WheeLog! is a digital barrier-free map where users share accessibility information based on their own experiences, such as routes they have actually traveled in wheelchairs and facilities they have visited and used.
In Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, wheelchair walking events are held every spring and fall, also serving as opportunities to update the barrier-free map.
In spring 2024, a lecture was planned as a pre-event for the wheelchair walking event, featuring wheelchair users Ochimizu Yosuke and Miyo Tatsuya.
The person who initiated the lecture was Moriue Miho, who organized the first-ever wheelchair walking event in Okayama Prefecture.
Apparently, this lecture is a dream Moriue has held for five years.
We spoke with her about what this lecture means to her.
The information presented was current when this article was published in May 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Moriue Miho, organizer of wheelchair walks in the Bikan Historical Area
Moriue Miho, who organized Okayama’s first wheelchair walking event, lived with her wheelchair-using grandmother as a child. Moriue says her grandmother often felt discouraged because of her limited mobility, and she grew up seeing her struggle with life in a wheelchair.
As an adult, Moriue became a physical therapist, caring for people who are bedridden or use wheelchairs.
Through her work, she had more opportunities to interact with wheelchair users and began thinking about what barrier-free should mean.
Wanting to see things from the perspective of people directly affected, she began attending wheelchair walking events organized by WheeLog! in Kyoto and Fukuyama, as well as lectures by wheelchair users. She now regularly organizes wheelchair walking events in Okayama Prefecture and hosts lectures by wheelchair users.
Today, she holds wheelchair walking events in the Bikan Historical Area twice a year, in spring and fall. She focuses not only on physical accessibility—such as ramps to bypass steps and passageways wide enough for wheelchairs—but also on attitudinal accessibility, where shop staff offer assistance even when the environment is inconvenient for wheelchair users.
How organizer Moriue Miho came to hold the lecture
How did this lecture, titled “Never Give Up on Taking on Challenges: A Five-Year Dream and What Lies Ahead,” organized by Moriue, come about?
Wanting to hold a lecture
What inspired you to plan a lecture?
Moriue (surname only)
This lecture is a dream I’ve had for five years.
I currently work as a physical therapist at a long-term care health facility. I care for people who are bedridden or use wheelchairs, but I rarely get to put myself in the shoes of people directly affected.
Then I attended a lecture by Miyo Tatsuya, a wheelchair user.
I’ll never forget how deeply it affected me. He spoke about the many experiences he had while traveling around the world in a wheelchair. His stories of taking action to do what he wanted despite his disability gave me courage.
What impressed me most was the organizing committee behind the lecture. Every committee member seemed to enjoy putting it on, and I thought they were wonderful.
At the same time, I realized that although I don’t have a disability, I had never taken on a major challenge in my life, nor did I have companions like the committee members.
So I set myself the goal of “inviting Miyo to Okayama, where I live, to give a lecture someday.”
Holding Okayama Prefecture’s first wheelchair walking event
What did you do to work toward your goal of “holding a lecture”?
Moriue
In 2019, I took part in WheeLog! in Kyoto, an event where people walk around town together with wheelchair users.
I thought that to understand Miyo’s perspective, I first needed the experience of seeing things from the perspective of people directly affected.
It was the day of the Gion Festival, when Kyoto draws the most visitors all year. We couldn’t get into any of the accessible businesses listed on the map. The only place with room was a curry restaurant right in front of us, with about two steps at the entrance.
As the participants were saying, “There’s no way we can get in here,” a staff member came out and said, “We can help you get in,” then lifted the wheelchair and guided us into the restaurant.
It was so exciting. I wanted people in my hometown of Okayama to experience that same thrill.
When was the first wheelchair walking event held in Okayama?
Moriue
The first one was held in September 2020 in Takahashi City, where I live.
My experience at WheeLog! in Kyoto made me realize that what we need is not only physical accessibility, but also companions with whom we can share the same space.
So, rather than walking alone, I wanted to walk with others, and decided to use the WheeLog! app to find companions.
However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we couldn’t invite a large group at the time. In the end, the event was held with just three people: me, a junior from my student days, and a wheelchair user I met through the WheeLog! app.
As I shared what happened that day through online events and other channels, our community kept growing.
Regular wheelchair walking events in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area since 2022
How did the wheelchair walking events in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area get started?
Moriue
When I asked the people who had gathered online, “Where would you like to hold the next wheelchair event?” the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area came up as a candidate. Since then, we’ve held wheelchair walking events regularly twice a year, in spring and fall.
In spring 2024, the wheelchair walk will be held on Sunday, May 26.
Why do you hold the events only in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area instead of visiting different regions?
Moriue
Towns are constantly changing. Roads change because of construction, and shops come and go.
That’s why continuing wheelchair walking events in the same area helps keep the information more up to date. We want to provide reliable information to people who need a barrier-free map, so we hold the events regularly in the same area.
Now that she has a community, she wants to hold a lecture by Ochimizu Yosuke and Miyo Tatsuya in Kurashiki
Okayama’s wheelchair walking events began with Moriue traveling to Kyoto on her own. As the community grew, did your feelings change?
