Written by Julie Jones, Half Wheelchair Will Travel, December 26, 2024
What better way to celebrate Amelia finishing her social work degree than taking her on a mother daughter trip? We love travelling as a family but due to Braeden’s needs our planning and focus tends to always be around access and making sure he can be included. We try to make sure our family travel itineraries also include activities tailored to Amelia’s interests but anyone travelling with a family member with a disability will know that access determines what you do.
Mother daughter trip to Japan
In late November Amelia and I departed for Japan. It was a country neither of us had visited before and I didn’t know anyone that didn’t like it as a holiday destination. We had a false start with a delayed flight. We excitedly arrive at Sydney Airport at 6.30pm on Friday night 29 November, breezed through security, had dinner at a café and made our way to the gate. It was so smooth and easy until it wasn’t. The airline advised there was a delay due to a mechanical issue so we waited patiently. No-one wants to get on a plane that has a mechanical issue. The captain then advised the engineers were running a final test and if all went well everyone needed to hustle and get on the plane as fast as possible so the plane could beat Sydney’s 11pm curfew. Just before 11pm staff advised the test failed and we wouldn’t be leaving. We trailed back through immigration and customs and just like that we were in an Uber (voucher provided by airline) back home. By the time we arrived home it was 1am on 30 November. We received a text message from the airline advising our flight would leave at 1pm.
The next morning we were again in an Uber on our way back to the airport repeating all the steps from the day before. We were just through security when we received a text message from the airline advising our flight would be delayed by two hours with a new departure time of 3pm. It was like a bad joke. We were issued with $15 per passenger food vouchers to buy lunch. While grateful for a token meal voucher, $15 doesn’t go far at airport food outlets. We eventually boarded our flight and take off was 4pm. Our captain was a particularly honest fellow and told us the reason our flight was delayed on this occasion was because our flight was a low catering priority with the company stocking the food on the plane which later showed when we received our food. Not a good meal service but we were on our way.
We were thrilled to finally arrive in Tokyo at midnight and to our hotel by 1am on the 1 December but we had lost our whole first day and when you are doing a short trip that really is frustrating. It was a good reminder never to have firm bookings or prepaid activities booked for your first day in case of delays. Thankfully we had nothing booked.
Our itinerary was jam-packed which isn’t how I would ideally have it but being a quick trip, and our first trip to Japan, we were keen to cover a bit of territory.
We booked two nights in Tokyo, two nights near the Disney Parks, three nights in Kyoto, one night Kanazawa and one night back in Tokyo before our flight to Sydney. It was totally doable but rushed and if the circumstances with caring arrangements for those back home were different, we would have ideally had two weeks for the itinerary.
We were thrilled to experience the bright lights and diversity of Tokyo’s sights, followed by the stunning autumn foliage in Kyoto. A highlight for us was visiting the snow monkeys near Nagano. Not only did we see the snow monkeys but it snowed during our visit.
I’m always thrilled to have the opportunity to spend time with Amelia and although accessibility isn’t necessary when it’s just the two of us, I can’t travel without looking through the access lens. I was pleased to be able to stay in accessible rooms in some of the hotels so I could share more about accessibility in Japan with our community.
Even when my travel aim is to have a holiday with Amelia, I am disappointed when somewhere we love isn’t accessible. Ultimately, I want everyone to be able to experience all aspects of travel but I guess that is something we continue to work towards, create awareness about and advocate for. Japan is still a mixed bag when it comes to accessibility but definitely a country to put on your future travel wish list.
Stay tuned for my accessible hotel reviews and general information about Japan in the coming weeks and months.
