Japan for blind and low vision travellers
Japan reaches every sense.
Japan is one of the most rewarding countries in the world for blind and low vision travellers. Tactile paving began here and now lines its stations and pavements, crossings in the great cities sound when it is time to walk, and so much of its beauty lies in scent, sound, texture and taste. Its oldest places ask for more care, and that is where a private journey, created around you, makes all the difference.
your way
Japan described, held and tasted
We plan, organise and run every tour. Tell us how you like to be guided, whether on an arm, by description alone or walking on your own with a cane, and how much you would like described, and every day follows it. Each day's plan is shared with you the evening before, in the way that suits you to read it.
Every place is chosen as much for what it offers the other senses as for the view: the incense drifting through a temple hall, gravel underfoot in a garden, the weight of a hand-thrown tea bowl, the scent of hinoki in your room.
Japan, at ease
Where Japan makes it easy
Where tactile paving began
The raised yellow tiles that guide a cane were first developed in Japan in 1965 and first laid on a street in Okayama in 1967. Today they run along pavements and platforms, up to stairs and lift doors, across the whole country.
Gardens for every sense
Moss soft underfoot, water running through a stroll garden, the bell of a temple at the close of the day. Your Tour Director describes each garden as you walk it, and where touching is welcome, a hand on an old cedar or a carved stone lantern says more than any view.
Craft in the hand
Lacquer, ceramics, paper and textiles are made to be held as much as seen, and a craftsman's workshop is a place to take the work into your own hands. Tea can be prepared for you in ryurei, the tea ceremony at a table, first presented in Kyoto in 1872 so that guests could take tea seated in chairs.
The table
Each piece of sushi set before you in turn, kaiseki brought course by course, every dish and its season described, and every menu read aloud.
where you stay
Rooms chosen for ease
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 for ease: simple to find from the lift, walked through with you when you arrive so that you know it by touch, and where it suits you, a suite with its own onsen in a bath of fragrant hinoki.
one of our own
Your Tour Director
Your Tour Director takes care of every arrangement, describes every garden as you walk it, reads every menu and every sign, and offers an arm whenever you wish it.
questions
Japan for blind travellers, answered
Is Japan blind friendly?
More than almost anywhere. Tactile paving began in Japan and lines its stations and pavements, crossings in the big cities sound when it is time to walk, and station staff will help when asked. The oldest temples and gardens, with gravel paths and stone steps, ask for more care, and on a private journey your Tour Director is beside you there.
Is there tactile paving in Japan?
Yes, almost everywhere. Raised yellow tiles guide the way along pavements and station platforms and mark stairs and lift doors. They were first laid on a street in Okayama in 1967 and are now found across the whole country.
Can visually impaired travellers enjoy Japan?
Very much. So much of Japan is felt, heard and tasted: incense in a temple hall, water in a garden, a tea bowl in the hand, a kaiseki dinner course by course. With every garden described and every menu read, a journey through Japan is rich in every sense.
Can we travel with a companion or as a family?
Yes. A private journey is made for one party of any size, so a companion, a partner or the whole family travels together, with rooms side by side where the hotel allows.
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.