We can not even dream of that! How disabled people are treated in Japan (video)

Russian scientist Vladimir Belousov, who lives in Japan, continues to acquaint his blog readers with the life of this country. This time, he switched from coronavirus to disabled people, publishing a video about how employees of the Tokyo subway are helping these people:

“Notice the incredibly high level of care and respect.

From the outside, it may seem that the person in the wheelchair is a member of the imperial family who decided to take the subway, and not the most ordinary elderly Japanese woman.

I have already written many times about the extremely careful and responsible attitude of the Japanese towards human life and especially towards people with disabilities.

Once (several years ago) I went into a general store near my house (then I lived in a residential area of Tokyo on the border with Chiba Prefecture) at the same time a disabled person in a wheelchair entered the store. Instantly two employees approached him, helped him change to a special stroller with convenient shopping baskets attached to it, and together they chose all the necessary products and then served the person at the checkout without a queue.

My mouth was already open because of such service and efficiency.

Then I saw this many times in various stores and was already used to it.

A disabled person in Japan will shop at any supermarket much faster than an ordinary person.

I once wrote about the transport system in Japan, which is carefully thought out for easy and convenient use by people with disabilities (buses, taxis, subways, airplanes, intercity trains, ships, etc.).

Here is another example (especially at the end, where an employee waits until the elevator doors close and then bows, even though he knows that he is not being seen).

In this video I made a couple of days ago:

An elderly woman in a wheelchair is waiting for her train. An employee of the metro immediately approached her, who is responsible for organizing traffic on this platform. The train pulled up. An employee has laid out a special ladder and controls the entry of a disabled person in a wheelchair into the carriage. After that, he will go to the driver and inform him that an invalid is traveling in the carriage and indicate the carriage number and door number, as well as the name of the station to which the person is going. The train driver will notify the arrival station so that platform personnel are prepared to meet the disabled person. At the arrival station, a similar special employee will arrange for the disabled person to leave the carriage and then escort him to the elevator, help open the elevator doors, control the entrance to it, and wait until the doors close and the elevator leaves.

A disabled person in Japan does not feel like a person with disabilities, but on the contrary!

Employees of all institutions in Japan (public and private companies) help such people with desire and deep respect, as if the most respected and beloved relative were in front of them.

Kindness and decency in relationships, the sincere concern of the Japanese for each other is a common behavior in modern Japanese society.

And this is how it is everywhere in Japan..."

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Of course, this post caused not only delight, but also regret that everything is completely different in Russia, and a Russian disabled person will think a thousand times before going out into the street. And then, in the event that he can do it...

- I'm sorry, I just want to tell my impressions. Frankly, I don't know the statistics. But in the first years of my life in Japan, it seemed to me that there are a huge number of disabled people. I don’t think there’s more than in Russia. It's just that here in Japan people with disabilities are not limited by anything. They will mix freely throughout the country. They go to work or on business. They visit exhibitions, concerts, cinemas.

- When I was in Japan for the first time, I saw yellow paths for the blind on the streets. And I don’t want to talk about the rest. Indeed, in this country, the attitude towards people is completely different. Thank you for the video and photos. Thank you.

- Great topic about Japan. We speak at home about an accessible environment, but often it simply does not exist. And in Japan it is really available. I have visited many nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, and there is simply no word how everything is organized, how the workers take care of the people living there. I watched shopping in supermarkets or convenience stores. Metro and transport - no words at all. And of course bows! Thanks for the great post and video report.

- And so in England. They will meet a disabled person, put a track under the wheels, at the desired station. Very touching and from the heart. No pathos and no unnecessary nerves in people who are already deprived of much in life.

- In our country, unfortunately, people with disabilities are usually treated as second-class people, trying to get rid of them or deceive them. Almost everything has to be gnawed with teeth. This generally characterizes the majority of citizens of the former USSR. We can say the bestial attitude towards human life forms a certain type of behavior. even at the household level: why not married, why there are no children, why, why...

- You know, Russians living in Japan treat disabled people in the same way as in Russia. Only recently there was a topic: “why are they walking here / mooing / waving their hands. I'm afraid they will suddenly attack "...