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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Aminilaina on 2024-10-21 23:30:17+00:00.
TLDR: I had really bad luck but still had a good time, will go back.
Ello! I went to Japan for a week in early October and then spent a week in South Korea. I'm just getting around to my trip report now because I really just wanted to sleep.
So, a little background, I am disabled. I have narcolepsy, EDS, POTS, and lord knows what else tbh. I look fine outwardly but I'm a total mess that manages with spite and duct tape keeping me together. I traveled with a cane though and thank god because with all that walking, it was much appreciated. I traveled with my girlfriend and always recommend my disabled peeps travel with a companion of some kind. I felt much better with someone else with me just in case.
Firstly, I stayed in Tokyo and about half way through the week, I took a shinkansen to Kyoto. It was a trailblazing and unpopular choice, I know. I would have stayed longer but we had to meet my fiancé in South Korea and I wanted a week in Japan instead of two weeks in South Korea. Not that there's a problem with that, I just wanted to see both countries. I plan to stay longer next time. A week wasn't nearly enough time to do everything I wanted.
In general, I found Japan to be quite disability friendly. Nowhere is perfect but it was significantly better than many places I've been too, including places here in the US where I'm from. If you are also travelling to Japan with a disability and you wanna know about what to expect ahead of time, here's what I noticed.
Nearly everywhere has an elevator. The buildings, the subway, the train stations, etc. I thought that the metro underneath my Kyoto hotel didn't, but I figured out that I was just an idiot and it was across the street. So look across the street when in doubt. They have the blue wheelchair symbol clearly marked on signs to find the accessible infrastructure. While I don't use a wheelchair at the moment, other friends of mine with similar conditions do and I would say that the elevators can get quite narrow. While I think most wheelchairs would be fine, I could see some larger powerchairs having trouble fitting. Not everywhere though.
Speaking of wheelchairs, the metro cars had space allocated for them. I didn't see a ton of allocated seats themselves for in-need groups but a few times people offered their seat to me regardless and I found that I was able to snag an empty one most of the time. I'm sure if I asked, someone would have obliged, they're all very polite. If you find yourself in one of the super crowded commute trains, the cane helps balance quite a bit, otherwise, hug those poles and handles like your life depends on it.
Now, not saying this happened to me or anything, but should you find yourself fresh off an international flight, exhausted, just found your luggage, the luggage shipping hours ended, and finally on the correct line to your hotel, note that the trains take off really, really fast. Again, totally not speaking from experience but if you tumble over your luggage and onto the ground, people will be very concerned and it will be the most embarrassing first impression to a new country ever recorded in history. ~~I don't wanna talk about it~~
For my fellow POTS/Dysautonomia friends or anyone else with a fainting problem, you may happen to fly to Japan during an abnormal heatwave like I did. This was just bad luck, unfortunately. I recommend bringing an empty, vacuum sealed, water bottle with you (Hydroflask, Stanley, Owala, etc). I know that's a general tip but it's important. Both of my hotels had ice machines either on the first floor or on every floor. Utilize these. Otherwise, always carry around cash and coins with you because Japan loves their vending machines. A lot. There's always cold water in these things along with sodas and some of those sodas felt like they had some electrolytes so that was nice. Bring your preferred form of salt around. I know you have salt you carry around, I don't care if they're restaurant salt packets, carry them. Personally, I also have pretty decent electrolyte drops. Most of the food is pretty salty in general so you should be fine. Try to eat even if you really don't feel like it with the heat.
If you are an ambulatory wheelchair user and waffling about if bringing your wheelchair. Bring it. The amount of walking you will be doing, even with a cane or something will absolutely make a wheelchair worth air traveling with it. Everything was on fire when I got back to my hotel, every day.
Speaking of hotels and joint pain, those beds are bricks. If you are willing to sacrifice the luggage space to bring a pillow from home, do it. The pillows at my hotel were on the flatter and denser side and the beds were very firm. That's good for some joints but not really for mine. I slept fine out of exhaustion though.
Last point I'll make is that most stores had an area you could sit down in which was a very welcome and pleasant surprise.
Non-disability related things about my trip:
Both my girlfriend and I got our periods on the flight over and wished for death. Again, bad luck but that's the universe for ya. Due to a number of factors, we found we almost never had an appetite and we wish we managed to enjoy the food but we will make up for it next time. When we landed our international phone plan didn't work correctly so my poor saint of a mother got a phone call at ass-o-clock in the morning while I panicked cuz we were a bit lost finding the hotel. Get those backup e-sims.
Navigating Shinagawa Station for the first time definitely gave me some gray hairs. Thank you to the nice older tourist man who saw two lost and frazzled women and helped us. I will not miss you Shinagawa Station.
Best experience was on the subway from Kyoto Station to our hotel, I sat next to an older local woman who turned to me, welcomed us to Japan and popped two folded paper cranes, made out of magazine pages, from her purse and gave them to me and my girlfriend.
Still had a good time but as a homebody, I'm more than happy to be back home. I got to come back with a checked luggage of new plushie friends, skincare, and makeup so I consider the whole thing a success. Thanks so much for reading all this and hope it helps my fellow disabled travelers!