal for shorter trips within cities during your time in Tokyo and Kyoto. The link discusses wheelchair boarding procedures and safety measures, so it may offer some peace of mind to review in advance of your trip.