The short answer to this is stay anywhere near a metro station! If you can find a comfortable and affordable hotel that isn’t in Shinjuku or any of the other popular spots, you’ll be totally fine hopping the train and getting where you need to go quickly.
The long answer is that I was an idiot and waited until the last minute to use a United Airlines voucher that was expiring and picked a week to go to Tokyo that happened to be a national holiday — the entire week! (Golden Week) So hotels everywhere were extra-expensive. So my, “Oh yay, I’m flying to Japan for $200 cash + a voucher!” turned into, “Oh yay, I’m spending $350 a night for an accessible hotel?”
First of all it wasn’t always clear if a Japanese hotel had accessible rooms. That content isn’t always ported over to their English website versions. In addition, booking engines like Booking.com or Expedia don’t always list the accessible rooms as specific room types. I did figure out that these rooms are usually called “Universal” rooms there, which helped whenever I would search or ask.
BTW, I hate having to contact hotels directly to book accessible rooms, especially if I have to call. I’m a millennial at heart when it comes to communication.
In any case, I was not going to spend $350 a night but I wasn’t sure if staying slightly away from things was going to be feasible for me in the chair. I also wasn’t sure about safety. Finally, I found a few places that had Universal rooms and one of them was the Nippon Seinenkan Hotel. The best part was that it was going to be $800 for the entire week! It also had great reviews and overlooked one of the pro baseball stadiums. Nevertheless I was concerned about the location.
Even though it was over a mile from the big train stations, it was much closer to one of the subway stops (Gaiemmae). It was also a much quieter area and totally safe. In fact, once I got there I discovered Tokyo is one of the safest places on earth to cruise around and feel comfortable.
So no worries if you get a hotel that’s not right in the thick of things. You will save a lot of money doing this and still have an amazing time! You might also get a nicer hotel for the price.
One of the things I hate is when a travel blogger or Tweeter who uses a wheelchair makes a generalized statement that “XYZ Place is not very accessible.” Ignore this whenever you hear it. There is always a way. I mean, okay there might be a specific attraction or building that isn’t accessible, but it’s not like you’re gonna arrive somewhere and be stuck at the fucking airport or train station all week. (I actually thought this about Paris and it stopped me from going initially. How dumb!)
Tokyo is one of the places I’d heard this about and hesitated to go to based on this. Ugh. It was wrong. I bet the person I heard it from doesn’t even leave their house all day.
I’ll tell you the two places I had issues with on this trip. Certainly there are other places with issues, but I only had a week.
The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace — Specifically the ramp up to the top of the wall. Maybe it was a lookout, maybe it was a Starbucks up there. Either way, I survived by skipping it. It just looked a little too steep and my battery was low and there were people.
Green Spaces have nice paths and sidewalks are wide
I went to the Meiji Shrine, all around the East Gardens, the Shinjuku National Gardens, and others. Paved pathways were everywhere, including through the deserted, foresty part of the Meiji Shrine grounds that I found by accident. The sidewalks are usually wide to accommodate all the people and when there aren’t sidewalks, the streets were usually taken over by pedestrians. The side streets in Harijuku, for example, super fun to wander around on.
This route at the Meiji Shrine forest was typical of the pathways through the green spaces
You can roll over the Rainbow Bridge in a chair and skip the lines at the other observation places
I hate lines. I didn’t even bother to go to the other recommended high points in the city and I won’t bother sharing them with you now. Instead I decided to head over the Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba and it was awesome (and free). Just get yourself to the Rainbow Bridge Promenade, take the elevators up, and go over it. There are some nice stopping points, it’s not super steep, and there were hardly any people.
The view I was just talking about from the Rainbow bridge
Restaurants at the various shopping centers are your best bet for accessible food places
Although Tokyo restaurants and stores are usually up a step or two, Toyko has more ramps (see the ramp gallery at the bottom of this post) than any place I have been so far. There were so many that I had to take pics of them, come up with silly captions, and post them here for you.
Having said that, you CAN find little restaurants and stores that are accessible right out of the box. But if it’s convenience you’re looking for then hit up the big shopping centers and you’ll be able to try out any of the hundreds of headphones (yes even earbuds, gross) at the electronics store then go up or down and find tons of accessible restaurants.
Disclaimer: The elevator can get packed. For example I went up to the 8th floor of one of the malls (I can’t even remember which one because I don’t fucking plan!) and it took a while for it to come down, pass me, then fill up before it even came back up to the first floor. Nevertheless once I got up to the restaurant floor, there were several great restaurants to choose from. I followed some rich-looking people into a sushi place and decided that’s my new best tip for finding a good restaurant without planning.
