Blindness accessibility information for a year spent all over japan
Blindness accessibility information for a year spent all over japan
Hello dear travelers,
In October, I’ll start my working holiday trip all around Japan.
As the title suggests, I’m blind, and I was wondering what accommodations are available for all aspects of life, including transportation (train/metro), housing, moving around cities, activities, and potential discounts (that’s important ).
I saw online that the European Disability Card is not recognized in Japan, and we need a Japanese one. Can I get it with a working holiday visa (1 year)?
Are there any important tips or apps that could help me? I’m quite independent, and I’ll be traveling alone, so any advice would be appreciated. For example, in France, there is a website/app called Metro-Connexion (https://www.metro-connexion.org/) that provides a precise description of the subway corridors, which is super useful for finding the correct platform.
I’m looking for any information. To be honest, I didn’t find a lot of things on the internet.
I know that, in Tokyo at least, you have ground markings in the streets and sound alerts at traffic lights. But that’s all I know.
Thanks in advance to those who take the time to answer me .
- 2 Replies
Hello, in the train station ( Metro and grandes lignes ) , you can always ask for assistance: a person Will get you on the train, if you need it.
Have a good trip.
Hi
So, first about the Japanese disability card, you can get it as a resident (ie not a tourist staying for under 90 days). However, you need to be a resident of a certain area with a fixed address. So, if you will be living in an area and using that as a base to travel, it should be possible to get one, but if you are constantly traveling I’m not sure… Also note it takes 2-3 months to get one.
As for discounts, if you get your European card translated you can likely get discounts at some places (but not all depending on the location’s rules and if they are strict about having a a Japanese disability card or not). However, you must have a Japanese ID for discounts on public transportation.
For accessibility, yes tactile blocks are nearly everywhere in Japan (actually tactile blocks were invented in Japan!). There is a lot of braille on things like handrails to train platforms, drinks, ticket machines etc, but it is Japanese braille which has two extra dots compared to alphabet braille. There are audio signals at many street crossings.
As mentioned by another member, you can ask station staff to guide you to your train if needed.
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