The wide range of participants included people with disabilities, their caregivers, travel agency employees, and business operators who provide nature-experience-based learning in the city. The instructor was Mr.Masami Nagahashi,Chairman and Chief Researcher,NPO Universal Tourism Research Institute, who lectured on approaches for achieving “tourism that anyone can safely participate in” as well as the importance of eliminating on-site barriers one by one, and a one-day training format was used.
The venue, Akigawa Valley in Akiruno City (in the Akigawabashi Kasen Park area), is easily accessed from the city center, and the area’s natural environment includes riverbanks, watersides, and greenery, which made it easy to accept a diverse range of participants. Another important point is that the chosen site had the right conditions for enabling wheelchair users, elderly people, and others who require mobility-related consideration to participate by combining assistive devices with suitable user flow design.

Mr. Tomohiro Fuchiyama, an accessible tourism advisor, emphasizes that, when it comes to planning nature experience tourism, it is essential to carefully proceed in three stages: hypothesis → previewing → verification. In terms of Akigawa Valley nature experiences, he was in charge of planning relaxing in a chair outdoors and river fishing experiences last year as well. These experiences ended up getting cancelled the day before they were scheduled due to poor weather, but he still carefully planned them as part of the on-site tour.
This time, based on the hypothesis that, “if suitable chairs were installed on large SUP boats, people with disabilities would be able to enjoy SUP experiences in Akigawa,” advance verification was conducted with cooperating business operators (described below). Although there are local examples of outdoor wheelchairs (HIPPOcampe) being utilized to achieve accessible SUP, when spending time in rivers that have a shallow water depth, Mr. Fuchiyama suspected that low chairs with a backrest and armrests would be more suitable. He also tried out two other options, for a total of three: a wheelchair and a soft legless chair (zaisu). The wheelchair’s seat surface was too high and unstable (plus the SUP seat would be fixed in place so it did not have to be a wheelchair), while the legless chair was fixed in place and could be sat in, but its soft materials made it difficult for people with disabilities, who tend to have a weak core, to maintain a proper sitting position. In the end, a “low camping chair with armrests,” which had a low seat surface to make it easy to get in, a backrest and armrests to help maintain a good sitting position, and a low height to ensure stability, was the most suitable, and, by safely fixing such a chair in place, it became possible to provide SUP experiences.

important for multiple people to carefully monitor them while paying attention to the situation of the ground. During the withdrawal stage, the flow of people to areas where they could change their clothes and rest was confirmed as equipment was inspected and put away, and everyone confirmed the physical condition of participants and shared possible points of improvement. According to Mr. Fuchiyama, “Instead of engaging in special preparations, it is better to carefully and continuously confirm the situation on the day of the event to ensure safety.”

【Bochibochi Adventure Susono】
Bochibochi Adventure Susono is located on the gradual slopes at the foot of a mountain, and, as is implied by its name, is based on the concept of “not pushing yourself too hard and enjoying things little by little.” This company offers outdoor tours in Okutama, including canoe and SUP experiences. During the recent trial tour, Bochibochi Adventure Susono collaborated starting with verification during the advance preparation stage. They transported a SUP boat from Okutama to Akigawa, installed a low camping chair with armrests on it, and thus helped to provide a SUP experience (including implementation support as an instructor).
【Tokyo Mountainside DMC】
The so-called “Tokyo mountainside” area is located near the city center and is home to an abundance of natural assets, including mountains, forests, valleys, and riverheads. Tokyo Mountainside DMC cooperates with Akiruno City as well as multiple local organizations, business operators, and communities while running an inquiry-based nature-experience learning school and offering adventure travel services. During the recent trial tour, Tokyo Mountainside DMC provided implementation support in the form of equipment and instructors for the following Akigawa experiences: traditional river fishing and relaxing in a chair outdoors.
【Significance of cooperation】
Business operators do not handle management on their own. Instead, they cooperate with local outdoor guides, local partner organizations, tourism operators, and others to achieve both safety management and experiential value. Given the rough terrain of riverbank and waterside environments, it is important for various business operators to offer their expertise as a way to complement efforts from the perspectives of field knowledge, operational know-how, and product creation, and this cooperative system serves as the foundation for increasing the sustainability of accessible tourism.

When implementing the Akigawa Valley nature-experience program, it is important not only to prepare assistive devices but also to set up a suitable environment and share information in advance.
・Photos of the flow of people from the parking lot to the riverbank and waterside as well as diagrams that make it easy to understand whether there are differences in grade or slopes, the distance, the gravel depth, the road surface situation, and similar details ・Disclose information through suitable materials on the website so that participants can gain an advance understanding of how to safely move. ・Take care of details that include ensuring shade and rest areas, the existence of foot washing areas and changing rooms, and the estimated water volume and current flow speed, and provide such information to participants. Setting up such an environment serves as an important foundation for accessible riverside tourism and helps to increase both the sense of security enjoyed by participants and their desire to participate.

hen participants boarded the large SUP boat, which was equipped with a low chair, care was taken to maintain their position and assign roles so that the participants could enjoy the scenery from a different perspective than the land while traveling leisurely across the water’s surface. Through such step-by-step experiences, everyone had the chance to share nature regardless of their disabilities, and we even heard that some people “want to visit this place again.”

