“Barrier-Free Hearts:” One Disabled Man’s Plea for a Gentler Japan

How a disabled man in Japan used what might have been a negative encounter with subway priority seats as a teaching moment.

By Nyri Bakkalian

In recent years, Japan has made strides toward increasing accommodations for the disabled. But old attitudes die hard. Recently, one disabled man in Japan used a negative experience with priority seating on the train as a teaching moment.

“You shouldn’t be sitting there”

31-year-old Yamada Chihiro lost both legs and an arm just below the shoulder in an accident at age 20. He has since worn prosthetics. While they’re clearly visible if he wears shorts, when he’s dressed in a suit for work, they are obscured. As a result, people will sometimes mistake him for a physically abled person.

Although he is able to walk freely, standing for extended periods of time can be painful, especially on public transit. So Yamada has found that taking sitting breaks is important.

Writing for J-Cast News, Yamada relates how it was during one of those breaks that a woman sitting opposite him on the train said “You shouldn’t be sitting there.”