On-site Survey by 60 People! "Yokohama Chinatown Barrier-Free Map 2026" Completed with the Power of Citizens and Supporters Now Available

Certified NPO WheeLog! (Representative Director: Yuriko Oda), which operates the barrier-free information app "WheeLog!", has released the latest "Yokohama Chinatown Area Map" within the app, reflecting the results of a mapping event conducted in Yokohama Chinatown on March 8, 2026.

This project is a major update, the first in five years, since the "Yokohama Chinatown Tourist Barrier-Free Map" in 2021, which received significant feedback. Supported by "Crowdfunding 2025," it has evolved from a PDF to an "app," reborn to be more user-friendly.

1. From "Paper" to "Digital": Connecting Five Years of Dedication

In 2021, with the goal of creating "a future where everyone can go out with peace of mind" during the COVID-19 pandemic, the first "Yokohama Chinatown Tourist Barrier-Free Map (PDF and paper version)" was produced through crowdfunding.

Five years later. As the cityscape and store facilities changed, to enhance the convenience of information, this time, we went beyond the PDF format and updated it to the "Area Map Function" within the WheeLog! app, which allows users to check their current location on their smartphone.

Yokohama Chinatown restaurants and restrooms

2. A Total of 60 People Gathered in Yokohama Chinatown

For this renewal, an on-site survey event was held on March 8, 2026, based at the Yokohama City Hall Atrium. A diverse group of 60 participants, including wheelchair users, students, and working professional volunteers, joined. Each team toured Chinatown, carefully checking the presence of ramps at restaurants, the width of aisles inside stores, and the current status of barrier-free restrooms, one by one. New stores that did not exist five years ago and updated information on newly renovated facilities have been collected and reflected in the app.

3. "Visualization of Tourist Destinations" Realized through Public-Private-Citizen Collaboration

This project was realized through the cooperation system of "Crowdfunding 2025" funds raised from individual supporters, donations from Kao Corporation and Kao Heart Pocket Club, and endorsement from the Yokohama City Health and Welfare Bureau and the Yokohama Chinatown Development Association Cooperative.

Citizens, businesses, and government cooperated in their respective roles to visualize barrier-free information for Yokohama Chinatown, a representative tourist destination in Japan, marking an important step towards creating a society where everyone can go out easily.

4. About the WheeLog! App's "Area Map Function"

This function allows intuitive confirmation of barrier-free information specific to a certain area on a map. Even in the back alleys of Yokohama Chinatown, with just a smartphone, users can find "accessible shops" and support the "free tourism" of wheelchair users, stroller users, and the elderly.

■ Comment from Representative Director Yuriko Oda

Yuriko Oda, Representative Director of WheeLog!

Five years ago, the paper and PDF maps we created together were a big step in our activities. This time, I am truly happy that crowdfunding has once again pushed us forward, allowing us to "update for the first time in five years" in a new digital form. I hope this map will be a reassuring guide for everyone visiting Yokohama Chinatown to take a step forward.

■ Organization Overview

Organization Name: Certified NPO WheeLog!

Representative Director: Yuriko Oda

Location: Kudanzaka Park Building 4F, 1-15-2 Kudankita, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

URL: https://wheelog.com/

■ Contact for inquiries regarding this matter

Certified NPO WheeLog! Secretariat (Contact: Matsushita)

Email: info@wheelog.org

Phone number: 050-6867-4769