Category: Barrier Free

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 9, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Japan Travel

Bus company introduces Japan’s 1st service with lie-flat seats

Kochi Ekimae Kanko, a bus operator in western Japan, has repeatedly received passenger feedback that overnight bus rides can be physically tiring and concluded there is enough demand for buses with lie-flat seats. The company trialed the seats, which can be converted into two tiers of beds, on its 13-hour service between Kochi Prefecture and Tokyo. During the trial in August, an upper bed seat cost 12,000 yen ($80) one way, while a lower bed seat was 10,000 yen. The fares for the regular service are yet to be announced.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 7, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Japan

People with Disabilities and Local Residents Connect at “Fureai” Exchange Event in Nishinomiya, Hyogo for 20th Year

The Fureai Network Festival in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo, brought together people with disabilities and local residents for its 20th annual event on October 5. Organized by the nonprofit Nishinomiya Fureai Network, the festival featured 16 organizations running booths where participants sold handmade goods and hosted workshops, including leathercraft. The event provided an opportunity for people with disabilities working at local facilities to engage with the wider community, with organizers highlighting its importance in fostering social connection and inclusion.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 6, 2025 Number of comments0
Japan Travel Barrier Free Shinkansen

Japan’s new high-speed maglev trains to have non-reclining seats

Trains on Japan’s new high-speed maglev line to run between Tokyo and Nagoya will offer only non-reclining seats to maximize passenger leg and luggage space, Central Japan Railway Co. officials said recently. The train operator decided that seat backs fixed at 15 degrees would not compromise passenger comfort as the 40-minute travel time on the under-construction Linear Chuo Shinkansen line, to link Tokyo’s Shinagawa Station and Nagoya Station in central Japan, will be less than half what it takes existing bullet trains to make the journey.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 27, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Disability Japan Travel Wheelchair

From October 1, JR East to Begin Crew-Assisted Ramp Service on the Jōetsu, Shin’etsu, and Agatsuma Lines

Crew-assisted ramp services have been in place since 2022 at certain stations operated by JR Kyushu, JR East, JR Central, JR West, and JR Shikoku. Within JR East, they are already available at selected stations on the Ōme Line, Sōbu Main Line, Narita Line, Sotobō Line, Uchibō Line, Kururi Line, Sagami Line, Ryōmō Line, and Echigo Line. DPI Japan encourages wheelchair users living along these lines to try the service and share your feedback.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 24, 2025 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Crime Disability Japan

Death Penalty Sought for Man over Quadruple Murder in Nagano

Public prosecutors Wednesday sought the death penalty for Masanori Aoki, 34, who has been accused of murdering four people in Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, in May 2023. 
   Aoki has been indicted on charges of fatally stabbing two local women and killing two police officers with a knife and a hunting gun in the city of Nakano on the evening of May 25, 2023.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 15, 2025 1
Barrier Free Disability Japan Podcast

Akutagawa Prize Winning Author with Disabilities, Saou Ichikawa, Offers View on ‘Co-existence’ in Japan [Podcast Episode]

Saou Ichikawa was born in 1979. Diagnosed in childhood with congenital myopathy, a rare disease that causes muscle weakness, and has used a ventilator since age 14. Graduated in March 2023 from Waseda University’s School of Human Sciences correspondence program. Her thesis “The Reciprocal Influence Between the Representation of Disabled People and Real Society” won the Ono Azusa Memorial Academic Prize. Her debut novel “Hunchback” won the 169th Akutagawa Prize in July 2023. Her most recent book, to be published in September 2025 is “A Girl’s Spine”.