Getting around Tokyo on Crutches

The Crutches I got on loan from my
Rehab clinic in Tokyo

So not too long ago while running during a job, I had the unfortunate luck of hyper extending my left leg mid-stride, and consequently, giving myself a partial tear in the soft tissue behind my left knee.

After the accident happened I went to the same clinic I had been visiting for my shoulder rehab, and spoke to the doctor there, because it seemed pretty evident that something was damaged. Sure enough, while nothing was completely torn, there was a fair amount of damage to the tissue, and being as mobile of a joint as your knee is, it would take a long time to heal.

In a way, I was actually hoping that it would be a complete tear, simply because then with surgery, you can be back on your feet in two weeks time. (Particularly since on Japan's national insurance it would be covered). With partial tears however, for whatever reason, they need to heal naturally, so it simply takes them forever.

As a function of this, (and the fact that within a few weeks I would have to go back to work) I decided it best to rent a pair of crutches to get around the city if I needed them. It was an interesting experience.

First impressions
Like with a lot of things, one of Tokyo's strengths is also its greatest weakness. When you are healthy, it's one of the greatest places to stay fit simply because you walk so much. Study after study has shown that regular "baseline" activity can make all the difference in terms of living a long and healthy life, and without a doubt, all the walking and stair-climbing you have to do here (combined with the super-high food quality) will give you just that. At the same time however, as soon as you lose your ability to walk well, that same strength very much becomes a weakness.

All of a sudden, the 6 min. walk between my new apartment and the train station went from being a pleasant way to burn a few extra calories to an ordeal to work around.

On the actual trains, it wasn't too bad most of the time, because there is always priority seating areas for the handicapped (crazy to think of myself that way!) and usually people left them open. When they were taken, 90% of the people who saw me on crutches were kind enough to offer their seat as soon as they saw me. The other 10% would also still give up their seat without complaint as well... But only if I asked them directly.

The difficulty came if I had to take a train at rush hour (when they can pack to 500% capacity) because at that time unless you are getting on at or near the terminal station, usually it isn't even possible to reach the priority seating...And having crutches just makes you all the more bulky. Makes me wonder how in hell normally handicapped individuals handle it. (I guess leaving either earlier or later?)

The other thing I came to realize (although to a degree I was already aware of it) is just how bad a lot of the stations are. As anyone who's ever used it can imagine, Shibuya station was the worst of the worst. From the Fukutoshin line or Den-en-toshi line to ground level, there were some escalators, but many of them were only for part of the stair case... And there are absolutely ZERO going down. (Which on crutches is even harder than going up). There is one elevator, but using it means coming up in an area that is far away from everything. Going up to the Yamanote line (arguably the most important line for getting around the city) there is also one elevator, but it's all the way around to the back of the station (along with the single, upwards escalator), so by the time you walk all the way around, you have spent just as much energy as you would have just struggling to get down the damn stairs. (Which by the way, are many and steep).

Unfortunately however, this problem wasn't just limited to Shibuya. At least 2/3 of the stations I used during this period were this way.

No elevator, and if there is an escalator, it was usually only going up. For the most tehnnologically advanced city on earth, this is one way that Tokyo has a very very long way to go. While I discovered just how hard of city it can be for the handicapped when my Moms came to visit (she uses a wheelchair about half of the time), this experience for the past few weeks has shown me first hand what a struggle it can be. If Tokyo really wants to be a good host for the 2020 Olympics, then they are absolutely going to have to get their game together and make this a more barrier-free place to visit. While Japanese people tend never to complain about things, foreigners do... And if they don't change, I think the Japanese government is going to get an ear full.