Japan with limited mobility, on a private tour
Japan asks far less of your feet than you might think.
Visiting Japan with limited mobility is entirely possible, and on a private tour it is a pleasure. A car and driver bring you to the gate of each garden and temple, every day is measured by how far you like to walk and no further, and every room is chosen for ease.
your pace
Every day measured by how far you like to walk
We plan, organise and run every tour. Tell us how far you walk comfortably, whether stairs are easy or hard, and whether you sometimes use a stick, a walker or a chair, and every day keeps within it. The places are chosen for level ground, wherever a view is worth lingering over there is somewhere to sit, and when the day has been full enough the car is close and the hotel is quiet.
Japan, at ease
Where Japan makes it easy
Gardens and temples
Many of Kyoto's great gardens are seen from the veranda of a temple hall, seated, exactly as they were made to be seen. Moss gardens, stroll gardens with level paths and temple halls reached by ramp are chosen over precincts climbed by long stone stairs, and where a place asks too much, there is almost always another as beautiful that does not.
Tea, at a table
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.
Between cities
The shinkansen is smooth and level, with lifts at the great stations and help at the platform whenever you wish it. Where the road is easier, your car takes you the whole way, by the gentler route.
The evenings
Dinner in a private room at a table with chairs rather than kneeling at a low one, kaiseki brought to you course by course, and the hotel a short drive away.
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: on one level, close to the lift, with beds rather than futon if you prefer, and where it suits you, a suite with its own onsen.
one of our own
Your Tour Director
Your Tour Director takes care of every arrangement, and knows the gentler path through every garden, the gate where the car comes closest and the bench with the best view.
accessible travel
Japan, for every traveller
questions
Japan with limited mobility, answered
Can I visit Japan with limited mobility?
Yes. Japan's cities are built with lifts, ramps and level entrances, its trains and great hotels are easy to reach, and on a private tour the car takes you to the gate of almost everywhere you wish to go. The temples and gardens reached by long stairs are the only real challenge, and there is almost always a beautiful alternative.
Is Kyoto manageable with limited mobility?
Yes, with the right choices. Kyoto's great dry gardens are seen seated from a temple veranda, many temple halls are reached by ramp, and a car can bring you close to most of them. The hillside temples with long stone stairs are the ones to leave aside, or to admire from below.
How far will we have to walk each day?
Only as far as you choose. Each day is planned around the distance you walk comfortably, the car goes as close as it can to everything you came to see, and any afternoon can be given to relaxation.
Can we still enjoy an onsen?
Yes. A suite with its own onsen lets you bathe privately, at any hour and at your own pace, and the best of them are on one level, reached without a step.
Is Japan friendly for people with disabilities?
More than most travellers expect. Lifts, ramps, tactile paving and accessible rooms are part of everyday Japan, and the oldest places, which ask for more care, are where a private journey created around you makes the difference.
Is there a car and driver every day?
Yes. On The Custom Tour of Japan a private car and driver are part of every day, and meet you on arrival.
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.