Accessibility's pretty good, especially with respect to paper 
currency, unlike the U.S.  Also, on the subways, there are paths that 
have the dome-shaped nubs you can follow.  However, unemployment 
still high for blind folks there.--Matt.

At 02:41 PM 4/24/2015, Colin McDonald wrote:
>matt, how did you find accessibility in Japan?
>I have heard that it is quite spectacular
>Perhaps not in all of the country, but certainly in major centers.
>
>Regards
>Colin
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Matthew Chao
>Sent: Friday, April 24, 2015 11:19 AM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Japanese Sideband Q S O
>
>Hi, Ron.  Sounds great.  I was in Japan in 2013 for the World Blind
>Sailing Championships, representing the U.S. and the state of
>Massachusetts.  I truly loved Japan.  Great place and people.
>
>Now, with my new ticket, I hope to talk to some folks there,
>propagation permitting.--Matt, N1IBB.
>
>At 08:02 AM 4/24/2015, Dr. Ronald E. Milliman wrote:
> >Phil, your Japanese QSO reminds me about a young Japanese kid I met on the
> >air many years ago when I was working on my Ph.D. at Arizona State. We had
> >a
> >regular schedule set-up, and he would ask me all kinds of questions about
> >the United States and in turn, he would tell me lots of really interesting
> >things about Japan and the kids in his country and at that time, how much
> >they wanted to buy the kind of jeans that the American kids were wearing.
> >However, American jeans were extremely expensive in Japan and very
> >difficult
> >to find. Anyway, I sent him a pair of American jeans, and he couldn't thank
> >me enough. The best part of the story, though, is that when he graduated
> >from high school, he came to the United States and enrolled in Arizona
> >State, and he used to come over to my house quite often to have dinner with
> >my wife and me, and we set up schedules to talk to his family and friends
> >in
> >Japan.
> >
> >Ron, K8HSY
> >  family
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> >On Behalf Of Colin McDonald
> >Sent: Friday, April 24, 2015 12:54 AM
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Re: Japanese Sideband Q S O
> >
> >Great story.
> >Japanese ham operators have the best on air edicot in the world bar none.
> >Of course, they also have the highest number of ham operators per capita of
> >any other country.
> >I love working Japanese stations...especially on 10 when they have their
> >10M
> >contest.
> >
> >73
> >Colin, V A6BKX
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Phil Scovell
> >Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2015 11:24 PM
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Japanese Sideband Q S O
> >
> >I'm sure I've told this story before, so for those on the list who have =
> >heard it, just delete this post.
> >
> >I tuned down to just a few KHz above 28 300, checked the frequency to = see
> >if it was clear, and proceeded to call CQ D X.  I don't know if it = still
> >is the case but 10 meters used to be the Japanese novice band = including
> >running only 10 watts for either CW or SSB.  At least, a long = rag chew I
> >had with a Japanese station once told me.  His English was = better than
> >mine.  Anyhow, let me give you a flavor of what it sounded = like first and
> >then I will tell the story.
> >
> >Calling CQ D X and standing by," I said.  By the way, I wasn't K0NX back =
> >then but I'll just use my current call sign to demonstrate what happen.  =
> >As I said in a previous message, I am really bad about understanding =
> >anybody that doesn't sound like he is from Iowa.  Anyhow, I let my = signal
> >drop and a guy, all alone, called me.
> >
> >Keelowatt serro November x-ray, keelowatt serro November xray, this is =
> >Ja-pan Amerika one, Mexico Quebec Mexico.  Ja-pan America one Mexico =
> >Quebec Mexico.  And he repeated it a couple of additional times.
> >
> >Q R zed, I called.  I didn't get all of your call.  Please say again, =
> >this
> >is Kilowatt zero November x-ray.  He repeated it several times.  It = took
> >me a couple of more transmission to even get his call.  Finally, I = got
> >it.
> >I gave him his signal report, my QTH, and name, and turned it = back to
> >him.
> >I had to get him to repeat his QTH and name three or four = more times
> >before I got it.  I was going to sign with him without = telling him what I
> >was running for a station, and that out of plane old = embarrassment, but
> >when I turned it back to him, he said, "Feel.  I am = going to ask
> >question.
> >Is this ok, feel?"  I reluctantly said, ok, and = he asked me a question.
