in bbc news it is the travel show. they're exploring japan to find out how exhibition delete my accessibility has improved in the wake of this year's paralympics in tokyo. oh, wow. look at the size of this place. this is tokyo stadium and it was home to the football, the rugby, and the pentathlon during the olympics. and i'm glad to finally be here. japan's delayed summer of sport finally got under way in 2021. my name's steve brown and i was supposed to come over the paralympic coverage. not being able to make it out was a huge blow. the whole thing about sport, it's not just about watching it, it's about feeling it, that immersive experience. before i was a presenter, i was captain of the london 2012 rugby wheelchair team. and when i was in hospital sport was what got me out. it was definitely the building blocks to the person that i have become. tokyo holds a special place in paralympic history. it was all the way back at the 1964 games that the term paralympic was first used. but being disabled injapan hasn't always been easy. it's often seen as a country that values conformity and fitting in. so, at the end of this paralympic year, i'm finally getting the chance to explore japan and find out what life's late —— life's like for those who stand out from the crowd. along the way i'll some old opponents, discover a hidden tropical culture, and ride the waves with some adaptive surfing. my journey across japan begins in the capital, tokyo, the world's busiest city, where i am on my way to meet some former rivals. it's excellent sitting here and watching the japanese paralympic team doing the training. wheelchair rugby has this nickname, murder ball, and you can see why. it's the only full contact wheelchair sport there is. your opponent is going to work very hard to knock you out of your chair, so you have got to work hard to knock them out of theirs. the team won bronze at the 2021 games. and i rememberfacing them all the way back at london 2012. so, very nice to see you again. of course it was a very different games because of coronavirus. how did that affect you not having the crowds here? how do you feel people's acceptance and understanding of disability is? do you feel like it's something that's maybe been hidden away a little bit? this gym was specially designed for para—athletes and opened in 2018. in the build—up to the paralympics, the government committed to introducing more barrier—free access across the country. we'll see how i get on as i explore more ofjapan. here in tokyo, the subway system is said to be almost entirely accessible. even if some of the adaptations are a bit bizarre. so this is going to turn into a wheelchair lift, but they've had to shut everything off to make it happen. so i come on... you won't find many of these adapted escalators around the subway. normal lifts are far more common. brakes are on. yes, no problem. and that's probably a good thing. 0k. and it's done. thank you, gentlemen. well, that was terrifying. but on the surface there are old pockets of tokyo that can still be a challenge to get around. we're in golden gai and that translates as golden city, which is quite a strange name for a place no bigger than a football pitch. the place is just starting to open now. if i had left it another hour or so this would be starting to get much busier and on these narrow streets i think i would have trouble getting around. see, look, this is a perfect example, there's no room for me in there, there's a step to get in, and the door�*s too narrow. a few blocks over there's an area where another group of people are finding their voice. it's called ni—chome and it's said to have the highest concentration of gay and lesbian bars in the world. i've arranged to meet nunu, who works here. and what's the attitude like to the lgbt community injapan? nunu works at the 0nnanoko club, which calls itself a cross—dressing bar. the club welcomes people of all identities. nunu identify as trans and was originally a customer here. this pocket of tokyo flourished because it gave people a space outside of the mainstream where they could express themselves without facing disapproval. but tradition still has a powerful hold overjapan, as i'll find out in the next stage of myjourney. now it's time for me to leave the capital on board one of their famous bullet trains. so what's happening? we are trying to book a a wheelchair space for you. some lines saw the number of wheelchair spaces trebled in the lead up to the paralympics, but it takes a while to find me a space. it's turning out to be quite a faff, i think, they recommend that you book it all up in advance to save all of this. that doesn't work if you don't know you are travelling until an hour before you need to travel. all sorted. well, here we go then. i'm on my way to 0shima island, a thousand kilometres west of tokyo and more than five hours by train. to an area that remains in thrall to centuries old traditions and customs. that's a big flight of steps. whoa. 0k. whoa. 0h. here we are. 0h. wow. getting up here might have been a bit of an effort, but it was certainly worth it. you don't see many places like this, do you? this is the nakatsumiya shrine. it was built in the 18th century to pay homage to a holy island some 50 kilometres off the coast. 0kinoshima has been worshipped for well over 1000 years, lying between japan and the korean peninsula. this museum tells the story of 0kinoshima all the way back to its earliest religious ceremonies in the fourth ceremony. the island is a sacred place with a very strict door policy. have you seen the island? more than 80,000 artefacts have been found there, which led to unesco naming it a world heritage site in 2017. but the old taboos mean only men can set foot on the island and miki can'tjoin her male colleagues on archaeological expeditions. watching these videos it certainly has got this kind of eerie mystical power to it. i might not be able to go myself, but one way that tourists can experience 0kinoshima is by trying a misogi ceremony, a special cleansing ritual performed by all the island's visitors. whoa. yeah, it's cold. face you, yeah, towards you? ok, i'm down. it feels, now i'm in, somewhat exhilarating, in a way relaxing. but i still want to get back out now. is that enough praying? i'm heading out to japan's southernmost spot, 0kinawa, which is made up of more than 100 subtropical islands. it's a popular holiday destination because of its year—round warm temperatures and, back in 2007, it was the first place injapan to make a barrierfree declaration — a commitment towards making travel more accessible for all. i have heard 0kinawan culture