The Access Dispatch: Lots to Share!

A jam-packed edition of The Access Dispatch, with hotels, advice, and much more.

Accessible Japan, Josh Grisdale, and Anthony William

Mar 31, 2026

Hi all! Hope you’re well. For those reading in the northern hemisphere, is the weather starting to get a little better?

This month, we have a flurry of fresh activity on our website to share with you, plus some important reminders of pages that have been fixtures for a while!

We’ll start, however, with a number of brand new hotel listings — three from Tokyo and one from Kyoto…

Image 1: A dimly lit upscale rooftop restaurant or lounge with panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a city at night, featuring round tables, cushioned chairs, ambient lighting, and a large display screen. Image 2: A luxurious high-rise hotel suite at night with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a sweeping city skyline view, furnished with a king bed, sofa, and a round marble coffee table with champagne on ice. Image 3: A wheelchair-accessible hotel room with a low platform bed, tatami-style flooring, kitchenette area, and a blue manual wheelchair parked near the entrance. Image 4: A spacious wheelchair-accessible hotel room with neutral stone-textured walls, a low platform bed, large windows with shoji-style blinds, a wall-mounted TV, and a blue manual wheelchair beside the bed.

HOTEL GROOVE SHINJUKU, TOKYO ↗
Mid-century, modern style. 538 guest rooms spread across floors 18 and 20-38 of Kabukicho Tower. The hotel offers fantastic views of the city. There is one accessible (twin) room.
BELLUSTAR TOKYO ↗
The Bellustar is also housed within Kabukicho Tower, spread over floors 18 and 39-47, with 97 rooms. There are four dining venues on floor 45.
MIMARU KYOTO SHINMACHI SANJO ↗
An apartment-style hotel in central Kyoto’s Nakagyo ward, about a five-minute walk from Karasuma Oike Station on the Kyoto City Subway Karasuma Line. The Accessible Japanese Apartment sleeps up to four guests with two single beds and two futons.
MIMARU TOKYO KINSHICHO ↗
The Mimaru Tokyo Kinshicho is also an apartment-style hotel in Tokyo’s Sumida ward. The property has 82 non-smoking rooms, each designed for groups of up to seven guests. There is one accessible apartment with four single beds.

For more hotel options across various cities in Japan, head to our ‘Accessible Hotels in Japan’ page.

Next up, we have an older piece but with fresh information — ‘Charging Your Wheelchair or Scooter in Japan’.

A collection of plugs plugged into sockets.

Keeping your power wheelchair or scooter charged while traveling in Japan is essential — and for most people, it's as simple as checking a label on your charger and picking up a cheap plug adapter.

For more must-know information that will assist you when organizing your trip to Japan, head to our ‘Planning Your Accessible Trip to Japan’ page on our website.

We have a couple of accessible tour options to share with you, perfect if you want to see more of Japan, with an expert guide.

This image features two scenes capturing the essence of Japanese street life at night. On the left, a narrow, lantern-lit alleyway evokes a traditional atmosphere with its wooden storefronts, a decorated sake barrel, and warm glow reflecting off the stone path. On the right, a close-up shot focuses on a skewer of Mitarashi Dango being dipped into a glossy, dark soy glaze, showcasing a popular sweet and savory street food being prepared for a customer.

RETRO KARAHORI FOOD TOUR, OSAKA ↗
Visit nostalgic neighbourhoods, try authentic local eats, venture off the beaten track, and enjoy the laid-back pace. All while making sure everything is accessible.
KYOTO CASUAL PONTOCHO EVENING FOOD TOUR ↗
This accessible tour features highlights such as Lantern-Lit Alleyways, 10–12 Curated Dishes, Geisha Culture Stories, and Local Sake Tasting.

For more accessible tours, head to our dedicated ‘Accessible Tours in Japan’ page on our website.

Fun fact: During Japan's feudal period, wealthy lords built homes with deliberately squeaky floors — known as Nightingale Floors — as a defense against ninjas. The floors were engineered to chirp like birds underfoot, making it impossible to sneak through undetected.

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