[Pao]

Thanks for interesting post.

I found answers on web.

It is able to park at same place of bike parking .

It is better to check bike parking area near your destination.

Have a nice trip

[Wheelchair Travel Japan]

Hi Li-san,

It is wonderful that you are traveling with your mother! We hope you enjoy the Japanese gardens.

Whether or not your mother’s mobility scooter can be parked at the temples…this was a question I had never experienced before, so I called the temples and asked them.

Kinkakuji said it would be best to park in the motorcycle parking lot at the entrance as Pao-san said, since the roads inside are gravel.

Ryoanji’s answer was that there is a place to park wheelchairs and other vehicles at the entrance to the garden, and it would be a good idea to talk to the security guard there.

However, you should lock your mobility scooter just in case, since it is “parked” rather than “stored”.

By the way, can your mother’s mobility scooter be folded up and put in the trunk of a car?

If so, I suppose you could put it in the trunk of a taxi and take it to the temples.

It is quite a hurdle to get on a local train or bus in Japan with a mobility scooter.

For more information on mobility scooter transportation in Japan, I recommend that you refer to the Accessible Japan website.

https://www.accessible-japan.com/mobility-scooters-japan/

We hope this will be helpful to you.

[sato2025]

Hello Li, I think the others got your answer down. I wanted to make a quick mention the temples you speak about are in Kyoto and not Tokyo. I just want to make sure you don’t end up accidentally in the wrong city looking for them! I hope you have a lovely time in Japan.

[Unknown Member]

Hi,

thanks for all the replies.

I have now another question: is it allowed to take a folded mobility scooter (folded state) on the Shinkansen train form Kyoto to Tokyo?

thanks!

[Wheelchair Travel Japan]

@Li123 Hi Li-san,

It depends on the size of the folded mobility scooter.

If it is about the same size as a larger suitcase, there is enough space to place it behind the wheelchair seat on the Shinkansen.

The important thing in this case is to book a wheelchair seat at the very end of the carriage.

[kailua74]

Your scooter should be fine parked where the bikes are parked. Just take your valuables.

I have a foldable 4-wheel mobility scooter I just purchased. I see that Japan’s requirements for a mobility scooter is 27.5” wide and 47.24” long (70cm wide and 120cm long). Is there an official form required prior to arriving in Japan that I need to complete for travel in Japan? It is understood that I can ride the scooter in the train stations but have to manually push it on the platforms. If I fold it up like a stroller, am I able to embark and disembark with scooter without having to go to a special train car? Just returned from Japan visit March 2025. After walking with my family and not being able to spend the full day with them because I was not able to keep up with them (8-10 mi./day, I cut my days short and returned to our hotel/airbnb/rental unit by taxi daily. So to avoid thase scenarios, I decided to buy a mobility scooter for travel. I saw that if you’re shopping, stores are not designed for mobility scooters/wheelchairs. Aisles are narrow. Accessibility ok on most streets, although crowded. Many accessible restrooms in most tourist spots. When embarking/disembarking trains, you will need to proceed to doors rapidlly. Thank goodness for elevators at train stations. Hopefully accessibility will grow.

[Wheelchair Travel Japan]

@bz50 Hello Kailua-san,

It’s a shame you couldn’t spend time with your family during your trip. I hope you can enjoy your next trip!

Regarding the use of mobility scooters on trains,

> Shinkansen trains:

This site is a good reference for mobility scooter rides on Japan’s main Shinkansen trains.

https://www.accessible-japan.com/mobility-scooters-japan/

This article covers the Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka area.

“The multi-purpose rooms” on the Shinkansen mentioned in the article cannot be reserved via the app, so if you need a reservation, please feel free to request it to us.

There is no official form, but when reserving multi-purpose rooms, you will need to inform them of the size of your scooter.

> Local trains & subways:

Unfortunately, in Japan, you should consider it almost impossible to “ride” a mobility scooter on local trains or subways (at least I’ve never seen anyone riding one… Electric wheelchairs can be ridden on trains without any problems.)

But if you can fold your scooter up, you can take it on the train.

However, as you know, seats on local trains in Japan are rarely empty, especially in Tokyo and Osaka… I hope you don’t have to stand on the train for a long time.

I am a guide (and a travel agency) for wheelchair travelers, and I feel that the number of people traveling around Japan in wheelchairs and mobility scooters has increased significantly! I hope everyone visiting this site will enjoy your trip to Japan!

[kailua74]

Thanks for your response. Yes it’s a foldable Pride Go Go Super Portable mobility scooter. I was fortunate to get seats on the train because my family rushed in before me to assist. We also rode on the Shinkansen green car which worked well comfortably. If you have a scooter/wheelchairs, it’s a good idea to reserve a seat fronting the bulky luggage area to utilize that cargo area (additional cost). I didn’t see anyone in a wheelchair or mobility scooter while traveling in Japan. The streets were filled with mobile people! It was as if those with mobility issues stay away from tourist areas. In fact, I seemed to be the only one who rented the ‘turtle-speed’ mobility scooter in Tokyo Disneyland. The max speed was 3km/hr.