There are also food court options, usually in the basement, of these large shopping centers. Truth be told, I was a little irritated with elevator wait times so I didn’t check these out when I was shopping.
Here’s the Tokyo Ramp Gallery you’ve been waiting for
Ok so not ALL the ramps were useful and some weren’t even ramps, but I took many of these photos over a few blocks along the same street. They’re everywhere and they’re great. Even the horrible ones are at least mildly entertaining.
If you know how wide your ass is, then this ramp at the Toyota showcase tells you how wide it is.
Yeah, no. WTF?
Roll out the red carpet on this ramp…oh wait.
Ramps to stairs are always fun.
Ramps with patterns.
From the right angle this looks like a ramp.
It’s the thought that counts.
Ok so most of these are for bringing in deliveries, but still.
I’d always made the assumption that it would be difficult to get around Tokyo in a wheelchair. Again, screw my negative thinking! It’s not. It’s really easy and very accessible and there are a few added bonuses in the process — toys and drinks!
The trains and subway are the only transit options I used besides rolling
You can read all about how to use the train system in Tokyo somewhere else. You can also read about the bus and taxi options elsewhere too. (Although I did like that the buses were labeled as Non-Step Buses!) I’m just gonna tell you that it was ridiculously easy to use the trains in Tokyo.
It’s not as assistance-free as Singapore or Dubai, but the assistance you rely on in the stations is the best I’ve ever encountered. The gaps were not huge, and a manual chair user could probably jump them easily. For me, the gaps were right at the point where I felt my front wheels could fall in if I didn’t gun it. I chose to use the staff help at every station. You can also follow all the “Yellow Brick Roads” as I call them, which are those yellow (or metal) textured tiles on the ground which usually lead you to the elevators, bathrooms, platforms, or exits.
I mostly rode the Ginza line which runs from Shibuya to Akasuka. I was staying near the Gaiemmae station which was very quiet and user-friendly. Here’s how every station works:
Get a PASMO card — Or whatever other transit card you have been told to get. You can buy one at any station and charge it up in lots of places. You can also use it to play the toy games at Sega or buy soda at the vending machines that support it. This is what I used and it was great.
Find the accessible entrance — Of course the only time I had a problem with this was the time my battery was on zero and I was trying to get home. But if you look at the public maps nearby your station, usually you can find the elevator. If not, ask someone.
Go all the way to the station ticket gate and then ask for help — Usually there’s a little office near where you tap your card to go through the gates. If not, it’s nearby. If you miss it at the small stations, you’re either an idiot or the guy left to help somebody. Wait.
Tell the staff where you want to go and that you need a slope or ramp — Show them Google Translate if that helps. The one time I found no staff, I didn’t actually need a ramp to board the train. This was coming back from Odaiba. The gap was very small.
Wait for the staff to put on their little train hats and grab the ramp — Sometimes this took 10-20 seconds and I was wondering if they understood me, but just wait and someone will magically appear shortly.
Follow the staff — This was the best part because you don’t have to think about where to go to get to the platform. At small stations it’s not a big deal but at the big ones. you’ll save yourself from looking for the train in the bathroom or maintenance room.
Board the train — The trains come with very little delay. Even if its crowded, people will move and the staff will help clear the way. The ramp takes 5 seconds to place and you roll on and enjoy the ride.
Enjoy the ride and rest assured someone will be there with a ramp when you arrive — For convenience, the stops are labeled with letters and numbers and the announcements are also made in English. Even if you forget where you’re going, just watch the doors for the staff with the ramp and they’ll be there at your stop.
How to win the toys and drink the soda
With your Pasmo card you can play the claw machines at Sega and also buy stuff at compatible vending machines. I had fun with both! You can also charge your card at the arcades.
For the vending machines, you just hold your card up to the sensor, pick what you want, then hold the card up again. Super easy! Watch the video below for a demo.
I took the Narita Express from the airport to Shibuya station and it couldn’t have been easier. Even if you don’t use a wheelchair, this is probably the most convenient way to get into the city from the airport.
There are very few stops and this train can get you to any of the major stations in the city (Tokyo, Shibuya, Shinjuku). The Narita Express is on the JR line of the Japanese trains. If you are arriving to Tokyo Narita, the process is simple — just tell them you need the Narita Express or follow the signs.
The ticket desk is just before the electronic gates to enter the train. If you need a wheelchair space you’ll have to stop there to make sure you get a wheelchair spot on the train. It seemed like there were two in the car that I rode in. The train runs often enough that you won’t have to wait long.
I normally like to book things online and deal with it on my own, but in this case I was handled by the train staff in a very deliberate and accommodating fashion. I never felt like I was going to be forgotten and the same guy who helped me with my ticket ended up leading me down to the platform and then onto the train with the ramp.
