Being Disabled in Japan: Work Adjustments & Accessibility

Accessibility in Japan: Measures in Place for Disabled People

Visiting, or more so, living in a foreign country such as Japan can be overwhelming to begin with, nevermind being disabled and scrambling for information on accessibility. It’s important to understand what accessibility measures Japan already has in place that you can take advantage of. 

Below are the general work adjustments and accessibility measures that are available for disabled people in Japan. 

In later sections we will also discuss accessible transportation options, accessible hotels and accommodation as well as accessible tourist attractions and travel destinations in Japan.

Wheelchair Access

While most travellers will have their own accessibility equipment such as wheelchairs, this isn’t always the case. In some situations you may need to hire a wheelchair and hoist for short term rentals.

It may also make sense to hire one native to Japan, as wheelchairs built in foreign countries are deemed too big for maneuvering in Japan. The space restrictions in Japan has led to a wheelchair being created that is a sort of hybrid between manual and electric.

These wheelchairs are more compact and lightweight, fitting better within the landscape of Japan, with the benefit of being easily lifted.

Japan’s towns are also quite positive in terms of wheelchair accessibility. All curbs in Japan are cut, there are often slopes, and in smaller streets there is often no sidewalk and pedestrians share the road with vehicles.

Accessibility Equipment Rentals

Rentals can take up to two weeks to arrange, so if you’re looking to rent a wheelchair or similar equipment make sure you do it in advance. 

There are many notable rental services available in Japan, however the most prominent is Ido Support. They provide both wheelchair/crutch rentals and accessible vehicle rentals in Tokyo. 

Ido Support’s rent-a-car service provides you with a vehicle that either has; wheelchair access (ramp/lift), is hand controlled, or has a left accelerator. 

Elevators

Elevators are an interesting one in Japan. They are required in any building over four stories, and while this is consistent, how they’re implemented isn’t always functional. 

The main problem with elevators in Japan is their size. For the most part they’re incredibly small, literally being the size of a wheelchair and nothing else. 

The other problem is where they’re positioned, they aren’t always built at the bottom of a building, sometimes defeating the purpose of having them in the first place.

There are however some great uses of elevators in Japan. So much so, that over the last 15 years Japan has been investing in and adapting the use of elevators in common areas. One of the most accessible features they have implemented is lowered buttons, ensuring people in wheelchairs can reach the buttons and call for the correct floor.

Visual Impairments

For those that are visually impaired, there are a couple of options to help you out during your stay. Much like in the UK, Japan uses tactile paving to help guide disabled people to their destination such as in train stations.

There are two types of tactile paving: lines to indicate the direction of the path, and circles to indicate caution i.e the end of the path, train or tracks.

Japanese Braille

The other accessibility option provided is braille, although unfortunately it is only available in Japanese. Japanese Braille is also known as “tenji” meaning “dot characters” and uses kana characters represented by using a 6-dot cell.

Japanese braille has been heavily taught in schools and to people with disabilities and appears in a range of places – from drinks cans to handrails.

While Japanese braille is extremely useful for native Japanese speakers, it is ultimately unreadable for foreigners. 

Fortunately, if you have to travel alone and are travelling by train, there are options available. You can contact a member of staff and ask for assistance through the ticket gates, they will help you onto your train. They will also call ahead to your destination where a member of staff will be waiting for you there.

Sign Language

As with many other countries, those with visual impairments in Japan use sign language. Again, this language is native Japanese and different to English sign language, for example. 

Japanese sign language is called 手話 (shu-wa, lit) and can be translated to “hand language”. The same as any other sign language, Japanese sign language is made up of nouns, verbs, adjectives and other parts of sentences including suffixes. 

There are other aspects to Japanese sign language such as 口話 (ko-wa, lit) which translates to “mouth talk” helping to differentiate between phrases with similar meanings. This is also further elaborated on with facial expressions, helping to express certain emotions and how you intend your words to come across – i.e. funny, angry, sad.

Accessible Toilets

When in a different country, the one thing you expect to be consistent are the toilets. In the very least knowing these basics are right can be comforting, especially for people with disabilities. Japan is one of the countries that has accessible toilets to a ‘t’. 

