Josh Grisdale: Founder of Accessible Japan

Background & Identity

Can you introduce yourself and share how you describe the work you do today with Accessible Japan?

My name is Josh Grisdale. I’m originally from Canada and moved to Japan in 2007 after visiting several times beginning in 2000. I founded Accessible Japan in 2015 to support travellers with disabilities who want to visit Japan but struggle to find reliable information. The site does three things:

It shows that Japan can be an accessible travel destination, challenging the assumption that it isn’t.

It gives travellers practical tools such as detailed accessibility guides to attractions, hotels, and transportation.

It helps Japan’s tourism industry improve through consulting, speaking, and seminars.
I also run Tabifolk, a global online community where travellers with disabilities share questions, advice, and lived experience.

Where did you grow up, and what early experiences shaped your relationship with travel, culture, or independence?

I grew up on a small farm in Ontario. A Japanese language class in high school exposed me not only to grammar but also to the culture, history, and films of Japan, sparking a lifelong curiosity. At the same time, my mother loved to travel and took us to places across North America, the Caribbean, and England. Those early trips taught me to appreciate other cultures and planted the idea that travel is both a privilege and a form of discovery.

Which parts of your identity inform your perspective on advocacy, design, and community building?

I have cerebral palsy, use a power wheelchair, and require personal care attendants. These experiences shape how I view the world and design solutions. Running Accessible Japan has also connected me with people across the disability spectrum, expanding my understanding of diverse needs and teaching me the importance of inclusive thinking.

Personal Journey

What do you feel comfortable sharing about your experience as a wheelchair user, and how has it shaped the way you move through the world?

Using a power wheelchair gives me independence, but it also creates limitations that shape nearly every aspect of daily life. There are places I simply cannot enter, especially historical sites or small restaurants. When I was younger, I often felt I shouldn’t complain, but as I grew older I realised that staying quiet meant nothing would change — not for me, nor for the next person. Speaking up is part of creating progress.

What were some of the first accessibility barriers you encountered, both at home and on the road?

Growing up, our two-storey rural home required a lift to reach the second floor, and if the power went out, I could become stuck. My school often lacked elevators or ramps, which limited participation. When traveling as a child, my father would carry me into places like castles. That isn’t sustainable now, so barriers like steps, tight corners, or inaccessible bathrooms carry much more weight today.

Who or what influenced your resilience, worldview, and determination to create systemic change?

My parents. My father was endlessly inventive, modifying wheelchairs or building solutions with whatever materials he had. My mother modeled advocacy — she always spoke up to ensure I could participate fully. They taught me resilience, creativity, and the understanding that raising issues respectfully can lead to improvement for everyone.

Falling in Love with Japan

What first drew you to Japan and what eventually convinced you to relocate?

My high school Japanese teacher first introduced me to the culture and history of Japan. When I visited for the first time, I was amazed by how much I could do despite the challenges. Every trip filled me with joy, and each visit made me want to return. Eventually, I realised Japan felt like home, and I decided to move.

How did Japan’s culture, infrastructure, and hospitality challenge and inspire you?

Japanese architecture has unique challenges: genkan steps at entrances, narrow shops, and tatami rooms. Yet the spirit of hospitality more than balances this. Rail staff routinely provide ramps; accessible toilets are widespread, free, and clean; and public transit is far more accessible than many people assume. When I first visited, only about a third of Tokyo’s stations were accessible. Today, it’s around 96 percent — a massive improvement achieved through cooperation rather than legal pressure. That collaborative culture continues to inspire me.

What unique accessibility nuances does Japan hold compared to other countries?

Japan’s cultural practices — such as tatami rooms, removing shoes indoors, and stepped entrances — create hurdles. But Japan excels in service. Staff often work together to create solutions rather than turning people away. The mix of cultural tradition and outstanding hospitality creates both challenges and opportunities unlike anywhere else.

Founding Accessible Japan

What sparked the idea, and what problem were you determined to solve?

When I first visited Japan in 2000, the only accessibility guidance I found was a single line in a guidebook saying Japan was difficult for wheelchair users. Online information simply didn’t exist. I wanted to create the guide I desperately needed — something that gave clear information and helped travellers feel hopeful, not anxious.

Why make everything free and open to the community?

Disability already comes with extra costs — equipment, caregivers, specialist transport. Accessibility information shouldn’t be another barrier. It needs to be free so everyone can enjoy equal access to travel.

What does “trust” mean when your work becomes a primary source for disabled travellers?

Trust means grounding information in lived experience and avoiding absolute statements. One person’s “accessible” might be another person’s “impossible.” Our role is to present clear facts – measurements, photos, slopes, door widths – and let travellers decide based on their own needs.

Travel, Hospitality & The Built Environment

What gaps do wheelchair users face in airports, hotels, transit, and public spaces?

Transit and airports in Japan are excellent — often better than in many Western countries. But hotels are inconsistent. Many have only one accessible room, or none at all, and quality varies widely because national guidelines are limited. Restaurants are often tiny, stepped, or crowded, making dining one of the biggest challenges.

Which design details matter more than people realise?

Bathrooms are everything: roll-in showers, separate shower spaces, good turning radius, toilet backrests, and reachable controls. In Japan, many bathrooms combine bath and shower, which doesn’t work for many disabled travellers.

How does uncertainty around surfaces, transfers, and toilets shape emotional safety?

Uncertainty is emotionally exhausting. You worry whether a toilet will be usable, whether a station has an elevator, or whether a bus fits your wheelchair. These unknowns can turn excitement into fear. Having reliable information restores confidence.

