During the last accessible toilet debacle, some have rightly pointed out that they do not see disabled people using those toilets or in public places very often. That I have to agree. The reason why people with disabilities, especially wheelchair users, are not often seen in public places can be attributed to one main factor - lack of accessibility.

Non-step bus in Hachioji City.

When I was in Hachioji and Shinjuku, I met many wheelchair users going about in both cities. A majority of them are severely disabled, using electric wheelchairs and accompanied by a Personal Assistant. Yet, they were able to travel with ease. This is because Tokyo is very barrier-free and has an accessible public transport system.

Busy intersection in Hachioji City.

Walkways are fully accessible. The gradient at the end of each walkway is gentle. Road junctions have traffic lights for pedestrians. I have not seen a traffic light with arrows as is very common here in Malaysia. When the light is green, traffic is allowed to turn left or right. If there is a pedestrian crossing the road, they have the right of way. The traffic will stop for the pedestrian. At night, drivers turn down their headlights when we crossed the road.

Station Master of Japan Railway with the portable ramp.

The trains and stations are fully accessible, almost. Wheelchair users with train tickets have to pass through a lane beside the Station Master’s office to inform them of the destination. The Station Master will inform the arrival station and accompany the wheelchair user to the platform. The platform and the train is not level. The Station Master will put on a portable ramp for access into the train.

Getting into a non-step bus on a wheelchair at Shinjuku.

The public buses are fully accessible as far as I can see. They are called non-step buses. There are no steps leading into the buses. The height of the bus is almost level to the walkway and can be elevated or lowered hydraulically. They come with a ramp that can be manually pulled out from under the bus and extended. The three of us managed to squeeze into the bus without much trouble.

Outside the Masjid Jamek STAR LRT Station.

The day after I got back from Tokyo, Wuan and I went for a wheelabout beginning from the Masjid Jamek Star LRT Station to Dataran Merdeka. The roads and walkways were uneven and access to walkways was near impossible because the kerbs were too high. Where there were ramps to the walkways, the gradients were mostly too steep. For a manual wheelchair user, going through these badly thought-out design was like going through an obstacle course.

Pedestrain crossing at Jalan Tun Perak.

There is a pedestrian crossing from the Masjid Jamek Star LRT Station to the Putra LRT Station at Jalan Tun Perak. Again, it was near impossible for a wheelchair user to cross the road. The kerbs were simply too high. Even with Wuan helping me, it was a daunting task to lift my wheelchair up and down the kerbs so many times. Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) building glared down at us from the distance.

The narrow walkway with no ramp down at the other end.

One of my two main concerns during that wheelabout was going up on a walkway and then discovering that the other end was devoid of a ramp to get off. True enough, at the junction, Wuan, for the umpteenth time, had to lift my wheelchair down the road. We had to be aware of the fast moving traffic speeding by just inches away while doing that. That was part of my second concern – the fear of being knocked down by a vehicle.

Dataran Merdeka.

We finally reached Dataran Merdeka. I have never been there before. The sun was bearing down on us mercilessly. I was getting dizzy. My body was protesting against the extreme change of weather - from freezing cold the day before to the blistering equatorial heat. As I looked at the magnificient flag flapping in the wind, I thought how ironical it was that I felt unsafe in my own country each time I am out. One of these days, I may just get knocked down by a car or bus for using the road instead of the walkways. Do I have a choice anyway?

Were these ramps built with wheelchair users in mind?

Those are the few of many reasons why we do not see wheelchair users out and about. Accessible public transport is practically non-existent. Walkways and roads were constructed with no consideration for wheelchair users. Barrier-free facilities like these do not benefit wheelchair users only. With a rapidly aging population, we have to accept that age, disease and accidents will render this segment of people with mobility problems. They will greatly gain from an accessible environment and public transport, among others. From the looks of it, we still have a long way to go before ours become a barrier-free society for the mobility impaired.

I woke up to a pleasant surprise this morning. A present with a red ribbon bow was sitting on the laptop. There was a small card attached it. Upon unwrapping it, I found something that I had wanted to get for myself but did not. It is actually a present within a present. I had wanted to get both but hesitated. Wuan finally got them for me. Essentially, I got two presents today. Thank you Wuan.

