Deaf travel in Japan, on a private tour
So much of Japan is seen.
Japan is a wonderful country for Deaf and hard of hearing travellers. A garden is composed like a painting, a kaiseki course is arranged as carefully as it is cooked, and signs in the airports and stations are clear and plentiful. What can be hard is anything left to a spoken announcement, and on a private journey, nothing is.
your way
Every day in the way you communicate
We plan, organise and run every tour. Tell us how each of you prefers to communicate, whether in sign language, in writing, by reading lips or with captions on a phone, and every day follows that way. Each day's plan is written out for you the evening before, and any change is written too, never left to a loudspeaker.
Where you would like one, a guide who signs in your language travels with you: Japanese Sign Language, American Sign Language or International Sign. Every other conversation, at the hotel desk, the restaurant and the temple gate, is your Tour Director's to handle.
Japan, seen
A country made to be seen
Gardens and temples
A Kyoto dry garden is read with the eye: raked gravel for water, stones for islands and mountains. Temple halls, painted screens and the turn of the seasons in maple and blossom ask nothing of the ear.
The table
Kaiseki is a meal of the eye as much as the palate, each course set on a dish chosen for the season. The menu is written out for you in English before you sit down, and a private dining room makes every conversation at the table easy.
Sign language in Japan
Japan has its own sign language, a complete language distinct from spoken Japanese, related to Korean and Taiwanese Sign Language and recognised as a language in Japanese law in 2011.
Between cities
English signs are clear and prominent at Japan's airports. Between cities your first-class seats on the shinkansen are reserved, your Tour Director travels beside you, and your car meets you at every station, so no announcement ever matters.
where you stay
Rooms chosen with care
You stay in the finest luxury hotels and ryokan in Japan, each one chosen personally by us for its luxury, its comfort and its setting.
Each room on your journey is also chosen with care, and every message about your stay reaches you in writing. Where it suits you, among them is a suite with its own onsen, private and yours at any hour.
one of our own
Your Tour Director
Your Tour Director takes care of every arrangement, writes out every plan and every change, and handles every conversation at every desk, so that nothing in your day depends on an announcement.
questions
Deaf travel in Japan, answered
Is Japan deaf friendly?
In much of what matters, yes. Japan is a visual country, signs at the airports and stations are clear, and staff will write things down when asked. Spoken announcements on trains and in stations are the hard part, and on a private journey nothing depends on them.
Does Japan have sign language?
Yes. Japanese Sign Language is a complete language of its own, distinct from spoken Japanese and from American and British Sign Language, and it was recognised in Japanese law as a language in 2011. Guides who sign in Japanese Sign Language, American Sign Language and International Sign can travel with you.
Is there a deaf tour of Japan?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is private and created around your party, so the way each of you communicates shapes every day from the first line, with a signing guide if you wish, every plan written out, and your own Tour Director throughout.
Can hard of hearing travellers enjoy Japan?
Very much. Quiet gardens, private dining rooms rather than busy counters, and a Tour Director who writes out every plan make each day easy to follow, and nothing important is ever left to a crowded room or a loudspeaker.
What is a Tour Director?
The most sought-after doors in Japan, and its most exclusive places, open only from within. Your Tour Director opens them: one of our own, fluent in English and Japanese. They enhance every day, turning a beautiful journey into a deep and authentic experience of Japan.
begin
Begin your journey
Tell us who is travelling, what you would love to see, and anything that helps us plan for you. The Custom Tour of Japan begins with the Journey form and continues on a call with our team, and everyone travelling is welcome to join it.