Risk Free Assessment
When Ablr Co-Founder John Samuel returned to Japan after 31 years, it wasn’t just a nostalgic trip. It was a powerful reminder of just how much we experience in our lives and how much things can change over the span of a few decades.
As a child growing up in Japan from ages nine to twelve, John didn’t think about accessibility. At that time, he hadn’t yet started losing his sight. “Accessibility wasn’t something I was thinking about or even looking for,” he recalled. “I didn’t notice anything.” But this time, he arrived with a white cane in hand and an entirely different view of the world.
What he noticed immediately upon his arrival wasn’t the bustling streets or the delicious food. It was the sidewalks.
TENJI Blocks
The first thing that stood out to John were the streets. More specifically, the bright yellow lines with raised markings, called TENJI blocks, that ran throughout the sidewalks and train stations.
“They were all over the place,” he said. “I could just put my cane up against the blocks and walk because it had a little ridge. It created this nice order on the sidewalk—a kind of natural margin, saying, ‘You stay on this side, I’ll stay on that side.’”
And the benefit wasn’t just for people using a white cane. The color contrast of the TENJI blocks made them easier to see for people with low vision. It was a small feature with a big impact, making navigation smoother, safer, and less stressful.
Crosswalks That Speak
Navigating intersections in Tokyo isn’t ever a guessing game. Unlike in most U.S. cities, the crosswalks in Japan had tactile cues that actually matched the direction of the crosswalk—left, straight, or right. “In the US. I’ve noticed that the bumps are really just on the corner of the intersection,” John explained. “But in Japan, they placed the TENJI blocks right where the crosswalks were and in the direction you’d be crossing.”
But the real standout feature was the accessible crosswalk signals.
In addition to audio cues that announced the street name, some signals vibrated when it was safe to cross. “That way, folks who are deaf or deafblind know they can cross too,” John said. “You could see, you could hear, you could feel. It was a universal design.”
These thoughtful details made crossing the street less confusing, especially for someone who can’t rely on visual signs. “Those types of crosswalks make a huge difference because it increases the safety for folks. It helps us navigate, it gives us independence.”
Consistent Accessible Infrastructure
One of the most powerful takeaways from John’s trip was how consistent the accessibility features were. “In Japan, these yellow lines and crosswalk features weren’t just in one part of town—they were everywhere.”
Here in Raleigh or even Washington, DC, you might find an accessible crosswalk in one neighborhood and nothing in the next. That lack of consistency makes it harder to build confidence when navigating a city. “You come up to an intersection and think, ‘What type of experience will this be? What kind of crosswalk is this? Where are the buttons?’” John said. “In Japan, I always knew what to expect. That predictability makes a big difference.”
Designing Cities with Accessibility in Mind
John’s experience in Japan is more than a satisfying travel story. It’s a vision for what’s possible when cities design with accessibility in mind from the beginning.
The tactile paths, the crosswalk signals, the visual and audio cues—they weren’t afterthoughts. They were part of the infrastructure. “Japan was really intentional about it,” John said. “And that made all the difference.”
At Ablr, we believe accessibility shouldn’t be optional or inconsistent. It should be built into the foundation—everywhere, for everyone.