Sign language is a language expressed visually using hand and body movements and facial expressions. It differs from the spoken language used by hearing people and from the “written Japanese” used in this article.
I have a hearing disability, so I also use sign language in my daily life.
The first thing that surprised me after moving from Tokyo to Kurashiki in December 2023 was how many signs unique to Kurashiki there are. Just as spoken language has dialects, sign language has dialects too.
Since I plan to live in Kurashiki, I wanted to learn signs unique to the city, so I started visiting sign language circles around the city.
Here is a report on the New Year’s party of “Kusa no Kai,” which meets every Wednesday at Kurashiki Health and Welfare Plaza in Sasaoki, Kurashiki City.
The information presented here is current as of the article’s publication in March 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Sign language circle “Kusa no Kai”
The sign language circle “Kusa no Kai” meets every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon at Kurashiki Health and Welfare Plaza in Sasaoki, Kurashiki City. Founded in 1980, it has been active for 44 years (as of 2024).
Nine out of ten members are women and hearing (people who can hear). There were three Deaf members (people with hearing disabilities), including me.
On the last activity day in January, when I visited, as many as 24 people gathered, and everyone had a great time.
Activities include learning sign language, playing games using sign language, and holding events several times a year. At the New Year’s party that day, after playing a game using sign language, we ate lunch boxes and learned about the history of Kusa no Kai.
Learning sign language through games
First, we played a game that also served as a sign language lesson.
The game that day was a “story game.”
We split into teams of ten and created a story, one sentence at a time, with each person contributing a sentence.
The story had to end happily. The last person’s imagination was put to the test.
Since the game also served as a sign language lesson, each person told the story using sign language alone, without speaking. The next person then interpreted the previous person’s signs and confirmed the story aloud.
In actual sign language interpreting, both sign language interpreting—interpreting hearing people’s speech into sign language for Deaf people—and sign-to-voice interpreting—interpreting Deaf people’s signs into spoken language for hearing people—are required skills.
This game helped participants hone both skills while also providing practical experience.
Since you can’t predict what kind of story the person before you will create, you have to think up the story and how to express it in sign language once it’s your turn. All the participants took seriously both understanding the previous person’s signs and thinking about their own expressions. There were a few twists and turns, but both teams came up with heartwarming stories.
The joy of “using” sign language keeps you motivated
Photos from Kusa no Kai’s past activities were displayed around the venue, and during the break, participants chatted as they looked at them.
Some members have reportedly been attending the circle for nearly 20 years.
They have deepened their friendships not only through regular lessons but also through events such as trips and excursions, and have gained experience communicating in sign language.
After the break, everyone shared what had prompted them to join Kusa no Kai.
Many members said they had joined Kusa no Kai after taking Kurashiki City’s sign language volunteer training course. They also said that their desire to use sign language more grew, and they decided to keep attending Kusa no Kai, where they could regularly encounter sign language used by Deaf people.
Chatting in sign language over lunch boxes
After lots of conversation, it was finally time for lunch.
The lunch boxes were from Ouchi Gohan WaCha in Fukui, Kurashiki City.
The delicious lunch box featured spicy fried chicken like yangnyeom chicken, along with matcha shiratama and gateau chocolat for dessert.
Since conversation also involved sign language, everyone ate slowly.
However, sign language allowed participants to chat in sign (have a conversation in sign language) with other participants seated farther away.
We were enjoying chatting in sign so much that before we knew it, it was time to wrap up.
From the Writer
At the 44-year-old sign language circle Kusa no Kai, members learned sign language that is useful in real-life situations while enjoying exchange and deepening their friendships.
I was struck by how every member said, “The best learning comes from people who use sign language in their everyday lives coming to the circle.”
To make sure activities did not proceed with only hearing people, everyone paid attention to whether the Deaf members understood the flow of the conversation. As a result, regardless of hearing ability, everyone took part in the activities with a smile.
In 2021, Kurashiki City also enacted a Sign Language Ordinance. I hope that more places like Kusa no Kai, where people can enjoy sign language regardless of hearing ability, will open up.
Sign language circle Kusa no Kai details
| Name | Sign language circle Kusa no Kai |
|---|---|
| Meeting days | Every Wednesday 10 a.m.–noon |
| Location | Kurashiki Health and Welfare Plaza |
| Participation fee (tax included) | Annual membership fee: 1,200 yen (collected in April) ※600 yen for those joining from October to March Joining fee: 300 yen (collected in the first year only) ※Free for visitors |
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