Latest news with #DialogueintheDark
The Mainichi
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
'Darkness' tour draws on Hiroshima calamity to promote peace dialogue
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- In Japan, where the youth understand war only through history books or in news headlines, a unique experience aims to promote dialogue about peace through a glimpse of life in Hiroshima before the atomic bomb -- but in absolute darkness. Known as Dialogue in the Dark, a visually impaired guide leads small groups of visitors through an unlit space, prompting them to foster genuine communication as they are forced to rely solely on sound, touch and one another. With this year marking the 80th anniversary of the World War II bombing, Shinsuke Shimura, who helped bring the program to Japan from Germany, where it was conceived, believes that having Hiroshima as the centerpiece of the tour is apt at a time when growing divisions and global conflicts show that many have "lost sight of what peace really means." "We usually operate based on our social in the darkness, those roles disappear. When people engage in dialogue as their true selves and connect laterally, society has the potential to change," said Shimura. Each 90-minute session of the seasonal program "Peace in the Dark," which recently opened in Tokyo and will also be held in Hiroshima next month, invites participants to immerse themselves in everyday sounds and objects as they pay a "visit" to a home in a time before the atomic bombing on Aug. 6, 1945. Participants rely on white canes and each other to navigate the pitch-black darkness to arrive at various settings before engaging in dialogue on peace. Kento Kogure, 35, a participant of a preview session in Tokyo, said the program made him reframe peace as something more personal. "I felt both the flow of time and the sense of time stopping. That made me think about how, as an individual, I can stop the clock of war and extend this time of peace as long as possible," he said. Miki Kawabata, 46, a visually impaired guide from Hiroshima who has worked with Dialogue in the Dark for around 20 years, said a feeling of trust that is often created in the darkness helps the subsequent dialogue become more meaningful. "The first time participants enter the dark space, they say things like 'I can't see a thing!' and 'It's scary!'" "But as they begin to call out to others, hold hands, or walk with a hand on someone's shoulder, they start to realize that being able to rely on someone brings such a deep sense of security," she said in a recent phone interview with Kyodo News. Dialogue in the Dark, which has now been presented in around 50 countries by thousands of visually impaired individuals, was originally founded by German journalist Andreas Heinecke in 1988 following his life-changing encounter with a blind colleague, who taught him the potential of the visually impaired. Deciding to devote himself to improving inclusion of people with disabilities, Heinecke came up with an idea to create "reverse conditions" -- turning off the lights, darkening a room, and inviting blind and sighted people to meet, according to the German-based enterprise he later founded. The program was first launched in Japan in 1999 by Shimura, who spent years laying the groundwork after being inspired by a 1993 newspaper article about the experience in Europe. Over 300,000 people have now taken part in programs designed by Shimura's wife Kiyoe, ranging from seasonal editions, emergency-response simulations, and corporate training. For the first-ever public program in Hiroshima from Aug. 2 to Aug. 11, the former Hiroshima branch of the Bank of Japan, located around 380 meters from the hypocenter, was chosen as the venue for its so-called "miracle story of trust." As the only building left standing in the immediate vicinity, the bank allowed citizens to withdraw money in good faith just two days after the bombing, despite them not having any proof of their balances. Later, when the chaos subsided and their reported balances were checked, it was found they were mostly accurate. "In this place, where people once trusted each other as fellow human beings, we now create darkness, learn about the past, and think about what we can do to ensure that even 80, 90 or 100 years later we don't get led back to war," said Shimura. Kawabata, for her part, expressed joy at finally being able to bring the program to her hometown. "We are the postwar generation, and we need to think about how Japan can continue to be peaceful," she said. "Since Hiroshima has long had the Peace Memorial Museum and peace education, I hope this event will be a renewed opportunity for us all to reflect on peace together." The uranium bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima killed an estimated 140,000 people by the end of 1945, with many others suffering from the effects of burns and radiation-related illnesses long after the attack. Many of Kawabata's relatives were exposed to the bomb, and she hopes people from all generations, even those that did not experience the war directly, will participate in the program. "Peace exists at every level, and it has no single answer. Every person's vision of peace is valuable and correct in its own way," she said. By Donican Lam
