Zerogravity is a marine sports and accommodation facility with a focus on accessibility. As well as its wheelchair-accessible rooms and pool, the facility offers a number of accessible marine activities and tour options.
Background Information
Zerogravity is located on Amami Oshima, the largest of the Amami islands. The string of islands are between Honshu’s southern Kagoshima region and Okinawa, and it is common to visit more than one on island-hopping tours.
Set right on the southern coast of the island, Zerogravity is an accommodation and activity center all in one. It was created with the specific aim to allow wheelchair users and anyone with mobility issues to have the same experience of floating underwater as anyone else. They opened their doors for their full set of experiences in 2016 to allow everyone to enjoy the wonders of Amami Oshima together.
The accommodation is a two-story hostel-style accommodation with eight simple yet welcoming rooms that allow easy access for wheelchair users. This is combined with slope-free and spacious hallways for ease of movement. There is also a lounge, terrace, laundry room, and shared bath and shower space.
Of course, one of the main draws is their marine activities, as it is one of the very few places in Japan that makes those activities accessible to wheelchair users.
Among the accessible activities that they offer are snorkeling tours, clear-bottomed kayak tours, cruises, and whale watching tours. These are all accompanied by a guide, and you can have a practice run in the pool before heading straight out to sea. The activity list on their website also has clear indicators of which activities are suitable for those with disabilities (障がい者対応).
Zerogravity received the Grand Prix in the 2024 Japan Travel Awards.
Getting There
Zerogravity is located on the island of Amami Oshima, so you’ll first need to take a ferry or plane there. There are direct flights from Tokyo (Narita & Haneda), Osaka, Fukuoka, Kagoshima and Naha, and multiple connecting flights via Kagoshima.
The plane ride takes an hour to 2 hours, and the ferry roughly 11 hours.
Zerogravity offers a wheelchair-friendly pickup service from the airport. See details (in Japanese) here.
Regular public transport:
From Ferry Amami and Ferry Kikai Port, it takes 10 minutes by taxi.
From Naze Port, it takes 1.5 hours by bus, followed by 10 minutes by taxi.
From Amami Airport, it takes 2.25 hours by bus, followed by 10 minutes by taxi.
Accessibility
One of the great things about Zerogravity is that they have made the largely inaccessible industry of marine sports accessible to wheelchair users and those with mobility issues.
They have their own boat for activities and tours which is step-free and is largely impervious to swaying and jostling. It is equipped with a specialized lift that is used to lower wheelchair users into the water. Onboard, there is also a fridge, living room area, and accessible shower and bathroom.
Most of the activities, such as diving and snorkeling with tandem divers, are wheelchair accessible. You will first receive a practice session in the pool.
The accommodation has accessible rooms, with wide corridors and step-free access throughout, and a barrier-free lobby with free drinks. There, you’ll also find recommendations for nearby accessible restaurants and local activities.
Wheelchair-accessible cars for rent or for airport pickup can be arranged through Zerogravity.
Zerogravity has a dedicated staff for those who require special assistance. They are very friendly and trained to handle a variety of different needs.
There is also specialized equipment for loan, such as full-face diving masks for those who cannot close their mouth fully.
More information on their accessibility can be found here (Japanese only): https://zerogravity.jp/support/
