Tourism Tokyo among the top 10 cities for disabled travellers

According to Valuable 500, an organization launched at 2019's World Economic Forum, Tokyo ranks among the top 10 international travel destinations most accessible for people with disabilities. The research was conducted by questioning 3,500 disabled travellers from the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, China and Japan. This survey highlighted the 10 most inclusive global transport destinations as blueprints for others to learn from, and the results were released last month.

The 10 most accessible cities for people with disabilities

The cities included were not ranked in any particular order.

1. Singapore, Singapore
2. Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Amsterdam, Netherlands
4. New York, U.S.
5. Orlando, U.S.
6. Paris, France
7. Shanghai, China
8. London, UK
9. Sydney, Australia
10. Tokyo, Japan

I would not have guessed Tokyo would be in the top 10. To me it feels pretty tough for someone with a wheelchair to navigate Tokyo, with all of the stairs and escalators, but most of all the crowds. JR seems to do a fair job of providing assistance for people with wheelchairs, but my god what maze it must be trying to figure out how to make use of the various disabled amenities. Or, maybe its easier than I imagine?

Las Vegas I can understand. Singapore... well, maybe. Tokyo feels challenging on all levels.

Majestic said:

I would not have guessed Tokyo would be in the top 10. To me it feels pretty tough for someone with a wheelchair to navigate Tokyo, with all of the stairs and escalators, but most of all the crowds. JR seems to do a fair job of providing assistance for people with wheelchairs, but my god what maze it must be trying to figure out how to make use of the various disabled amenities. Or, maybe its easier than I imagine?

Las Vegas I can understand. Singapore... well, maybe. Tokyo feels challenging on all levels.

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I think Tokyo has added elevator access to most stations now. When my father visited me in 1997 I had to plan pretty carefully. I borrowed a wheelchair for free from my ward which was nice. In one or two cases at stations where there were no elevators or escalators, station staff carried him up the stairs in the wheelchair. Now I imagine it's a lot easier with amenities mapped out and easy to find on Google. For a good part of the trip, though, I rented a car and took my parents around by auto.

Japan is way better for certain limitations than others. I think they do a pretty good job for the blind, but would be especially challenging for people with physical challenges. Public facilities are steadily improving, but I'd think some areas would probably just be inaccessible to certain individuals, depending on their needs.

That said, I've seen some incredible bathroom designs that had some impressive accessibility considerations built into them. The will is there, it's just a matter of time as they update to higher standards.

Yes, you are right. Tokyo (especially the more well-travelled locations and stations) probably does a pretty good job of providing wheelchair access and wheelchair-accessible facilities.