has distinct differences from the mainland, so i've come here to find out more. back in the 15th century, the ryukyu kingdom united the islands that now form 0kinawa. they were trading people and now an international influence can still be felt in their art and design, their architecture, and in theirfood. ok, now, this looks very nice. i think i will start with this. what is it? it smells strong. has it got a strong flavour? yes. 0k... wow. that is a strong flavour. i need to wash it down. so what is this? that's nice and it's quite smooth. fragrant. maybe i'm just washing down the fermented tofu... but ryukyuan culture hasn't always been embraced by the mainland. in the 19th century after it became part ofjapan there was a crackdown on local customs. next on my tour, chiyoko takes me 30 kilometres down the road to shuri castle. it's on the top of a steep hill. so i brought along an extra set of wheels. so here we are then. that was a big entrance into an open space. what happened here? i've come through and it's just a construction site. that is the only way i can explain it. that is what i was expecting to see. and it's such a shame. when it was standing, shuri castle drew around 2 million people a year. then, in october 2019, a fire, blamed on a faulty electrical system, tore through the wooden palace, destroying all the main buildings. the debris has been cleared away and the site is once again open to tourists, where they can find out about an ambitious new reconstruction that is currently under way. so this is smoke damage? yes. you can feel the weight of them they are a real solid piece. it is not the first time the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt. previously it was bombed in the second world war. its reconstruction turned it into a symbol of ka nawha's resilience. it's tragic to see all this devastation, but with the reconstruction set to open in a few years' time, maybe it's a chance for the ryukyu culture to get a bit more attention. here in okinawa, my trip across japan is coming to an end. but there's one more thing for me to try. so... this foot, 0k. oh, my goodness! surfing is a year—round activity on these subtropical islands. and taishi is an organiser for accessurf, a local charity that helps people with accessibility needs, like mine, to ride the waves. well, i have never been surfing before. reassure me, many people have you taken out already? i've got the wetsuit on. let's make the most of this, shall we? all right, let's go. well, i've been in for spiritual, now i'm going in recreational. i'm ready, let's go. this way around ? with me safely on the board, the team run through a few basics. ok, so how do i fall down? i go over and i push the board away from me? yes. so i push away the only thing that i want to grab? well, i think i've got the paddling. shall we try some surfing? yeah. in my journey across japan, i have seen that it's a country that is still bound by tradition. but i have also met people who are pushing those boundaries. and here in okinawa i have seen that there's more thanjust one traditional culture. for me, coming here in my wheelchair, there have been a few problems here and there. but opening up is a process, whether it's opening up to foreign travel after a pandemic or opening up to new ideas and experiences. and this has been one experience that i am definitely going to remember. hello. we have got a bit of everything weather—wise underneath the christmas tree today. across the southern half of the country it is quite mild, misty, rain and drizzle around pushing into western areas too. but in the north and east of the country not only have we got a cold wind developing but one or two have seen snow this morning. but tickly across shetland, areas of eastern scotland, down through the borders on the tops of the pennines as far south as the dales. these areas continue to see sunshine, or two wintry isolated flurries but a strengthening wind. the northern ireland, central and southern england and wales outbreaks of rain and drizzle and heavier burst in the afternoon. towards the south—west thatis afternoon. towards the south—west that is where we have got the mildest of the air but the wind coming in from the east and north—easterly direction shows that even though it is for five celsius on the thermometer it will feel much, much colder than that. it will feel sub—0 across much of scotland and northern parts of england. wrap up and northern parts of england. wrap up well if you are going for a christmas walk later on. tonight, with the cold wind coming in from the east, clashing with the outbreaks of rain pushing away northwards across most parts, be prepared across the hills of northern england into lower levels for some, northern england into lower levels forsome, central northern england into lower levels for some, central scotland for some snow to take us into boxing day morning. it will be a cold one as we sat the day. a widespread frost away from those eastern coasts. look in the south, eight, 9 degrees, the milder air continues to work its way north through boxing day. we start off with the snow on the hills. it will turn lighter and patria maybe to sleet and rain as we go through the day as milder air tries to win its way. elsewhere, compared with today we will see brighter skies develop. heavy, maybe even thundery showers around but parts of the midlands and southern england and across wales a better chance of some sunshine in between. 11, 12, 13 degrees possible, orfive in the far north. as we going into next week, low pressure systems lining themselves up in the atlantic and each one will bring evermore warm air. in fact a surge of very mild air. in fact a surge of very mild airall air. in fact a surge of very mild air all the way from the mid—atlantic coming our way next week. it won't feel festive at all between christmas and new year. look at the temperatures, potentially 16 or 17 degrees with some rain for some. this is bbc news broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. i'm martine croxall. our top stories... going further and deeper into space than ever before — a revolutionary telescope is due to blast off in the next hour hour. this is the scene live... we'll get the latest from someone at mission control and someone at the launch site. volunteers staff vaccine centres in england as the race to fight the surging 0mricon variant doesn't stop for the holiday. the queen is expected to give a very personal christmas message this year — her first since the death of her husband prince philip. hello, and welcome to bbc news.

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