Limited walking but don’t need a wheelchair yet…
Limited walking but don’t need a wheelchair yet…
Hi, I am looking at visiting Japan next year for the first time. I don’t use a wheelchair, but can only walk 1 or 2 miles total per day. Any thoughts about how to manage this?
- 5 Replies
I’ve never been to Japan before, but I do have low stamina. I get very tired easily even though I use a power wheelchair for mobility.
Set up a schedule where you don’t push yourself beyond your limits. Japan isn’t disappearing anytime soon. (Well, unless there’s another earthquake or tsunami or Godzilla finally shows up.) Do a little bit each day. Can you take breaks mid-day at your hotel? Sure, this will spread your trip longer, but at least you won’t be putting your health at risk.
And, it doesn’t hurt to consider using a wheelchair. There’s no shame in needing to use one. Millions of us use one every day.
There’s some big ol’ cities in Japan, for sure. But with great (yet complex) metro systems, you can get away with not having to walk so far if you plan your days well. At least from my experience, anyway.
I would suggest using Google Maps to start looking at routes you might take. It will tell you how much you will need to walk to get from, say, your hotel to your destination (ie walk 300m to station, ride to X, get off and walk 200m). You can then have a rough idea of how much you would need to walk for a given day, and maybe look up cafes en route where you could rest..
I’ll add to the other answers that:
- Japan doesn’t have a lot of places to rest compared to other cities. Outside of parks, there aren’t many benches etc to take a breather at – even at large shrines and temples etc.
- Many tourist sites do offer wheelchairs. So, you might be able to get by with just using those instead of renting one for the whole trip.
- Rentals take time and aren’t available easily in every city. While a few great companies assist with rentals, renting wheelchairs to foreign travelers isn’t really a thing here. So, if you decide to rent a wheelchair part-way through your trip, you may need to wait a few days or be told that they cannot deliver to the city you are in etc. So, if you think you might want to rent one, it is best to prepare in advance by at least looking into your options before you arrive.
Hope that helps!
Sorry for the late reply, but I think you already have some good information here. Agreeing with what others say, plan, plan, and then plan some more.
While there aren’t many public benches to rest, one thing you might also consider is plenty of refreshment breaks (coffee shops with seating, meals, etc). It’s a little more expensive, but also part of the experience.
Taxis are readily available and that’s what I used if I got too tired with walking. Hotels are more than happy to help.
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