Traveling as a group of Neurodivergent Friends to Tokyo
Traveling as a group of Neurodivergent Friends to Tokyo
I will be traveling to Japan from Jan 22-Feb 20, 2025 with two or three friends who are neurodivergent or on the spectrum, I myself have my own mental health and neurological struggles but am considered situationally more high functioning than some of my friends and can appear more “normal” as long as my conversion disorder does not flare up on me. I have been asked by my friends to lead the group.
It has been my lifelong dream to eventually move to Japan, live, and work there, having gone on family vacations there in my youth and having positive experiences. For now, my family wants me to try for one month to see how I do.
My friends joining me for different portions of my time in Japan are generally well mannered and polite but do not always take social cues correctly and can make sudden loud remarks or burst out in laughter at odd times for unpredictable reasons.
We would not want to be seen as a nuisance or as disruptive tourists, as less visibly obvious disabilities are often poorly understood or misunderstood.
Does anyone have recommendations for restaurants in Tokyo and Sapporo with private rooms which are accessible and friendly so we do not disturb other guests and patrons but can enjoy the rich culinary options Japan has to offer?
Likewise, I am looking for accessible and disability friendly churches in Tokyo and Sapporo.
Thanks for your time. I wish everyone here a blessed and happy New Year!
- 2 Replies
I’m not sure of any specific places, but many restaurants offer a Koshitsu (個室) which is a private room. If you look at gurunavi there should be an option in English as well. Maybe try putting in the city name, “restaurant,” “個室” in google? Like for Sapporo: 札幌 レストラン 個室
If you aren’t to concerned about food quality, you could also try a karaoke box as they deliver food to the room, but not exactly great food 😓
If you come through Tokyo first, at most subway stations you can get a “help mark / ヘルプマーク” lanyard that is similar to the sunflower lanyard for indicating an invisible disability.
https://www.fukushihoken.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/helpmarkforcompany/multilingual/en.html
Thank you! This is very helpful, I really appreciate your response. I will let my friends know.
One of my friends joining me really wants to try a good Kabayaki restaurant when he is in Tokyo, do you have recommendations for one which is accessible? We heard that sometimes good restaurants require a reservation several weeks to a month in advance so we would have to start making reservations soon.
On a similar but different note, we will likely have to get pocket wifi, e-sim, and suica cards along with some local currency through exchange or an ATM as soon as we can after arriving in the airport. I will likely be put in charge of this so if I can get any guidance or recommendations that would be greatly appreciated.
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