"Marks" to indicate medical conditions and disabilities

On public transportation, there is no mistaking the priority seats. On many train lines, they’re indicated with a different color of upholstery and graphics to indicate that the seats are reserved for the infirm, expecting mothers, and caregivers accompanying small children.

There are many graphics identifying impairments. One that I became familiar with through my experience as an educator nurturing kids with different abilities and as a caregiver to someone recovering from a stroke is the ヘルプマーク, help mark. It’s a red and white tag I initially mistook for a Swiss flag with its red and white design with an equal-armed white cross.

You may see this mark affixed to the windows and bulkheads of train cars that have priority seats. It’s a catch-all indicator of people with impairments that may not be visible. People bearing a help mark may have prosthetics, health conditions, or disabilities that you can’t see.

But there are many other “marks” that are not universal but commonly used in Japan to indicate that someone needs special consideration.

On a city bus in Saitama Prefecture, I noticed this comprehensive poster that indicates a variety of “marks” for people that need a little more consideration. Some universal ones display a wheelchair graphic and the white cane mark for visually impaired people, but beyond that, do you know what these icons indicate?

Keep an eye out for the 耳マーク, ear mark, which indicates that a business accommodates people who are deaf or have impaired hearing. Some more that are used in Japan but not commonly seen outside Japan are the cloverleaf on a blue background and the butterfly on a green background. These represent passengers who may need help on transport due to physical or cognitive impairments.

One that may be more apparent to any rider on public transit is the amicable dog caricature, ほじょ犬マーク for assistance dogs for visually impaired people. No matter how their dog eyes melt your heart, it’s best to let the dogs do their jobs while their masters are in transit.

Another that isn’t as common but may become more widespread is the ostomy mark - オストメイトマーク. Some universal toilets provide facilities for ostomy users. It’s something to look out for if you have friends, coworkers, or relatives who need these accessible toilets.

While the blue and white wheelchair mark is international, Japan uses a white clover on a blue background to indicate disabled drivers 身体障害者標識 and a yellow butterfly on a green background for hearing impaired drivers 身体障害者標識.

One mark I haven’t seen in the wild is ハート・プラスマーク, heart plus mark, which indicates patients with various medical conditions that may affect their mobility or stamina.

Do you see these marks in your prefecture, too?