Japan’s Cultural Context

How do cultural attitudes toward disability shape hospitality norms?

Many people assume disabled travellers won’t visit luxury hotels or join cultural experiences, so accessibility often isn’t considered during planning. As more disabled travellers come to Japan, these assumptions are starting to shift.

Where do you see quiet bias or quiet brilliance?

Quiet bias appears when facilities are designed without imagining a disabled customer. Quiet brilliance appears when Japanese staff go above and beyond once they understand the need — not out of obligation, but pride in providing good service.

What conversations give you hope?

More local governments are hosting accessible tourism seminars. There’s a growing national awareness that accessibility isn’t only a social issue — it’s essential to sustainable tourism.

Representation, Visibility & Tourism

How can tourism boards feature disabled travellers without tokenism?

Through intentional casting. Use real disabled travellers in real situations, and show a variety of disabilities. Avoid relying on the stereotypical “hospital wheelchair” stock photo.

What representation still feels missing?

Invisible disabilities, sensory disabilities, medically fragile travellers, and people using a wide range of mobility devices. Authentic diversity is still rare.

What language shifts would create more dignity?

Integrating accessibility into the main narrative — not a tiny link at the bottom of a page — communicates that disabled travellers belong. Clear, welcoming language helps people feel seen rather than reduced to checkboxes.

Assistive Technology & Digital Access

What role does technology play?

Technology is one of the biggest equalizers. It reduces fear by giving travellers clearer expectations and helps them connect with others who have lived experience.

Which digital tools are empowering – and where are the gaps?

Street View, YouTube walkthroughs, and communities like Tabifolk provide the most realistic insights. But because disability varies, no tool will ever meet every need — people will always rely on community knowledge to fill gaps.

What principles should hotels and cities adopt immediately?

Feature disabled travellers in marketing.
Put accessibility information clearly on the main menu.
Offer a fast, reliable way for travellers to ask questions.

The Emotional & Logistical Load

What invisible planning labour do wheelchair travellers carry?

Hours of extra research to confirm basics others take for granted: routes, transport, bathrooms, room layouts, booking procedures, and transfer assistance. Even buying a train ticket may require additional coordination.

How do ambiguity, timing, and terrain affect your decisions?

Ambiguity creates fear. If you’re unsure whether you’ll be able to use the bathroom or make a transfer, you may cancel the trip entirely. Timing matters because not all accessible routes operate late. Terrain — slopes, cobblestones, gravel — can determine where you can and cannot go.

How do you maintain joy and spontaneity?

I’m naturally a planner, so spontaneity is challenging for me with or without a disability. I try to leave small pockets of flexibility so I can enjoy unexpected moments when they arise.

Entrepreneurship & Purpose

What challenge tested you most when building Accessible Japan?

Balancing time and sustainability. Turning something personal into something structured, useful, and maintained over years takes stamina.

What risk changed your trajectory?

Starting Accessible Japan in the first place – without knowing if anyone would ever read it. Incorporating as a company later was another major leap, making everything more serious and long-term.

How do you measure success?

When travellers say, “I visited Japan because of your website.” Those moments matter more than pageviews.

Collaboration & Leadership

What have you learned about collaborating with governments or large organisations?

Patience. Processes move slowly, but collaborations with governments open doors in ways individual outreach cannot. Their introductions carry tremendous weight.

What partnerships excite you most now?

Local governments across Japan, media partnerships like this one with TILT, and global communities such as Tabifolk and other accessible travel networks.

How do you keep momentum in slow systems?

By being warm, personal, and appreciative. Encouragement motivates far more than pressure.

Future Vision

If you could redesign one global hospitality norm, what would it be?

Start with the assumption that disabled travellers will come. Design from the beginning with us in mind – not as an afterthought.

What would an ideal accessible travel ecosystem in Japan look like?

Every component – transport, hotels, attractions, information – accessible in itself, and all the “connective tissue” between them made accessible too. Travellers should choose freely between independent and assisted travel styles.

What legacy do you hope to leave?

I hope Accessible Japan eventually becomes unnecessary because accessibility is simply normal. If the work we do now helps push Japan in that direction, that’s the legacy I want.

Human Details

What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I’m a naturalized Japanese citizen and relinquished my Canadian citizenship to become one.

Which cultural moment is inspiring you right now?

Visiting the Saudi Arabia Pavilion designed by Foster + Partners for Expo 2025 Osaka — its thoughtful universal design, including hoists in bathrooms, impressed me and showed what large-scale inclusive design can be.

Describe a recent moment of joy or connection that stayed with you.

During a familiarisation tour in Ise-Shima, staff physically carried visitors up and down the steps at Ise Grand Shrine so everyone could participate in a traditional ceremony. It was a powerful example of inclusion in action.

Quick-Fire

Most accessible neighbourhood in Tokyo: Chuo Ward.
Hospitality detail you obsess over: Being treated as a guest first, not a category.
Underrated feature every hotel should adopt: Roll-in showers and toilet backrests.
Ultimate quiet luxury: Subtle, thoughtful assistance without intruding.
Travel ritual that keeps you grounded: Collecting travel magnets; rotating trip photos on screensavers.
One tiny change with outsized impact: Clear accessibility information and bathroom photos on websites.

Closing

What’s one question you wish people asked about wheelchair travel but rarely do?

“How can we make it better?”
That question opens the door to real progress.

What would you tell younger you about patience, possibility, and power?

You would be amazed by the life ahead of you — moving from a rural Canadian farm to shaping accessible travel in Japan. Progress is slow but meaningful. Dream bigger, work steadily, and build community. Change happens through many small steps, not one big leap.