Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2014
For 25 years and in over 30 countries, Dialog in the Dark has been giving more than 7 million participants an opportunity to change the way they perceive themselves and others. The concept is simple: visually impaired guides walk visitors through pitch dark rooms at a venue where the sound, air, temperature and texture mimic those of everyday life. For example, you might sightlessly experience a park, a city, a boat cruise or a bar. These daily routines become a new experience as people who can see are taken out of their familiar surroundings. The tour lasts for about one hour, but the effects, they say, can last a lifetime.
In Tokyo, Shinsuke Shimura has created a Dialog in the Dark location for the experiential tours in the middle of Shibuya and once a month they are presented in English. The July 27 event was full at press time, but another one happens August 24 themed on summer days in the Japanese countryside.
The organization also offers corporate and business workshops in the dark.
B1F Re-samu Bldg, 2-8-2 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-3479-9683.