Kyodo News
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Kyodo News
FEATURE: "Darkness" tour draws on Hiroshima calamity to promote peace dialogue
TOKYO - In Japan, where the youth understand war only through history books or in news headlines, a unique experience aims to promote dialogue about peace through a glimpse of life in Hiroshima before the atomic bomb -- but in absolute darkness. Known as Dialogue in the Dark, a visually impaired guide leads small groups of visitors through an unlit space, prompting them to foster genuine communication as they are forced to rely solely on sound, touch and one another. With this year marking the 80th anniversary of the World War II bombing, Shinsuke Shimura, who helped bring the program to Japan from Germany, where it was conceived, believes that having Hiroshima as the centerpiece of the tour is apt at a time when growing divisions and global conflicts show that many have "lost sight of what peace really means." "We usually operate based on our social in the darkness, those roles disappear. When people engage in dialogue as their true selves and connect laterally, society has the potential to change," said Shimura. Each 90-minute session of the seasonal program "Peace in the Dark," which recently opened in Tokyo and will also be held in Hiroshima next month, invites participants to immerse themselves in everyday sounds and objects as they pay a "visit" to a home in a time before the atomic bombing on Aug. 6, 1945. Participants rely on white canes and each other to navigate the pitch-black darkness to arrive at various settings before engaging in dialogue on peace. Kento Kogure, 35, a participant of a preview session in Tokyo, said the program made him reframe peace as something more personal. "I felt both the flow of time and the sense of time stopping. That made me think about how, as an individual, I can stop the clock of war and extend this time of peace as long as possible," he said. Miki Kawabata, 46, a visually impaired guide from Hiroshima who has worked with Dialogue in the Dark for around 20 years, said a feeling of trust that is often created in the darkness helps the subsequent dialogue become more meaningful. "The first time participants enter the dark space, they say things like 'I can't see a thing!' and 'It's scary!'" "But as they begin to call out to others, hold hands, or walk with a hand on someone's shoulder, they start to realize that being able to rely on someone brings such a deep sense of security," she said in a recent phone interview with Kyodo News. Dialogue in the Dark, which has now been presented in around 50 countries by thousands of visually impaired individuals, was originally founded by German journalist Andreas Heinecke in 1988 following his life-changing encounter with a blind colleague, who taught him the potential of the visually impaired. Deciding to devote himself to improving inclusion of people with disabilities, Heinecke came up with an idea to create "reverse conditions" -- turning off the lights, darkening a room, and inviting blind and sighted people to meet, according to the German-based enterprise he later founded. The program was first launched in Japan in 1999 by Shimura, who spent years laying the groundwork after being inspired by a 1993 newspaper article about the experience in Europe. Over 300,000 people have now taken part in programs designed by Shimura's wife Kiyoe, ranging from seasonal editions, emergency-response simulations, and corporate training. For the first-ever public program in Hiroshima from Aug. 2 to Aug. 11, the former Hiroshima branch of the Bank of Japan, located around 380 meters from the hypocenter, was chosen as the venue for its so-called "miracle story of trust." As the only building left standing in the immediate vicinity, the bank allowed citizens to withdraw money in good faith just two days after the bombing, despite them not having any proof of their balances. Later, when the chaos subsided and their reported balances were checked, it was found they were mostly accurate. "In this place, where people once trusted each other as fellow human beings, we now create darkness, learn about the past, and think about what we can do to ensure that even 80, 90 or 100 years later we don't get led back to war," said Shimura. Kawabata, for her part, expressed joy at finally being able to bring the program to her hometown. "We are the postwar generation, and we need to think about how Japan can continue to be peaceful," she said. "Since Hiroshima has long had the Peace Memorial Museum and peace education, I hope this event will be a renewed opportunity for us all to reflect on peace together." The uranium bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima killed an estimated 140,000 people by the end of 1945, with many others suffering from the effects of burns and radiation-related illnesses long after the attack. Many of Kawabata's relatives were exposed to the bomb, and she hopes people from all generations, even those that did not experience the war directly, will participate in the program. "Peace exists at every level, and it has no single answer. Every person's vision of peace is valuable and correct in its own way," she said.
