Living in the dark ages

Sometimes it knocks you over the head, just how behind the times Japan is. Take this article about helper dogs in Japan. This law came into effect in Japan this month! In contrast, Australia legislated that guide dogs be allowed in all public places (including restaurants) in 1992!

I guess Japan is taking (small) steps to make it easier for disabled people to get around (take those cumbersome wheelchair pulleys at some train stations that can drag wheelchairs up to street level) , but overall, this is one pretty fucking hard place to get around if you aren't able bodied. Although they do have in place, raised, bumped paths on the ground for blind people to orient themselves, which is something.

For train companies that can afford spotless trains to run every 5 minutes, a good chunk of them full to the brim with commuters, then surely they can afford to put elevators (or escalators) from the platform to street level at all stations, particularly considering Japan's ageing population. Most recent reports put the figure at 1 in 5 Japanese being over 65 years old.