A forum? …in 2017?!?
Yup.
We are starting a community forum for Accessible Japan for a few reasons:
First of all, Accessible Japan exists to get accessibility information out to people with disabilities who are interested in traveling to Japan. However, a lot of that information doesn’t fit neatly in a website format. For example, maybe we we went to a restaurant that was both accessible and delicious. We don’t have restaurant reviews (and likely won’t due to budget constraints!), and it may not be blog-worthy. Having a forum will allow us to say “hey, this sushi place in Shibuya is good!” Or “they now have an elevator at xyz train station.”
Another reason has to do with one of the joys of running this site – communicating with interested travelers. Not only does it encourage us when we hear that someone enjoyed the site, it also helps shape the site. In fact, many of the pages were created to answer questions from visitors – case in point, the page on bringing guide dogs to Japan started from a question. Having more communication opportunities can help shape Accessible Japan to be more useful for visitors.
Third, information that helps one person also has the possibility of helping many others as well. For example, we recently were asked if the “Kawaii Monster Cafe” is accessible. After confirming it was by asking someone who had been there with a wheelchair user before, we told the person who asked. Unfortunately, since this was done by email, only the person who asked got an answer. If that were instead written on a forum, other people Googling “Kawaii Monster Cafe accessible” would be able to learn that it is actually accessible!
Finally, while we try our best, Accessible Japan does not have all the answers. But many others do – be it past travelers or current residents. A forum gives others the opportunity to share their knowledge – which helps everyone.
So, we are going to experiment with a forum on the site. Even though it is 2017.
Right now it is very empty, but you can change that! You can find it in the About menu under the Ask A Question item. Or, you can click here:
[button link=”https://accessible-japan.com/community/”]Accessible Japan Community[/button]
See ya there!
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