Written by Julie Jone, Have Wheelchair Will Travel, February 5, 2025
Access to appropriate bathroom facilities, whether in our own community or when travelling, is a basic human right. While most people can make do with whatever is available, for many people with a disability, freedom to travel and to participate in the community is limited by the facilities they can access. In Australia we are fortunate to have a variety of bathroom facilities in public spaces and at events. The Changing Places bathrooms offer the highest level of support including exceptionally large spaces fitted with a shower bench, adult-size change table, toilet and hoist. It’s a high standard that has been set so I’m always keen to see what other countries offer. Japan is famous for its toilets so I was curious to check out the accessible bathrooms in Japan.
Accessible bathrooms in Japan
On my first look at an accessible Japanese bathroom I was totally bamboozled. I’ve never seen so many bathroom fixtures and features in one room before.
Taking a longer look it is clear to see that Japan’s attention to detail and cleanliness has been incorporated in the design. The bathrooms at Haneda Airport were the first ones I saw and these bathrooms had a easy to slide entry door, change table (no hoist), toilet with backrest, grab rails and a sensor operated flush function for the toilet. Along with this there is a wash basin with lever taps and a separate ostomate sink.
I assumed this was a particularly good facility at an airport but over the following 10 days we found that Japan provides these accessible facilities extensively. They are multi-purpose bathrooms so although I was looking through the lens of someone who needs the accessible facilities, these bathrooms are also open to families with young children and to the elderly. At the airport there were several of these bathrooms.
Even when visiting the Avatar Robot Cafe DAWN I found an accessible bathroom with similar facilities.
At Tokyo Disneyland we again found a similar set up.
Space in the accessible bathroom on the Shinkansen was tight but it was great to find an accessible cubicle with grab rails and an ostomate sink. We also found Japanese department stores and rail stations offer good accessible bathroom facilities too.
In Australia and overseas we have never seen ostomate facilities being offered in public accessible bathrooms. Although this isn’t something we need personally, I am so passionate about seeing facilities that enable people to travel with comfort and ease, I was thrilled to see this so readily available in the areas of Japan where we travelled.