Dong fulfilled a huge dream at the beginning of 2025 by funding a trip to Japan with his parents. Besides covering most of the travel costs for three people and dealing with budget constraints, he also faced challenges with his mother's post-surgery recovery, requiring a wheelchair for flat surfaces and specific dietary needs: no raw food, high protein, low fiber, low sodium, low potassium per meal, plus his father's need for low-sugar, low-starch diabetic control. This post is especially dedicated to those suffering from cancer, post-surgery recovery, diabetes, or similar conditions who still want to travel far with family! We did it, and so can you!
Because Dong's parents had a tougher time when young, their physical condition in old age is relatively poorer than many others' parents, compounded by early-onset illnesses. After efforts to rest and recover in 2023~2024, and following medical evaluation in 2025, we decided to go to Okinawa to ease the stress of the past two years. Plus, Dong had only traveled overseas once as a child with his father's work trip to Bali—the only overseas trip they still talk about fondly. But since he was very young and it was a group tour, most time was spent on buses or in hotels, with few chances to deeply experience local culture.
Japan was also a place his parents had long wanted to visit. They had planned a trip to Osaka the month the COVID pandemic broke out, even exchanging yen, but couldn't go and suffered heavy losses at the peak. Back then their health was better and they could still work with lighter financial burdens, but this time it was truly Dong's big challenge!
For most seniors, post-surgery travel requires attention to many small details, even road flatness. Besides itinerary planning, I even used Google Maps to walk every route in advance at locations with possible slopes, and before departure explained the itinerary, routes, and expected road conditions to the seniors to assess if their stamina could handle it.
With many issues around diet, mobility, and daily needs, the itinerary needed to focus on these key points:
Super difficult, right~ But we really did it! Even I think I'm amazing.
※ Special note: Traveling with post-surgery seniors requires constant attention, so many times you have to seize moments for photos~ Don't force perfect shots! And weird photos will definitely appear—don't take them to heart!
Can't let seniors take a tiring budget airline, right!?
Originally didn't want to fly budget, but funding three people's tickets and hotels was expensive, so after long discussion with the seniors and trusting Japanese budget airline service, we still chose Peach Aviation! Extremely grateful for the seniors' cooperation, but Peach Aviation was a pleasant surprise—the seniors also felt treated with dignity!
At check-in, I had already researched how to handle the seniors' conditions:
So when boarding, Peach Aviation even arranged dedicated staff to help Mom board in her wheelchair via the jet bridge and allowed early boarding.
Early boarding also means last to deplane, with dedicated staff pushing the wheelchair to help Mom off, which is relatively safer for us since seniors move slowly and this reduces pressure.
The itinerary is in a separate section for easy viewing; links in between jump to details below.
Outbound
15:25 Depart Taoyuan Airport, Taiwan
17:55 Arrive Naha Airport, Okinawa
Return
16:50 Depart Naha Airport, Okinawa
17:35 Arrive Taoyuan Airport, Taiwan
Click attraction names in the itinerary below to jump to photos and descriptions
Because customs time on day 1 is unpredictable, we ate dinner right after clearing customs. Options on international terminal 1F include Airport Cafeteria and 3F has aw Burger—both better suited to seniors' needs; we chose Airport Cafeteria. Our hotel was Living Inn Asahibashiekimae Anex, chosen for its kitchen, washer-dryer, and fridge-freezer so we could buy fresh groceries and have food after outings.
We didn't get to visit the Yatai Village later; the seniors realized their stamina wasn't as good as expected, so William and I made slight adjustments to the rest of the day's plans.
Resting at the hotel in the middle of day 2 was the comfortable choice for the seniors! Always schedule rest time—post-surgery seniors' stamina depletes faster than expected!
On day 3 we hit stamina hell. Even pushing wheelchairs and self-driving to Naminoue Shrine, combined with previous days, the seniors' stamina was much lower. We canceled the later American military housing in Furukawa and went to the department store to eat, drink, and shop instead—tax-free shopping made the seniors very happy~
American Village was entirely by wheelchair, but we underestimated how much the temperature would drain stamina—the seniors felt uncomfortable! So after a quick visit we found a place to eat and headed home.
