Electric Wheelchair or Mobility Scooter?
Electric Wheelchair or Mobility Scooter?
Hi, I’m coming to Japan Tokyo first week of July 2025. I can walk a little, I can’t walk far or stand for more than 5 minutes. I predominately use a mobility scooter at home and have an electric wheelchair that I keep in the boot of the car for when I am away from home. So, I can easily use both methods. My plan was to hire a mobility scooter when I get there but after reading train travel rules it seems that a wheelchair would be best. Would my trip be better if I hired a wheelchair instead?
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I spent 3 weeks in Japan from Mid November. Like you, I use a mobility scooter at home. In Japan, I saw none. Through our travel agent, I hired an electric wheelchair. I eventually managed to reverse out of a lift without hitting anything!
We had to get a spare battery for the wheelchair, as we regularly used up one.
Hi, thanks so much, and thanks for the spare battery advice too. Were you able to charge your battery when you were out and about?
I would add, that we used the trains extensively, including the Shinkansen.
If you report to the kiosk at the ticket barrier with your ticket / seat reservation. You will escorted to the right location on the platform. Put down a ramp (slope) for you. On the Shinkansen our travel agent booked seat reservations next to the vestibule. We collapsed the wheelchair and put it behind the seat.
Station stops will be less than a minute, so be ready in advance for getting off.
There will be station staff at your destination station with a ramp for you.
On other trains there will be a designated area for the wheelchair.
No, we charged the batteries in our hotel room.
As Kelvin mentioned, mobility scooters are very rare here among locals (though travelers are making them a bit more common).
If you can do either, go for a wheelchair as it is much more widely understood and accepted. Until recently, scooters were much more strictly regulated on trains. It is much better now, but there are still some narrow train platforms where it might not be allowed. JR has some guidelines you can see here: https://www.accessible-japan.com/mobility-scooters-japan/
You can look up specific stations here: https://www.ecomo-rakuraku.jp/en under the section “Movement information in handle type electric wheelchair” (which is how they refer to mobility scooters)
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