Silent Impact! Dialogue in Silence: A dialogue in a world without sound, held for the first time in Japan.

Dialogue Japan Society is hosting "Dialogue in Silence: Conversation in Stillness," an entertainment experience where participants enjoy dialogue beyond language barriers in a world without sound, at LUMINE 0 in Shibuya, Tokyo, from August 1st to 20th.

At this Japan premiere event, participants enter a soundproof space by wearing noise-blocking headsets. Guided by hearing-impaired attendants, they experience various activities while communicating with other participants through body language, including facial expressions. This allows them to enjoy dialogue that transcends language barriers.

This project follows "Dialogue in the Dark," a social entertainment experience where participants enjoy conversation guided by visually impaired attendants in complete darkness, and "Dialogue with Time," an experiential event where participants engage in intergenerational dialogue through various games and programs alongside attendants aged 70 and above.

The 90-minute experience includes diverse activities: "Hand Dance," creating shadow puppets around a round table; "Face Gallery," reacting to given photos with facial expressions; and communication games played in teams. Come with an open mind and fully enjoy "communication beyond words."

Ahead of the event, a preview session and press conference were held at LUMINE 0 on July 31st.

Presenting at the event were Andreas Heinecke, CEO of Dialog Social Enterprise, and Ona Cohen, CCO, as the project's initiators; Shinsuke Shimura, Director of Dialogue in the Dark, and Kiyoe Shimura, Representative Director of Dialogue Japan Society, as overall producers; Karina Matsumori, Universal Design Advisor, and Yukio Morimoto, Sign Language Interpreter, served as planning supervisors. Two Japanese Attendant Leaders and two trainers from Israel were also introduced.

Representative Shinsuke Shimura stated, "This project is not an event to simulate the hardships or inconveniences of people with disabilities and understand their feelings. It is entertainment centered on 'Let's chat in here.' We want you to experience communication that transcends language barriers."

Representative Shimura

Heinecke, CEO and founder of Dialogue in the Dark and Dialogue in Silence, added, "I had thought this event might be difficult for Japanese people, who are often perceived as lacking in facial expressions and body language. I was wrong. Even during rehearsals, I witnessed firsthand how open and creative the visitors were. Through this experience, participants will deepen their understanding of diversity, themselves, others, and communication."

Heinecke CEO

At the end of the presentation, J-WAVE's Hidenobu Miyamoto introduced the "Silent Radio" project. J-WAVE will serve as the event's information hub for announcements and will broadcast the official radio program "J-WAVE SELECTION SHIMIZU KENSETSU DIALOGUE IN SILENCE" starting at 10 PM on August 13th. Furthermore, the content of this program will be simultaneously streamed with sign language interpretation on the YouTube J-WAVE CHANNEL.