EVENTS

Dialogue in the Dark: Attending with Kinoppi (totally blind), we will experience Akio Suzuki’s “’o to da te’ at Tokyo Biennale 2025″ and hold a discussion about our respective experiences. What kind of world does Kinoppi, who is totally blind, perceive through sound? We will walk together, stand in that space, and listen intently. When installing the “Oto-date” work,  Suzuki the artist taught us how to capture sound with our entire bodies. Standing in that same space alongside Kinnoppi, who is totally blind, promises to be a valuable experience. It will awaken a sense of sound perception different from our everyday lives. The Tokyo Biennale is an international art festival rooted in Tokyo. We look forward to discovering how its appeal can be experienced “without seeing.”   Guide Michinori Kinoshita Nkown as Kinoppi. Dialog in the Dark Attendant, Totally Blind. Born in 1979. Visually impaired from birth. Lost sight at age 16 and has been totally blind since. Graduated from the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department of Tsukuba Technical College (now Tsukuba Technical University) in 2001. Active as a Dialog in the Dark (DID) attendant since 2004. Also handles corporate training sessions in darkness. Provided interview and research assistance for the book “How Do Blind People See the World?” by Aya Ito (Kobunsha Shinsho). Kinoshita enjoying “o to da te” installed at Toeizan Kan’ei-ji Temple.     How to Participate Advance registration required   Capacity 8 people   Walking Area We will explore “Suzuki Akio: ‘Point Sound’ in Tokyo Biennale 2025” installed around Artizon Museum, then proceed to view “Yonaha Shun: Tai Tai Taro 2023” installed in the Tokyo Station Yaesu North Exit passageway.   Mr. Kinoshita experiencing the art installation near the Artizon Museum.   What is Dialogue in the Dark? It is a social entertainment experience where participants, guided by visually impaired individuals, enjoy various senses and communication beyond sight within “100% pure darkness” where all light is completely blocked. Conceived in 1988 by German philosopher Dr. Andreas Heinecke, it has been held in approximately 50 countries, with over 9 million people experiencing it. In Japan, since its first event in November 1999, over 300,000 people have participated. It is currently held at the Dialogue Diversity Museum “Forest of Dialogue” in Takeshiba, Tokyo.   From the records of the “Special Workshop” titled “Encouraging Participation in Art Festivals for Visually Impaired Individuals,” held for Tokyo Biennale 2025 operational part-time staff and volunteers (October 4, 2025) At this time, Mr. Kinoppi (Michinori Kinoshita), a Dialogue in the Dark Attendant (totally blind), and Mr. Shinsuke Shimura, Founder of Dialogue in the Dark Japan, attended and conducted the special workshop.   At Tokyo Biennale 2025, we will dedicate time to learning about providing festival guidance for individuals with visual impairments and apply this knowledge to our visitor services. We have invited representatives from Dialogue in the Dark as instructors, listened to the perspectives of individuals who are fully blind and related stakeholders, considered what we can do, and have begun implementing initiatives.

Everyday city walks often overlook the “ordinary” details—yet it is precisely within these ordinary scenes that important clues are hidden.As we walk through the area from the Old Nikkō Kaidō to the Nihonbashi River, we will observe subtle traces of Edo’s techniques and beliefs that are woven into the cityscape: small changes in elevation, the way stone walls are joined, and the orientation of shrines. Together with Professor Izumi Kuroishi, we will look closely at these details embedded in daily life.By accumulating small discoveries, this stroll invites us to feel the breath, imagination, and excitement of the people of Edo！