DMM Aquarium is really nice to visit, and iias department store is right next door—can easily fill two areas. After American Village left the seniors exhausted, we picked up feeding tickets on day 4, waited leisurely for feeding times, ate simply at the aquarium, then shopped at the department store, bought souvenirs on Kokusai-dori, then returned the wheelchair and car at the airport! Birdland happened to be next to the return spot—we had a reservation and went straight in to eat~
After check-out we carried suitcases; the weight plus days of fatigue meant our only plans were department store dining and shopping before heading to the airport to fly back to Taiwan~
Since the wheelchair was already returned the day before, we didn't need to push both wheelchair and suitcase. The foldable cart let us sit wherever we went. The earlier return flight was just right for the seniors—even though we flew at this time slot, customs was packed. Though we had the small cart, the seniors' discomfort peaked, but the airport counter and Peach Aviation still provided dedicated help, letting us use wheelchairs through the airport and customs to board, easing the burden. Back in Taiwan the seniors went home and slept deeply!
Although we canceled many places and didn't finish everything, post-surgery seniors' stamina remains a huge challenge. We overlooked three things:
These two points make us plan future senior trips more carefully! Sharing with anyone planning to travel with seniors!
Below I'll review special attractions and accommodations from our trip, all with anchor links~ Click from the itinerary to view
Airport Cafeteria is on the 1st floor of Naha Airport's international terminal. The elevators inside Naha Airport are small and often full. When it was nearly the seniors' mealtime I felt like a bomb was about to explode—really nervous! Thankfully the elevator finally arrived on the 1st floor and we reached the corner Airport Cafeteria.
Airport Cafeteria is a coin-operated restaurant; we quickly ordered after simple selection so the seniors could eat.
The noodles here are pretty good—not too hard, not too salty, acceptable for seniors.
The omurice wasn't special and a bit hard—not recommended~
You often see travel "landmine" teammates; this time William landmined himself. He insisted on changing to a Japanese SIM card on the plane, but the card flew out during installation and everyone was on the floor in the dark helping him search—still couldn't find it. This photo was taken while he had a sour face, worried and distressed.
※ The SIM card was finally found the next day inside William's own shoe. He even bought a brand new data card and was devastated the whole way!
(Click to return to itinerary list)
I really recommend this Okinawa accommodation! Besides having separate kitchen, bathroom, washer-dryer, and bedroom plus a small balcony, it's only 3~5 minutes from the station, fully self check-in, and super cheap! Two double rooms averaged just over 5000 yen per night—about 2500 yen each! Super worth it; the seniors kept praising it even after returning home!
Though not a high-end hotel, at this price it offers incredible value, including a kitchen with utensils and laundry space in the room.
It even provided laundry detergent—I was super satisfied!
Small but complete, and importantly has an elevator—very convenient!
It's walkable to Kokusai-dori~ After the seniors slept, William and I walked there to eat and shop; I almost fell asleep by the roadside at midnight and William dragged me back—really funny.
The small balcony design is great; Dad is an astronomy fan and seeing Japanese stars for the first time made him super happy.
The weather was great these days—super lucky.
Address: 5-17 Higashimachi, Naha, Okinawa 900-0034 Japan
Phone: +81 98-894-8628
(Click to return to itinerary list)
This market was mainly planned for dining.
Enter from Makishi Station via Heiwa-dori Shopping Street.
After ordering, go upstairs to eat. Almost everyone speaks Chinese and there are so many Taiwanese you won't worry about language.
But the fresh seafood dishes weren't particularly delicious—Taiwanese food is still better.
Downstairs has lots of impressive-looking meat; if you have the chance you can buy some to cook back at the hotel.
(Click to return to itinerary list)
Yakiniku King was one of the most satisfying restaurants for the seniors this trip—an all-you-can-eat place with fewer vegetable varieties.
But meat choices are abundant, the ordering tablet has Chinese interface, the queue is a bit long but has waiting seats.
It's close to our hotel; you can also visit Ryubo Department Store in between where seniors can use the restroom.
(Click to return to itinerary list)
Self-driving in Okinawa, Japan is really much easier than in Taiwan—everyone follows rules, and those who don't are mostly non-locals. Traffic lights and road signs are clear; just drive carefully, remember left-hand drive rules are reversed, and you'll adapt to right-hand drive smoothly~
Dong is a natural right-hand driver and drives even better on the right than left—smooth the whole way with no issues.
Remember to prepare:
ORIX has a foreigner-exclusive counter, usually in English but some windows have Chinese.
Although we got an English window, explanations were clear and there were many Chinese instruction cards to help—communication was no problem at all!