In many countries accessible toilets can be a single stall at the back of the toilets, making it inaccessible for wheelchair users. Japan does a good job of not only making toilets accessible, but making them readily available, and for everyone. 

What we mean by this is not only are disabled toilets common, but they are available to everyone – including the people assisting them. Japan’s solution is simple, 多目的トイレ, meaning “multipurpose toilet”, also referred to as 誰でもトイレ translating to “everyone/anyone toilet”.

These toilets are not only available for use for people with disabilities, but also seniors and  parents with children. 

Accessible toilets can be found anywhere and everywhere! The most common of which is train and subway stations, or at tourist attractions, public buildings, large supermarkets, department stores, parks, and much more.

The other benefit of a Japanese accessible toilet is that they have automatic opening doors. These are triggered by two buttons, a green one to open, and a red one to close.

There are of course problems such as people using disabled toilets who don’t need to, and toilets not having a tank or backrest to lean on. But as far as accessibility is concerned, Japan has the majority of boxes ticked.

Disability Discounts

Japan offers numerous discounts for people with disabilities, these can be easily verified using your 

disability ID (障がい者手帳), these can be also be called disability passports or cards. 

This form of identification is to be used when dealing with the government and medical institutions to assess what benefits you should receive. It should be noted that ONLY residents of Japan registered with the healthcare system are eligible, this does not include visitors.

If you’re on a working holiday visa, you should sign up to the healthcare system as this entitles you to these benefits.

With this identification card you are eligible for discounts on transportation, tourist attractions and public facilities. Which can be difficult for foreign visitors, as they won’t have any means of identifying as disabled in Japan. 

This, unfortunately, leaves you in the hands of the ticket counter. They will either let you by, no questions asked, or they will require proof. You can of course show them foreign identification, but this may not be understood or accepted. 

If you’re a foreign visitor we would suggest getting your English identification translated to Japanese. This may not work everytime, but is your best chance to get a discount. 

Internet Access

Fortunately your biggest accessibility asset in Japan is actually something you may have brought with you, your mobile phone! Providing readily available access to Google Maps, Google Translate and providing information on the accessibility of certain locations can save you a lot of time and energy. 

There are numerous ways you can access the internet in Japan.

SIM Cards

You can pick up SIM cards from the airport, convenience stores and electronic stores. Unfortunately if you don’t have a residential address in Japan you cannot have a SIM card that enables calls and texts. 

Fortunately you can have a SIM card that is data only – so you can call and message via social networking apps such as WhatsApp among others.

Wifi

If you don’t have access to a SIM card you have two options; pocket wifi or regular wifi access.

Pocket wifi routers can be bought from airports and electronics stores, these are perfect for if you are travelling in a group or are using numerous devices. The device connects to 4G and you connect to the wifi from the router, simple.

While wifi hotspots are less common in Japan than other countries, there are wifi hotspots available to connect to. You can use the Japan Connected Free Wifi app, you can then connect to over 130,000 access points over Japan. 

Also, conveniently, they are always available at airports. So you can rest knowing as soon as you land you will see the comforting sight of your airport icon change to a wifi symbol.

Guide Dogs

Guide dogs can be extremely helpful in Japan, however, problems can arise if you plan to bring your fluffy friend overseas. Sadly only Japanese trained dogs are covered by the law, therefore foreign guide dogs are not eligible to use public facilities. 

However, this can be worked around by obtaining credentials from the Japan Guide Dog Association – this will ensure equal access regardless of where your dog has been trained.

Your dog will be given a temporary ID. And while this seems like a simple procedure, to be eligible for this you will need to be a certified member of the International Guide Dog Federation. You can apply for this here. 

Guide dogs are entitled access to hotels, public transport, shops and private facilities – basically wherever you go your guide dog can follow.

Essential Japanese for those with Disabilities

If you don’t know Japanese it can be difficult to communicate during your stay. This may make it difficult to describe your disability and be entitled to the access you need. 

While it isn’t necessary to be fluent in Japanese, it’s worth learning phrases that will be of use to people with disabilities.