Moriue
As we held more wheelchair walking events, our community grew beyond physical therapists like me and the wheelchair users who first took part. People from many fields, including travel and transportation, joined us. Having people from different fields together also broadened our perspectives when updating the barrier-free map.
And every one of them is someone who feels positive about “taking on a challenge” in their own area of expertise.
Seeing them made me think, “If we’re going to invite Miyo to give a lecture, I want to do it in the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Area, and I want to do it now.”
At first, I thought it would be enough if my companions could hear Miyo’s story and feel encouraged. In my own life, I hadn’t often experienced having many people around me.
So even now, being supported by others like this feels like a dream.
This time, Ochimizu Yosuke will be joining Miyo as well, right?
Moriue
Yes. Miyo was the reason I wanted to hold a lecture, and I’ve attended his lectures several times since then.
Among them, I can’t forget the lecture held in 2019 in Tomonoura, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, where Miyo Tatsuya and Ochimizu Yosuke both spoke.
Like Miyo, Ochimizu is also a wheelchair user. It’s rare to have the chance to hear from multiple people directly affected at once, so it was a very valuable opportunity.
Since I was organizing a lecture myself, I wanted to share with my companions the stories of two people who live in wheelchairs for different reasons—accidents and illness—so I invited them both.
The Ochimizu Yosuke and Miyo Tatsuya lecture, “Never Give Up on Taking on Challenges: A Five-Year Dream and What Lies Ahead,” is accepting online registrations
So “a five-year dream” refers to Moriue’s dream. Could you tell us more about the lecture?
Moriue
That’s right. It’s my dream (laughs).
The lecture will be held on Saturday, May 25, 2024, from 7 to 9 p.m. in Meeting Room 2 at Kurashiki Community Center.
There are 50 places, and admission is 3,000 yen, but thanks to my companions working hard to promote it, it’s already sold out.
We are currently accepting registrations for online participation. There are 50 places online as well, and the fee is more affordable than attending in person, at 1,000 yen.
The event will be streamed via Zoom for smartphones and computers. As a rule, we won’t accept questions or comments through the chat function, but we plan to keep an archive.
For details, please check the official Peatix page.
What would you like participants to take away from the lecture?
Moriue
First, I want people to learn about WheeLog!’s barrier-free map and wheelchair walking events. Physical accessibility takes time and money, but attitudinal accessibility—being willing to help one another—is something anyone can put into practice right away.
I hope Okayama, including Kurashiki, will be filled with attitudinal accessibility.
Continuing to create more places to take on challenges
With your dream of organizing a lecture just around the corner, what are your plans for the future?
Moriue
Right now, I’m most interested in esports.
“Esports” is short for “electronic sports.” In a broad sense, it refers to entertainment, competitions, and sports in general that use electronic devices, and is the term used when competitive play using computer or video games is regarded as a sporting competition.
Quoted from “What Is Esports?” Official Website of the Japan Esports Union
I’d like to be involved with ePARA, which supports people with disabilities in participating in society in their own way and with a sense of purpose through esports. Okayama has many tourist spots surrounded by nature, so I have the ambition of finding ways to collaborate.
In this way, I hope to keep helping create opportunities for people to take on challenges.
When I first attended Miyo’s lecture five years ago, I was all alone and had never taken on any challenges.
But through WheeLog!’s barrier-free map, wheelchair walking events, and planning and organizing this lecture, I’ve become someone who increasingly wants to take on challenges.
There are many things I’m excited about, but first I’ll do my best to make the upcoming lecture a success.
From the Writer
Before the interview, Moriue sent me a message. It said:
“To be honest, I’m not good at conversation. If I can’t find the right words, would it be okay if I typed them on my computer?”
That’s what she wrote.
I wondered what kind of person she was, and while researching Moriue’s activities and the backgrounds of Ochimizu and Miyo, who would be speaking at the lecture, I went into the interview feeling a little anxious.
But when we spoke in person, I realized that her difficulty “finding the right words” was not a functional issue; rather, it showed how carefully she chooses her words.
Her expression was tense when she talked about the early days of her activities, but it was striking to see it soften into one of great affection when she spoke about the wheelchair walking events she had attended and her companions.
Moriue’s work clearly shows how much she values the people around her and enjoys planning and organizing wheelchair walking events in Kurashiki.
Why not join us in hearing the five-year dream of one woman?
lecture by Ochimizu Yosuke & Miyo Tatsuya, “Never Give Up on Your Dreams: A Dream Five Years in the Making and What Lies Ahead” Information
| Name | Lecture by Ochimizu Yosuke & Miyo Tatsuya, “Never Give Up on Your Dreams: A Dream Five Years in the Making and What Lies Ahead” |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, May 25, 2024, 7:00–9:00 p.m. |
| Location | 2-21 Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Admission (tax included) | In-person: ¥3,000; online: ¥1,000 |
| Website | Ochimizu Yosuke & Miyo Tatsuya Okayama Lecture |
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a search term to find articles on this site