You can buy a round trip for 4,000 yen if show your visitor passport. Just make sure to hold onto the return ticket pass.
The view from my spot. There is one regular seat and then space for a wheelchair. I think if there were 2 wheelchairs here it would block the aisle, but it worked for me!
Returning was easy too but a little more confusing, probably because Shibuya station was in repair in anticipation of the Olympics. Nevertheless if you get as far as the ticket gate and don’t have a ticket yet, stop at the counter there and just ask for help.
The train was not crowded on the Sunday afternoon when I arrived or the Sunday afternoon when I departed. It was comfortable and quiet.
Here’s more info about the Narita Express and other airport transit options.
I’ve flown these two airlines the most in the last three years and wanted to post a comparison of my experiences with these airlines and how I’ve been handled as a wheelchair user. Of course by “I” I mean me as a passenger and my wheelchair as my cargo.
Delta Airlines
Checking in
In the last two years, I’ve noticed a large improvement in Delta’s process for dealing with me and my chair when I fly. The majority of the time I don’t feel like I am the first person in a chair to ever fly Delta. The check-in agents seem better versed in what to do, they don’t seem as perplexed by power chairs as they used to, and I feel like there’s more communication with the cargo and gate teams than there were in previous years. You will also get a more permanent “wheelchair tag” — a pink delta baggage tag that you can keep on your chair after you fly to use again on your return flight or future flights. This saves from having to ask for a tag every time.
Grade: A
Gate Experience
Sometimes the agent from the ticket counter ends up working the gate, at least at airports where Delta has a smaller presence. There’s a bit more attention and understanding when this is the case, but overall the gate agents for Delta seem more on top of things than they have been in the past. At larger airports, I’ve also noticed an increased presence of some type of “coordinating” employee who seems to be focused on the process of boarding me and taking my chair to cargo.
Grade: A-
Wheelchair Handling
This is a tossup for any airline. In general, I’m disappointed with all airlines in this department. It could be a lot better across the board. I have had a few damage incidents that didn’t make me happy and there was one time when the cargo team came on board to tell me they couldn’t fit my chair through the door without turning it on its side. At least they paid attention to my printed instructions I leave with my chair. Whether or not I get my chair at the gate is an issue of airport convenience. I seem to get it at the aircraft for domestic flights way more often than international ones.
Grade: D
Passenger Handling
This varies from airport to airport as Delta will contract with various companies to provide assistance in the terminals and with boarding/disembarking. For the most part, I have few complaints about the companies Delta uses for this. At NYC-Laguardia, however, I have been disappointed by the strength of the assistance staff. They have a really hard time moving me from chair to chair and seem to be poorly trained on lifts.
Grade: B
Overall Remarks
Delta seems to be focusing on making the process of flying with a disability easier. I get feedback requests every time I fly now and make sure to tell them what goes right/wrong every time.
Overall Grade: B
United Airlines
Checking In
Checking-in for my last two United flights made me nervous. I felt like I was the first one to ever fly them with a chair, which I know isn’t true since I’ve flown United myself before with a chair. But whenever the check-in agent makes a few phone calls and asks me repeatedly about what kind of battery I have and doesn’t assume I want to remain in my chair to the aircraft door, I get irritated. And I don’t know if it’s been bad luck or common that United employees don’t seem that happy. United does have an accessible seating request form which has proved useful. Don’t expect a first class upgrade because your butt is sensitive, but you can arrange for bulkhead or extra legroom.
Grade: C-
Gate Experience
I’ve had mixed experiences here with United, but most recently I was happy with the attention I got at the gate. In the past I’ve had to respond again to the same questions about my chair (weight, battery-type, etc) after just having done so at the check-in counter. Now United hangs this tag on the chair which details most of the necessary info. I haven’t noticed a special “coordinator” for boarding me like Delta seems to have.
Grade: B
Wheelchair Handling
I’ve had decent luck with United not breaking my chair (yet) but I have noticed longer wait times upon arrival to get my chair back, and less frequently is my chair brought to the aircraft door than on Delta.
Grade: C-
Passenger Handling
I’m not thrilled with United’s coverage of this area, particularly at Chicago O’Hare. In the International terminal, the staff is pretty much the same as Delta’s. But in the United terminals, I’ve had mixed-to-poor results with the assistance getting me on and off the planes. Even if I have requested 3 or 4 people to lift and transfer me, nobody can seem to get it right. I have been improperly lifted the last four segments I’ve flown on United and I feel like I’m training them every time this happens.
Grade: D
Overall Remarks
I’ll fly United if the prices is right. In my experience, I’ve been lucky with my chair not being damaged, but the overall experience as a disabled passenger on United is something that needs improvement.
You Should Go Anyway 
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