Tokyo event to let visitors explore possibilities within a world without sight

TOKYO: On October 24, an event called No Look Park will take place in Setagaya Ward, offering visitors the chance to experience various activities without relying on their vision. Organized by the World Yuru Sports Association, the event will feature around 20 activities aimed at exploring the possibilities of not seeing.

Home/Work Village, the venue for the event, was built within the former Ikejiri Elementary School. The event's organizers include Tomohiro Sawada, head of the World Yuru Sports Association, Kensuke Ishii, a blind communicator, and inventor Kosuke Takahashi. They are co-hosting the event with Vision Consortium, a nonprofit organization striving to create a more inclusive society for individuals with low vision. The consortium's secretariat is managed by The Mainichi Newspapers Co.

At the Tesaguri-do booth, labeled "feeling around store," attendees can purchase traditional Japanese penny candy by relying on senses other than their vision to identify flavors and choose brands. Other activities available include blending herbal tea, practicing calligraphy, and participating in a blindfolded relay race using tactile paving tiles tailored for visually impaired individuals.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to experience an "invisible haunted house," an attraction designed by high school students who responded to Vision Consortium's call for participants. Entrants must navigate through the haunted house, inhabited by ghosts that consume light, by teaming up with friendly ghosts and utilizing sounds and tactile sensations while seated.

Admission for adults is 1,000 yen (approximately $6), while children aged from elementary school to high school pay 500 yen (roughly $3). A family ticket for up to six people costs 2,000 yen (about $13), with preschoolers admitted free of charge. For more information and tickets, visit the official No Look Park website.