Notes from the Obstacle Course Dr. Michael Peckitt It was a stern night landscape. The sound of the freezing of snow over the land seemed to roar deep into the earth. – Yasunari Kawabata, Snow Country Over the weekend of January 14th and 15th, Japan experienced a snow storm. Once Read more…
Notes from the Obstacle Course Dr. Michael Peckitt In December of last year, on my way to visit Tokyo, I noticed something about disability access on train services in Japan, something I had not noticed before, but appear to be common to many train lines, both Japan Railways (JR) and Read more…
Notes from the Obstacle Course Dr. Michael Peckitt It is now December again in Japan, so it nearing the time for Kentucky Fried Chicken at Christmas and New Years celebrations. It is also a time to take stock of the year, so I thought an ‘Accessible Japan Year in Review’ Read more…
Review from the Obstacle Course Dr. Michael Peckitt Ikuta Shrine located in Sannomiya, Chuo-ward Kobe, Japan, and is possibly among the oldest shrines in the country, as it was built in 201 AD on the request of the Empress Jingu. It said that it is ‘possibly’ the oldest because whilst Read more…
Notes from the Obstacle Course Dr. Michael Peckitt When it comes to public amenities, whether it be public transport, city ward offices, or the ubiquitous local museum; Japan is reasonably well set up for people with disabilities, at least in terms of physical access to public intuitions, spaces and buildings. Read more…
Dr. Michael Peckitt A man from Nagi city in Okayama Prefecture was arrested on November 11th on suspicion of disrupting business operations at a care facility for disabled people. The suspect, Kensuke Oku, aged 31, had allegedly made phone calls to a care facility for disabled people saying he was Read more…