Valentine’s Day is big business in Japan, especially for chocolatiers. At all the supermarkets and bakeries that I went to, bold posters screamed out to me in pink and red and with images of chocolates all pretty and yummylicious. With such obvious reminders plastered all over, it is difficult to give the excuse of not remembering this day.

We asked Maejima-san how Valentine’s Day is normally celebrated in Japan. It was interesting to learn that in patriarchal Japan, women are the ones who have to present gifts on this day. Gift giving is divided into two categories. Women would buy, mostly chocolates, and present them to their fathers, bosses, male friends and colleagues. The cheapest Valentine’s Day chocolates cost around ¥800. Imagine if they have ten colleagues. For that special someone, she would present him with premium chocolates. I asked her what is considered premium. Her one-worded answer was, “Godiva!”

That is not the end of the story. Men who have received the chocolates have to reciprocate on March 14, which is known as White Day. Apparently, this day came about when confectioners encouraged men give in return white fluffy marshmallows. It was first called Marshmallow Day. This eventually evolved into giving away white chocolates, candies and other forms of presents. The more popular men who have received more chocolates than they could ever eat in February would be hard pressed to return the deed in March. Being good looking and charming has its disadvantages, too.

Thank you, Maejima-san, for sharing this interesting snippet with us. And thank you for the very delicious-looking truffles. I have yet to unwrap this gift. Today is a good time to do just that. Here’s wishing you a very Happy Valentine’s Day.

The last morning in Tokyo. Anticipation and reluctance gripped my heart. The sky was overcast. I wore only a collared tee but did not feel cold. The temperature was hovering around 7°C – the warmest of the days we were here. I had stayed in the Hino Experience Room for two weeks. It was difficult to imagine that I was leaving. It had become a cosy retreat and an abode that I always looked forward to get back to after a full day of lectures at Hachioji.

The journey from Hino to Narita International Airport took one hour fifty minutes. That was twice as long as from Kuala Lumpur city centre to KLIA. We passed some familiar sights like the Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Disneyland and a big Carrefour sign. For a moment, I wondered if I was back in Malaysia already.

Two JICA Officers were waiting for us outside the airport to assist us when we arrived. One interesting aspect about Japan Airlines is that they have a separate check-in counter for people with disabilities and families. The beautiful thing about this is that the counter staff are familiar with handling wheelchair-using passengers. We did not have to carry our luggage and queue to check-in.

The flight was delayed by thirty minutes. It began to rain just before we boarded. Passengers were not allowed to use electronic devices when the plane is at the tarmac, during take of and landing. I managed to take a few shots before the cabin crew advised me about the prohibition.

One hour thirty minutes into the flight, lunch was served. The low-protein no salt added meal was not exactly delicious but the presentation more than made up for its lack of taste. Clever use of ingredients with different colours made the food seem tastier than it actually was. That banana, one of the two fruits that I had everyday in Tokyo, costs around RM2.50 each in the supermarkets. I usually eat two daily. The other fruit that I normally have for lunch are apples.

I do not usually drink more than two cups of anything at one go. This is to control the amount of my fluid intake to ensure that I do not need to use the toilet too often. One of the cabin crew served Yuzu, which she called Japanese lemon, and I kept asking for refills.

Sunset from 10km above sea level was an incredible sight. The sun began to set while the plane was over the South China Sea. Despite the failing lights, I was surprised to be able to see the turquoise outline of some small islands when I looked down. As the plane slowly headed for KLIA, I began to get anxious. I was looking forward to see Wuan again. Two weeks is such a long time to be apart from her.

The plane headed inland somewhere along coast of Pahang. Glowing city lights below welcomed us back to Malaysia. That was another fascinating view. Unfortunately, it was impossible to capture that superb spectacle with the camera. Words could neither describe that sight nor how I felt as the glowing lights of town after town passed us by. I have never felt as relieved and as glad before when I finally heard the screech of the tyres when the planed touched down, and again when I saw the banner while waiting to board the KLIA Express. It felt great to be back on Malaysian soil again.