Accessible Japan
Is Japan accessible/to tourists with disabilities? Josh Grisdale,/who runs the website Accessible Japan,/discusses this question.
When I was six months old,/I was diagnosed/with severe cerebral palsy. I have used an electric wheelchair/since I was four years old.
I was born in Canada/but now live in Tokyo,/working at a care facility. My job is to manage a website/for a group that runs nursing homes,/kindergartens,/and nursery schools.
You may wonder/why I came all the way to Japan/despite my physical condition. When I was in high school,/I took Japanese language classes. The more I studied about Japan,/the more I wanted to see Japan/with my own eyes.
In 2000,/I received a gift from my father:/a one-month trip to Japan! After doing a tour in Asakusa,/my father and I were on our way back to the hotel. We got to the subway entrance/but we couldn’t find an elevator. Not knowing what to do,/we asked where the elevator was. To our surprise,/six subway employees came/and carried me and my 130-kilogram wheelchair/down the stairs. I will never forget that experience. It was then/that I dreamed of making Japan my home.
In 2007,/I moved permanently to Tokyo. Being an adventurer at heart,/I visited lots of places in Japan. I learned that Japan was very accessible/for people in wheelchairs. Yet a lot of visitors from abroad/were having difficulty/getting information in English. I wanted to do something for them.
In 2015,/I started Accessible Japan,/an English website/which provides information for visitors with disabilities,/like the location of elevators and restrooms/as well as the accessibility of tourist sites. People should not have to give up/their dream of visiting Japan/just because of a lack of information.
Fortunately,/my efforts have touched the lives of many people. Encouraged by the information on my website,/an Australian girl with cerebral palsy and her father/realized their dream of coming to Japan. They both loved anime.
On another occasion,/having seen my website,/staff members of the Nezu Museum asked me/to check the accessibility of their facilities. I noticed a problem/with the museum’s toilet:/it didn’t have a backrest. The staff went right to work. On my next visit,/they were very proud to show me/the new backrest on the toilet.
For the past decade,/Japan has been making progress/in creating a friendly environment for people with disabilities,/but there are still many challenges to overcome. For instance,/the entrances to restaurants often have steps/which divide the building from the outside area. It could be a barrier for people like me. Another problem is the accessibility of hotel rooms. In fact,/less than one percent of hotel rooms/are accessible for people in wheelchairs.
I suggest/that if we meet these challenges,/we will have greater business opportunities. For example,/if you make your restaurant more accessible,/then you will have 10 percent more customers/because 10 to 15 percent of the world population is disabled. People with disabilities/tend not to travel alone. They often travel in groups or with families,/which would mean many more customers.
Also,/I’ve been working with tour companies,/setting up training sessions for tour guides/which help them learn/how to support people in wheelchairs. If tourism supports more tourists with disabilities/and provides better services,/more people will come to Japan,/and that will support Japan’s economy.
Going back to the topic of Accessible Japan,/I firmly believe in two principles. The first principle is/to get first-hand information/by personally visiting the sites. In fact,/I’ve visited 95 percent of the tourist locations/listed on my website. To make my website more reliable,/I make it a rule to take pictures,/talk to local people,/and take notes.
The second principle is/to be honest and objective. I’ve been trying to upload detailed information/as much as possible,/such as information about steps at tourist attractions. I try not to say,/“This place is accessible,/so you can go there,”/because accessibility varies from person to person. I may find the place accessible,/while someone else may not. What I try to do/is to help people make their own decisions/based on objective facts.
In 2016,/I became a Japanese citizen/because I wanted to be involved/in all levels of Japanese society. Now,/I want Japan/to become the leader in accessibility. I’d like to do my part/to make that happen/through my Accessible Japan project. I will keep working on my website/in the spirit of omotenashi,/which I have learned in this country.
Is Japan accessible/to tourists with disabilities? Josh Grisdale,/who runs the website Accessible Japan,/discusses this question.
When I was six months old,/I was diagnosed/with severe cerebral palsy. I have used an electric wheelchair/since I was four years old.
I was born in Canada/but now live in Tokyo,/working at a care facility. My job is to manage a website/for a group that runs nursing homes,/kindergartens,/and nursery schools.
You may wonder/why I came all the way to Japan/despite my physical condition. When I was in high school,/I took Japanese language classes. The more I studied about Japan,/the more I wanted to see Japan/with my own eyes.
In 2000,/I received a gift from my father:/a one-month trip to Japan! After doing a tour in Asakusa,/my father and I were on our way back to the hotel. We got to the subway entrance/but we couldn’t find an elevator. Not knowing what to do,/we asked where the elevator was. To our surprise,/six subway employees came/and carried me and my 130-kilogram wheelchair/down the stairs. I will never forget that experience. It was then/that I dreamed of making Japan my home.
In 2007,/I moved permanently to Tokyo. Being an adventurer at heart,/I visited lots of places in Japan. I learned that Japan was very accessible/for people in wheelchairs. Yet a lot of visitors from abroad/were having difficulty/getting information in English. I wanted to do something for them.
In 2015,/I started Accessible Japan,/an English website/which provides information for visitors with disabilities,/like the location of elevators and restrooms/as well as the accessibility of tourist sites. People should not have to give up/their dream of visiting Japan/just because of a lack of information.
Fortunately,/my efforts have touched the lives of many people. Encouraged by the information on my website,/an Australian girl with cerebral palsy and her father/realized their dream of coming to Japan. They both loved anime.
On another occasion,/having seen my website,/staff members of the Nezu Museum asked me/to check the accessibility of their facilities. I noticed a problem/with the museum’s toilet:/it didn’t have a backrest. The staff went right to work. On my next visit,/they were very proud to show me/the new backrest on the toilet.
For the past decade,/Japan has been making progress/in creating a friendly environment for people with disabilities,/but there are still many challenges to overcome. For instance,/the entrances to restaurants often have steps/which divide the building from the outside area. It could be a barrier for people like me. Another problem is the accessibility of hotel rooms. In fact,/less than one percent of hotel rooms/are accessible for people in wheelchairs.
I suggest/that if we meet these challenges,/we will have greater business opportunities. For example,/if you make your restaurant more accessible,/then you will have 10 percent more customers/because 10 to 15 percent of the world population is disabled. People with disabilities/tend not to travel alone. They often travel in groups or with families,/which would mean many more customers.
Also,/I’ve been working with tour companies,/setting up training sessions for tour guides/which help them learn/how to support people in wheelchairs. If tourism supports more tourists with disabilities/and provides better services,/more people will come to Japan,/and that will support Japan’s economy.
Going back to the topic of Accessible Japan,/I firmly believe in two principles. The first principle is/to get first-hand information/by personally visiting the sites. In fact,/I’ve visited 95 percent of the tourist locations/listed on my website. To make my website more reliable,/I make it a rule to take pictures,/talk to local people,/and take notes.
The second principle is/to be honest and objective. I’ve been trying to upload detailed information/as much as possible,/such as information about steps at tourist attractions. I try not to say,/“This place is accessible,/so you can go there,”/because accessibility varies from person to person. I may find the place accessible,/while someone else may not. What I try to do/is to help people make their own decisions/based on objective facts.
In 2016,/I became a Japanese citizen/because I wanted to be involved/in all levels of Japanese society. Now,/I want Japan/to become the leader in accessibility. I’d like to do my part/to make that happen/through my Accessible Japan project. I will keep working on my website/in the spirit of omotenashi,/which I have learned in this country.