Category: Entertainment

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 22, 2024 1
Barrier Free Disability Discrimination Entertainment Japan Wheelchair

(Update) Wheelchair User Denied Accessible Space at Tokyo Cinema, Aeon Cinema Company Apologizes and Social Media Responds

When Ryoko Nakajima posted about this incident on social media, in which she said she would be refused admission to the cinema next time, it went viral.

The next day, Aeon Entertainment, which operates the cinema chain, issued an apology:

“It has come to our attention that an Aeon Entertainment employee made an inappropriate comment to a customer while assisting the customer to move to another location after the customer had finished watching a movie. We regret the incident and believe that it was caused by a lack of guidance to our employees.”

There were various opinions floating around on social media with some making statements like:

“Everyone wants to choose their favorite seat.”

“Is it normal to request assistance outside of work?”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 21, 2024 Number of comments0
Barrier Free Entertainment Japan Podcast Shog.A.I. Shimbun Wheelchair

Disability News Japan Podcast: The Shog-A.I. Shimbun #8: Wheelchair User Denied Accessible Space at Tokyo Cinema

The Shog-A.I. Shimbun goes to the movies, sort of…An incident took place at a cinema in Tokyo, which is usually used by a woman in a wheelchair. TBS reported that: “The woman watched the movie not from the wheelchair-only space, but from a reclining seat with four steps.”
The woman paid an additional fee and watched the movie in a reclining seat, rather than in the wheelchair-only space.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt January 21, 2024 1
Disability Entertainment Japan

Retired Japanese Comedian Masuo ‘Esper’ Ito’s Cause of Death Determined to be Epileptic Seizure

Former comedian Esper Ito, who was reported to have passed away on the 17th at the age of 63, announced on the 19th that the cause of his death was status epilepticus.

The office said, “Esper Ito (real name Masuo Ito) had been receiving rehabilitation treatment at a facility for a long time and has been repeatedly in and out of the hospital, but on January 16, 2024, due to status epilepticus, He passed away at a medical institution.”

by Michael Gillan Peckitt December 4, 2023 Number of comments0
Disability Entertainment Japan Podcast

Disability News Japan Podcast: Disabled Kids in Nagano Get Night Trip to the Zoo!

Creating a fun haven for children with disabilities hoping to see wildlife is a global effort that has lasted over a quarter century.
And it is spreading widely among Japanese zoos, albeit normally as a one-day event as they embrace the twilight by opening their gates at night or reserving entire days exclusively for those with special needs and their families.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt December 2, 2023 1
Barrier Free Children Disability Entertainment Japan

Dreamnight program enables disabled children to enjoy visits to zoos in Japan

Creating a fun haven for children with disabilities hoping to see wildlife is a global effort that has lasted over a quarter century.

And it is spreading widely among Japanese zoos, albeit normally as a one-day event as they embrace the twilight by opening their gates at night or reserving entire days exclusively for those with special needs and their families.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 4, 2021 Number of comments0
Disability Entertainment Japan

Brave new world in Tokyo, that has such people with disabilities acting in it: Disabled people re-imagine Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ in Japan

Performed by actors with disabilities from Japan, Britain and Bangladesh, the play is being staged in Higashi-Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The work, created by overcoming the “tempests” of disability, language and distance, conveys the importance of accepting each other’s differences and living together.