Finding a hotel that will accommodate mobility scooters
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Finding a hotel that will accommodate mobility scooters
We are going on a cruise out of Yokohama cruise port. We are flying into Tokyo and plan on staying 3 days. My husband is bringing his mobility scooter since he can’t walk distances and needs to use it particularly on the ship. I tried to book a hotel and told them that we have a mobility scooter. If we could not fit it in the room, because they are small, is there anywhere else we can store it. They thought we were bringing a motorcycle. I sent a picture and explained what it is. They said it would need to be parked outside. If a hotel is wheelchair accessible, would that make it mobility scooter accessible? Please advise. Thanks in advance.
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11 Replies
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The Bad News: a mobility scooter is just slightly smaller than a regular scooter. If your hotel room is small there may simply be no room for it without it obscuring the entry and bathroom door. Please take into account many hotels provide slippers & assume/expect guests to remove their shoes in the room, so parking a mobility in a room may be seen as less than desirable. Not saying it’s right, but it’s reality.
The Good News: Japan is relatively safe and storing the scooter outside shouldn’t be an issue in regards to theft.
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Mobility scooter is not quite seen as a indoor mobility in Japan so you could encounter such responses, but I think if you ask a hotel with good hospitality, they can find the solution for you. The best is that you book hotel with large enough size but depending on the size of the mobility, it might be hard to find wide enough doors.
Another note is that the electric mobility that can run faster than 6km per hour is not regarded as pedestrian but motorcycle by Japanese law, strictly speaking.
As for Mr.Marsh’s comment on slippers, I would say they are prepared for the guest to relax and not mandatory to get off your shoes in the room. It is normal that you are requested to get off shoes at the entrance of the traditional japanese style inns though.
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re: shoes off in hotel rooms
Ohayo Travel is correct that it’s not mandatory.
It’s what many Japanese do and I was trying to provide some insight into why Japanese may not see/think parking a mobility scooter in a motel room as something one does.
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Hi,
Can you send us a picture of the scooter you are using?
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I want to thank everyone for all your responses. Maybe this will give you some insight as to what it looks like. This cannot be parked outdoors in the event that it rains. It is electric with a gel battery that is not flammable. The pictures represent sizes in the two positions, one upright and the other with the seat folded down. Along with the pictures are the actual dimensions. I appreciate your time. Risa
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Hi
I am going through the exact same decision making process at the moment. I have been doing quite a bit of research, as I am sure you are.
Do you realise that taking a mobility scooter on trains is likely to be a big hassle in Japan? Whereas, using an electric wheelchair is much less problematic as Japanese people recognise that as a disability aid.
We will be there for a month including an 18 night cruise. It’s our fourth visit to Japan but last time I only needed a walking stick.
At the moment I am strongly swayed towards hiring an electric wheelchair in Japan. They deliver to your hotel and collect it. It will cost me about AUD 500 for the month but I guess it will be worth it.
Check out Marudai wheelchair hire. I would be interested to stay in touch on this
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Oh. Sorry, a p.s. to my last post. I emailed Marudai and whilst the website has lots of pictures of mobility scooters, unfortunately, they no longer hire them.
Let me know what you are planning in the ports. If you are doing ship’s tours, then I can’t help you, we don’t use ships tours at all. But if you are interested in more autonomous tours, I have a contact who maybe useful for you.
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Hi! Yes, we are going through the same situation that you are. However, our scooter must come with us, because it is needed on the cruise ship since there is so much walking involved. I can walk short distances as long as I am able to stop for a bit. What I am going to try to do, is contact my Travel agent through my cruise line and see if the cruise line works with any of the hotels that might accept scooters. Then, I will need to find transportation that will accommodate the scooter. We a leaving next November. I hope that I am not working on this issue for the year.
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I have a feeling you will be on the same cruise as us. My husband must have his scooter as well. He can walk short distances, but that is it. I am starting to get very frustrated with this trip. We did book a hotel. Getting transportation from the airport to the hotel is something else. A company responded to me with a quote. I filled out their form and have not heard back from them. I tried contacting the hotel for information on transportation to no avail. I can say that they most certainly do not cater to disabilities. This is an ongoing issue.
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Risa,
Would you like the contact for the limousine service my wife & I used? They may service Narita.
re: “very short distances” is how far?
I definitely appreciate your frustration
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Thank you so much for your response. I think I have made progress. Booking.com said that they can accommodate us. If that doesn’t work out, I will reach out to you. Our ride is 25 minutes from Haneda airport.
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