YangLee

We are planning a 3-4 day visit to Tokyo with my inlaws who are in their 70s & 80s. The elder of them is in a wheelchair, which makes it challenging to move around.

Which hotel in Tokyo would be most convenient in terms of eating & shopping? We need to book a hotel that offers airport transfers & shuttle bus service (to downtown areas if not located nearby). The cost is not an issue as we really need to find somewhere very convenient to stay.

Also are there tours that can be booked from the hotel? We are considering spending 1 night in Hakone, but need to have hotel pick-ups and drop offs. Any suggestions as to where would be a good place to stay at Hakone?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

KimJapan

We are at the Peninsula right now. It has very good accessibility within the hotel, with wheelchair accessible bathrooms and showers, even in the spa. Handrails are installed as well in toilet and shower. Staff are accommodating and helpful, just as you would expect in a luxury hotel. For us, the location is ideal, with subway access right here, and easy access by car (we drove our own car) as well. Across from Hibiya Park and the Imperial Palace, 10 minutes or less walk to Ginza, and the Marunouchi area is right here as well, with lots of new shops and restaurants...really nice area.

Eating and shopping outside of the hotel present many more accessibility issues. While not impossible, it is not always easy to access shops and restaurants with a wheelchair. Some careful planning with perhaps concierge assistance would be a very good idea.

Downtown...there is not a single downtown area, but many areas that are all a form of downtown. Choose a hotel that you like and that is suitably accommodating for you, and deal with going places by taxi or hotel car when the time comes.

Better hotels offer their own car service to the airport and for use on a charter basis. There is also MK taxi that has a charter service and airport limo as well. The price is shocking, very high, and may well not be worth it....depends on you. Regular taxis can and will take wheelchair passengers, but that is good for short distance...from the airport, regular taxi is more than MK booked ahead.

Tours, on a bus, can be booked in advance on your own or by the concierge, but I would not recommend a join in bus tour both because I think they are incredibly poor value and because I think they would not cater particularly well to a wheelchair passenger. A private tour, that goes where you want, when you want for how long you want will perhaps be both more appealing, more relaxing, and a better value (though depending on how many people total more or less total money). Your hotel could help you with this, and the JNTO website also has an extensive list of private guides.

Just came from Hakone yesterday. Look at the Hyatt in Gora...shuttle service, lovely facilities. Sightseeing in Hakone will be a challenge, though, as it is very up and down, and though there was wheelchair access just about everywhere a sightseeing person would go, some places, particularly the cable car to Between Gora and Sounzan, looked particularly challenging due to steep slopes.

amazinga

In Tokyo, you may look into the Pacific Meridian hotel in Shinagawa. The Limo. bus from Narita AP stops there and there is a lower side entrance door diagonally across the intersection from the Shinagawa station. If you want to eat around the hotel, consider Westin. There are a lot of new restaurants, even though it is far from Ebisu train station. Many large hotels can arrange the sightseeing bus tour.

Buy 2 or 3 day Hakone Free Pass at Odakyu Shinjuku. In Hakone, look into Hakone Lake hotel(for Japanese nationals, not listed in usual hotel sites).
http://www.hakone-lakehotel.com/engl...glishindex.htm
This is a no barrier(wheel chair ramp) hotel on a large almost flat property and nature surroundings to walk/wheel around. The room rate/food are better than good and views of Lake Ashi from the room. Onsen is communal indoor with garden view. There is a direct bus from Hakone Yumoto and stops at the hotel(~40min. compared to almost 1.5 hrs. by train/cable car/ropeway). Togendai rope way and Lake Ashi boat terminal is within a short walking distance thru slight down hill paved path. Riding the rope way(no wheel chair barrier and the attendance can assist)is a must as you can see the panoramic view of the steam rising and Mt. Fuji and surroundings on a clear day. Elevators are available and there is a view restaurant at the top of Owakudani station. If you need to send luggage from/to Hakone Yumoto, use Hakone Carry Service (0460-86-4140), 600-700 yen/luggage with 10% discount with the Hakone Free Pass.
http://www.hakone-hotels.com/Accommodation.php

There is the facility tour bus(Sisetu-Meguri bus) that goes between Yunessun-Mae/Open Museum/Gora and Gotemba Premium Outlets which ride is free with the Pass.