(Click to return to itinerary list)
The wheelchair rental service is really convenient! Just email them in advance.
We reserved pickup at the domestic terminal window.
I inquired about wheelchair rental in English.
The staff replied in Chinese... Later found that as long as you don't use overly complex Chinese, direct communication works—super convenient!
Their service is excellent; they even considered return timing for convenience, drew a map showing the location—super thoughtful~ So I bought a box of pineapple cakes as a goodwill gesture.
(Click to return to itinerary list)
Naminoue Shrine was always a hesitant spot because of the really steep slope in front.
We confirmed multiple times with the seniors before scheduling, but it still drained too much stamina and left them exhausted. Unexpectedly we saw a local festival with traditional dance—really beautiful! We stopped for a long time watching.
This slope has no elevator or detour option!
If there's parking above, you still park halfway with a short remaining slope—tough for seniors and drains stamina.
Pushing the wheelchair also takes a lot of energy because it's a slope~ I was sweating all over.
But seeing such a beautiful shrine for the first time, I felt the exhaustion was worth it for Mom and Dad!
Advice: If you really can't climb it, don't force it~
Address: 1 Chome-25-11 Wakasa, Naha, Okinawa 900-0031 Japan
Founded: 1368
Phone: +81 98-868-3697
Hours:
Sunday 09:00–17:00
Monday 09:00–17:00
Tuesday 09:00–17:00
Wednesday 09:00–17:00
Thursday 09:00–17:00
Friday 09:00–17:00
Saturday 09:00–17:00
(Click to return to itinerary list)
Parco City is a must-visit—air-conditioned shopping, eating, and beautiful ocean views outside.
The Western restaurant on the 1st floor is really delicious! Highly recommended; the garlic bread is amazing!
The top floor has a claw machine store—easy wins! Super easy to win.
The parents even didn't want to leave—ridiculous.
Address: 3 Chome-1-1 Irijima, Urasoe, Okinawa 901-2507 Japan
Phone: +81 98-871-1120
Hours:
Sunday 10:00–22:00
Monday 10:00–22:00
Tuesday 10:00–22:00
Wednesday 10:00–22:00
Thursday 10:00–22:00
Friday 10:00–22:00
Saturday 10:00–22:00
Suggest hours correction
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American Village is really big, but its open space and cold air made the seniors uncomfortable instantly.
Dad loved the military small items and had a great time shopping.
Mom also thought it was great for photos—wanted to shoot everywhere~ probably got overly excited and exhausted her stamina in one go.
We scheduled it later to see American Village after the lights came on.
The lights make it really beautiful and worth photographing~
Address: Mihama, Chatan, Nakagami District, Okinawa 904-0115 Japan
Hours:
Sunday 10:00–22:00
Monday 10:00–22:00
Tuesday 10:00–22:00
Wednesday 10:00–22:00
Thursday 10:00–22:00
Friday 10:00–22:00
Saturday 10:00–22:00(Click to return to itinerary list)
DMM is a must-visit! Go early to grab feeding tickets.
The small animals inside are just too cute—way too unfair! Many dolls are also irresistibly adorable.
The penguins interact with you—wave your arms and they swim back and forth with you.
Feeding the sloth is super cute~ really~ super~ slow.
But feeding tickets are limited and get snatched up quickly.
Even arriving around 9:30 AM we only got the sloth—such a pity! If you want to feed the small otters, remember to arrive at opening at 9 AM!
Address: 3-35 Toyosaki, Tomigusuku, Okinawa 901-0225 Japan
Phone: +81 98-996-4844
Hours:
Sunday 09:00–19:00
Monday 09:00–19:00
Tuesday 09:00–19:00
Wednesday 09:00–19:00
Thursday 09:00–19:00
Friday 09:00–19:00
Saturday 09:00–19:00(Click to return to itinerary list)
iias department store is right next to DMM Aquarium. Compared to Parco City it's not as nice to browse.
Food is okay, but it's decent as a rest spot.
Address: 3-35 Toyosaki, Tomigusuku, Okinawa 901-0225 Japan
Phone: +81 98-840-6900
Hours:
Sunday 10:00–21:00
Monday 10:00–21:00
Tuesday 10:00–21:00
Wednesday 10:00–21:00
Thursday 10:00–21:00
Friday 10:00–21:00
Saturday 10:00–21:00(Click to return to itinerary list)