Japan as a power wheelchair user
Japan as a power wheelchair user
I am a power wheelchair user and will be going to Japan at the start of September and had a few questions.
1. I will be traveling with my Permobil and was wondering how charging the chair will work in Japan? What are my options i.e. adapters?
2. How was your experience at the airport? Did you have a good experience with assistance services? I will be flying into Narita. Who helps you deplane? Is the aisle chair the same as those in the U.S? How long did you have to wait for assistance deplaning with the aisle chair and how long did you need to wait for them to bring your personal chair? Do they bring your personal chair to the door of the plane?
3. What are my options for transportation from the airport? I will need a vehicle that can accommodate a power wheelchair.
Also @joshgrisdale I would love to meet you when I come to Japan! Thanks for creating such a great resource!
- 12 Replies
Hello Tayjus
My husband is a power wheelchair user and we are going to Tokyo and Kyoto in November. we are flying on ANA and we are asking permission for the wheelchair to be brought to the entrance of the plane on the bridge at the Narita and Itami airports.
From my conversations with a variety of ANA staff in the Philippines in Japan and in the USA this is an unusual situation. And definitely there are language barriers. The last person I spoke to is someone who is Japanese, and works in Los Angeles and is fairly fluent in English. as you can imagine. The nuances of travel for a power chair user may not translate very easily into Japanese. I am hoping that I will receive approval for this request in the next few days.
I don’t know the size of the aisle chair and asked for assistance at the airport I am hoping that the people who do the aisle chair are able to handle him.
although the airlines believe that my request has been made very early, I think they appreciate it so that there’s adequate time to prepare for our arrival if this is something you’re interested in I would recommend that you call the ANA lines as soon as you can
ANA has a Disability desk listing, but I have never been able to reach them. the Disability desk is in Japan and the difference for us is 19 hours
I hope this is helpful!
If you get the approval I’d like to know. I’m traveling to Osaka next spring and I’ve never flown with a wheelchair before (powered or otherwise,).
I will post to this thread if we are approved!
In general worldwide all airlines agreed to carry 2 medical aids on flights. Your choice. Your airlines will arrange this. Call them.
Public transport is accessible and the cheapest option.
In another post someone recommended a taxi company. But they are located in Yokohama and do transfers from Haneda airport. You can ask for Narita. USA prices I guess.
Japan has 110V. Same as USA I think. So only the plug can be your problem. Otherwise you need a converter.
My husband and I were in Japan in April/May 2024 and landed at Narita airport. He is in a wheelchair and unable to walk or stand at all. We only brought his manual wheelchair. Disembarking the plane was pretty standard. They sent 2 people to assist him into the aisle chair which was the same as ones we had used in Canada. We had left his manual wheelchair at the door of the plane to be put in the hold at the last minute so his chair was at the door of the plane when we deplaned waiting for us. He transferred from the aisle chair to his own chair at the door of the plane. I’m not sure how long it would take to get the chair if you check it with regular luggage. As expected we were the last people off the plane but it was definitely a good experience.
I’m not sure what your destination is from Narita. We were going to Yokohama and used One Trail Transcare from Narita. https://www.onetrail-yokohama.com/english/ He was amazing and super helpful. He also does tours from Yokohama. However, if you’re going to Tokyo I don’t think he could help. If you would like more information, let me know. I hope this information was useful.
Hi!
Glad you like the site – be sure to tell others so we can grow the community bigger!
Some great points covering deplaning, so I’ll answer the other points.
I live in Tokyo and am actually flying out of Narita tomorrow! I will just be taking the train. It is a bit over an hour (depending on where you are going in Tokyo) but cheap and accessible. There are several train options. However, it can be a bit difficult with a lot of luggage.
As for your charger, can you send a picture of the plug but also a picture of the specs? Somewhere printed on the charger you will see the accepted voltages like 100-220v. If it is near to or includes the 110v of Japan it should be fine, but if you are from a country using 220v and the charger ONLY does 220v, you will not get a full charge and will need a step up/down voltage converter, not just a plug adapter. See more here: https://www.accessible-japan.com/voltage-japan-wheelchair-battery-chargers/
Hi Tayjus,
We are a taxi that you are after.
We can meet you at the airport right after you get through the exit and we look after you and your luggage.
If you would like to book us then contact us.
Thanks for all the great responses!
@joshgrisdale Here is a photo of the wheelchair charger and plug! Thanks for taking a look!
Looks good to go for both the plug and the voltage!
How about this one – it has the same plug as the previous photo
Will check and get back to you
It will likely work, but take a bit longer to charge than usual. If both are yours, I suggest bringing the first one you sent.
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