After the experiences ended, the used assistive devices were withdrawn, and support was provided to enable participants to wash their feet, change their clothes, and rest. A multiple-person system was used to help participants safely move from the riverbank to the parking lot and changing areas. More specifically, participants used changing rooms and restrooms that were confirmed in advance to change their clothes. Because there were wheelchair-accessible restrooms and rest areas available in the area, it was not too difficult to secure flow lines after the experiences.
We then washed, dried, and inspected the used equipment to get ready for the next time it will be used. In addition, immediately after the experiences, we recorded and shared information on participant feedback and facial expressions as well as any issues encountered during movement, and this process is important for making improvements in terms of how subsequent events are managed.

Mr. Nagahashi explained that, when it comes to the accessibility of tourism, interest in participating is affected not only by “physical barriers” but also by complex factors that include “means of transportation,” “information shortages,” and “environmental conditions.” He emphasized that it is important for business operators to correctly understand such issues and strive to resolve them one by one.
In particular, three especially important elements that were mentioned in the lecture were (1) communicating information, (2) introducing assistive devices (3) and setting up the environment. Regarding the communication of information, Mr. Nagahashi touched on the necessity of clearly spelling out details including transportation access, the availability of accessible equipment, differences in grade, and the restroom situation in advance, and he said, “It is important to eliminate everyone’s anxiety regarding whether they can actually go to make it much easier to participate.”
Regarding the introduction of assistive devices, he listed specific examples that included outdoor wheelchairs and pulling equipment, and he said, “With the right equipment, people can participate in nature experiences that they had to give up on in the past.” In terms of dealing with introduction costs, he also said that utilizing the support systems provided by state and local governments can make introduction a more realistic option.
Finally, in terms of setting up the right kind of environment, Mr. Nagahashi said that even small efforts, such as setting up temporary ramps and simple benches, can profoundly change the accessibility of experiences, and he described the importance of having a perspective based on real-life experience as follows: “When on-site staff members try out the same itinerary as guests, it can be the most effective way to identify possible improvements.” According to him, simply having the right equipment is not enough. It is also important to “ensure that such equipment is actually safe to use” and promote this as the standard approach to achieve sustainable accessible tourism.

Participants expressed their honest opinions regarding their experiences, including the following: “That was the first time I ever rode a SUP boat, and it was interesting.” “It was scary at first, but then it got fun.” “I want to go to the river again.” Meanwhile, people who participated with their children suggested that they made shared family memories of waterside nature experiences: “I was so happy to be able to share an experience with my child.” “This was the first time I ever played in a clear stream, and it was an extremely wonderful experience.”
At the same time, people in charge of the actual work, including travel agencies, held practical discussions on operational methods, the assignment of roles, and establishing acceptance systems, and the discussion topics later expanded to include how public relations and the communication of information should be handled. Their comments implied that the experience resulted in not merely temporary but rather ongoing interest: “I want to actively convey this as a genuinely fun experience.” “I want this to be communicated as a travel package.” “I look forward to participating again.”
Finally, feedback from business operators and other stakeholders suggested that they will determine their future course based on their respective positions: “Sustainability and Monetization will be challenges.” “It is important for governments and business operators to share an awareness of related issues.”
This training turned out to be an opportunity to experience the fact that even the possibility of people participating in challenging waterside environments can be expanded by preparing, cooperating, and effectively conveying how much fun such experiences can be. Everyone is looking forward to seeing how what we learned from these experiences and discussions can be applied to future initiatives.

In addition to sharing information in advance (the status of participants, necessary considerations, and communication systems), it is important to confirm movement-related details, including the flow of movement from the parking lot to the riverbank, vehicle arrangements, waiting areas, and cooperation related to emergency transport. It is also important not only to have restrooms, changing rooms, and rest areas but also to confirm in advance that “they are actually safe to use.” Furthermore, including accessibility information that includes distances, road surface situations, and the existence of differences in grade on recruitment pages and in informational materials can help give participants a sense of security.

Amphibious wheelchairs and other equipment used for nature experiences can be introduced by using a subsidy system introduced by Tokyo. This makes it possible to reduce initial costs while providing extremely safe experiences, thereby supporting organizations hoping to enter the nature experience tourism business.
Details: https://www.sangyo-rodo.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/tourism/kakusyu/nature/