> >I
> >asked him to repeat it.  He asked me again = and I asked him to repeat his
> >question.  This happened, God as my = witness, two or three additional
> >times
> >until I understood he was asking = me if I lived in the capital city of
> >Denver or did I live in another = town near Denver?  I thought, what in the
> >sam hill is he asking me that = for?  I mean, isn't Denver good enough just
> >for a short contact?  I = finally got it and so I told him I was in
> >Lakewood
> >Colorado.  I spelled = it.  Lima, alphas, kilo, echo, whisky, oscar, oscar,
> >delta and I = repeated it several more times and pronounced it a few times.
> >He asked = me to repeat it all again.  I did.  He came back and said, "Ok,
> >feel.  I = now understand.  You leave in Lake wud Co low ri doe.  Now,
> >feel.
> >I ask = you question.  Is this ok?"  Very hesitantly, I said it would be
> >ok.
> >= "Now, feel, in Lake Wud Co low ra da, I am asking your address."  I =
> >asked him to repeat his question.  He did.  I asked him again to repeat =
> >his question.  He repeated it two or three additional times.  To my =
> >surprise, he was indeed asking me for my address.  I thought, "Oh, good. =
> >He wants to QSL direct," so I said my address was 8427 West 6th Avenue. = I
> >was figuring that he'd never get such a weird long address but after =
> >repeating it two or three more times, he repeated it back and I = confirmed
> >he had it ok.  By the way, ok is a great word used often in = any language.
> >He said, "Ok, feel, in Lake Wud Co low raido, I am asking = you your zip
> >code.  See?  I was right.  The guy wants to qsl.  Hot dog.  = I got it now.
> >He got the zip code just fine right off.  I am telling = you the truth how
> >this all went down.  In fact, it took probably 10 or =
> >15 minutes to get this far in the QSO.  I was kicking myself for = sticking
> >my neck out working sideband by this time.  Finally, he said, = and this is
> >the truth, "Feel, this is ok.  I have, what you say is, map = called Atlas.
> >I see you right where you live from map.  Very nice = talking you.  I see
> >on
> >map exactly where you house would be."  Now = remember, this is long before
> >computers and google maps and almost = before satellites, haha.  I mean, we
> >didn't have cable channels, the = internet, and the most modern thing in my
> >shack was a push button = telephone.  I've give a dollar to your favorite
> >charity if I had a = recording of that, one of a kind, classic QSO.  Now
> >you
> >know why I don't = work phone.  I'm kidding, of course, but I made the same
> >mistake once, = when I had my 4 element 20 up at 40 feet.  I cranked up my
> >amplifier = that I finally purchase, 4 811 a tubes with 700 watts output,
> >pointed my = beam straight north, shouldered my way between two huge
> >signals, and = called CQ D X United Alpha, cq d x USSR, cq United alpha, cq
> >the soviet = Union.  I called cq like that for maybe 15 seconds and at that
> >time of = the evening, in the early 1980s, Russian were 30 and 40 over
> >nine.
> >They = were even louder long path pointed southwest in the morning hours.
> >I
> >= worked Russians for the next two hours, some short 5 or six minute rag =
> >chews, too.  I also worked Willy, who operated from UK 9 A A N, or as he =
> >used to say, UK9 Able, able, nan, for two hours on phone one night but =
> >again, his English back then was better than mine.  Willy and I worked =
> >high speed CW on 20 occasionally and UK9AAN was a big Russian contest =
> >station back then with about 20K of output.  This was when Russians were =
> >only supposed to run 200 watts maximum.  Willy told me, in a rather =
> >clever
> >way, what their amplifier was putting out back then and he told = of some
> >of
> >the other big Ukraine contest stations and other calls with = which I was
> >familiar, and none of them ran less than 10K and some even = more than 20K.
> >Great d x days back then on all the bands.  Anyhow, from = a guy who can
> >hardly understand guys on sideband from New York, New = Jersey,
> >Mississippi,
> >northern Georgia, and Alabama, I try and stick to =
> >75 meters at 4 PM in the afternoon before the band goes long and starts =
> >filling up with all them foreign accents from near by states, haha.  By =
> >the way, the only Japanese I know is the word Tokyo but even Eloquence =
> >pronounces it incorrectly as most of us do.  It is not pronounced Toe = Key
> >oh, as three syllables.  If you listen closely, Japanese pronounce = it as
> >just two syllables as in toke Yoh.  I still pronounce it as three =
> >syllables myself but then again, we CW guys don't need to know such =
> >piddly
> >information, haha.
> >
> >Phil.
> >K0NX