Accessible Tourism Initiatives by Apartment Hotel MIMARU

Mami Akashi, Corporate Planning Department,
Cosmos Hotel Management Co., Ltd.

Cosmos Hotel Management operates the apartment hotel brand MIMARU for international family travelers in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka.
Based on the concept of staying together with family and friends, MIMARU offers a stay experience where guests can relax as if at home, with spacious guest rooms featuring kitchens and dining areas, and support from multinational staff. Accessible rooms are also available at several of our 27 facilities nationwide.

The company has proactively engaged in accessible tourism, considering the perspectives of wheelchair users and providing detailed information on necessary shared facilities and recommended room types.

Specifically, information such as the structure of guest room entrance doors and the presence of steps, space between beds, height of the mattress from the floor, and the height and depth of the bathtub is posted on the website（in Japanese） in an easy-to-understand manner using numerical values and images. Furthermore, in addition to providing a way to check on-site shared facilities like multi-functional toilets in advance, the company also introduces universal design routes from the nearest station, making it a useful information resource for those using strollers or wheelchairs.
We spoke with Mami Akashi of the Corporate Planning Department about these initiatives.

Initiatives that began with employees’ awareness of sustainability

Apartment hotel MIMARU

The accessible tourism initiatives at MIMARU were triggered by our employees’ questions about sustainability. Through repeated company-wide discussions, the company has established three themes for its sustainability initiatives:
Diversity of people and work styles: Towards a world where everyone’s personality shines
Connection with guests and local communities: Connecting guests and communities with fun
Environmental consideration: Working together toward a sustainable future
Within these, the second theme, “fun travel,” holds that everyone can “stay together with peace of mind,” and accessible tourism emerged as a vital theme. Consequently, we decided to first improve our reception environment.

This nationwide expansion has been driven by the rapid aging and diversification of Japanese society along with growing inbound tourism, which have led to rising demand for mobility from a wide range of customers. According to a WHILL survey (see note), one in two seniors concerned about their lower-body strength have given up on outings due to worries about their own stamina or the inconvenience they may cause to those accompanying them. The survey also revealed that many family members hesitate to invite seniors out due to worries about fatigue and physical strain. At the same time, following a legal revision in April 2024 that made the provision of reasonable accommodations mandatory for private-sector businesses, facilities and destinations have become increasingly aware of and proactive about improving accessibility.
Note: WHILL survey conducted in August 2023 among 300 men and women aged 65 and over nationwide who feel or are beginning to feel physical decline.

Specifically, we have been working to create an environment where everyone can stay with peace of mind by undertaking the following initiatives:
① Interviews with international wheelchair users
② Joint purchases of equipment utilizing subsidies from the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau (TCVB), etc.
③ Creation of maps showing accessible routes from the nearest stations
④ Posting facility guides on our website that provide necessary measurements and images of common areas and guest rooms.

Support for children with medical care needs, inspired by frontline staff

Accessible rooms

Trial stay events and opinion exchanges for children with medical care needs and their families Trial stay events and opinion exchange meetings

An example of a communication sheet

An example of a communication sheet

Subsequently, in “What we want to do/What we want the company to work on”—an internal group competition held by the parent company Cosmos Initia as part of its ESG management—a project was proposed aiming to strengthen the reception of children with medical care needs by expanding the definition of “everyone” in the slogan “hotels where everyone can stay with peace of mind.”

While progress was being made in accessible tourism initiatives, we realized that although guests using wheelchairs stay with us occasionally, we almost never see children requiring medical care staying at our hotels. Although progress is being made toward accessibility, it is still not sufficient; our team members wondered whether it was a matter of people being unable to visit, rather than choosing not to. This realization led to the proposal.

A clue for solving these issues was the “Travel Guidelines for Children with Medical Care Needs” published by Try Angle.
Upon reading the guidelines, we realized that MIMARU’s features—such as spacious guest rooms where families can stay together, having kitchens and dining areas in all rooms, and standard home-sized bathrooms—provide a suitable environment for children with medical care needs and their families. We believed that by strengthening our initiatives, we could encourage these families to use our hotels.

Through this exposure to the guidelines, the proposal at the competition, and the cooperation of Try Angle, the development of the reception environment for children with medical care needs has made significant progress. Through trial stays and interviews with the families involved, we were able to create communication sheets and supply the necessary equipment. Communication sheets are used to provide information in advance regarding rental equipment that the hotel can prepare, as well as to inquire about additional requests or other needs. Families have expressed their gratitude, saying it is helpful to be able to organize what they need to prepare in advance, and are happy to feel welcomed.

We are also enhancing our service-oriented initiatives, such as having all employees obtain universal manner hospitality certification. As a result, usage by families with children requiring medical care has increased, and we are seeing a broadening of our customer base, including hosting school trips from special needs schools and group bookings from accessible tour companies in Australia.

Production of an accessible guide in collaboration with Chikyu-no-Arukikata (Globe-Trotter Travel Guidebook):

We wanted to encourage sentiments like “I want to travel” or “Maybe I can actually travel thanks to this” by lowering the psychological barriers associated with traveling with wheelchairs or strollers. While urban areas are making progress with accessible transportation and local government information updates, information for cross-country travel remains fragmented and difficult to navigate. To address this, we collaborated with Arukikata. Co., Ltd. to produce an accessible guidebook.

We produced two versions—a Japanese edition and an English/Traditional Chinese edition—of the free newspaper “Globe-Trotter Travel Guidebook: Enjoying Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka Together,” which compiles carefully selected ways to enjoy Japan with a focus on accessibility, as well as information on accessible transportation and tips for moving around towns. We began free distribution at all facilities on April 21, 2025, and also made a digital version available on our official website. Targeting Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka—which are highly popular with international travelers—it introduces sightseeing spots that are easy to navigate with wheelchairs or strollers, accessible transportation information within the city, and useful information sources.

Future Outlook

Travel is not completed by accommodation alone; it is realized only through a combination of transportation, sightseeing, dining, and more. We will continue our accessible tourism initiatives to support people’s needs and wants for traveling by disseminating information that serves as a reference even for business operators in fields outside of accommodation. Furthermore, we will expand our scope of hospitality to include not only people with disabilities or children with medical care needs, but also everyone possible, in line with our mission to achieve “everyone traveling together.”