Autumn is the season for outings. The Bikan Historical Area in Kurashiki is bustling with many tourists every day.
Not only Japanese tourists but also many visitors from overseas, including Europe, have recently been seen, and it seems that English-guided tours have started as well.
Since the Bikan Historical Area is a historic town, it feels like there is an increasing need to convey specialized terms used in historical living in a language that visitors can understand.
In September 2024, the Sign Language Law will be enacted in all municipalities in Okayama Prefecture, and it seems that sign language tourism guides are gradually starting in various places.
In the Bikan Historical Area, a sign language guide will be held at the Ohashi House in November 2024. What kind of content will it have?
What is Ohashi House?
The Ohashi family, along with the Ohara family, formed a new emerging power called "Shinroku," developing rice fields and salt fields to become large landowners and engaging in finance to amass great wealth.
Ohashi House is a prestigious residence that exemplifies the typical Kurashiki town house, designated as a Important Cultural Property of the country. It features unique architectural styles such as "Kurashiki windows," "Kurashiki lattice," and "namako walls," which are distinctive to Kurashiki.
What is sign language?
According to the Japan Federation of the Deaf's website, sign language is defined as follows.
In December 2021, the Sign Language Ordinance was enacted in Kurashiki City, and in March 2023, the Okayama Prefecture Ordinance on the Promotion of Sign Language and Communication Methods Suitable for the Characteristics of Hearing Impairments, Visual Impairments, and Other Disabilities was established.
With the enactment of the sign language ordinance in Hayashima Town in September 2024, Okayama Prefecture has become the first prefecture in the country to establish sign language ordinances in all municipalities, and various fields are expected to consider providing services in sign language.
What is the "Another Face of Ohashi House" sign language guide tour?
The "Another Face of Ohashi House" sign language guide tour will be held on November 30, 2024, at Ohashi House in the Bikan Historical Area.
The organizer, Hiroe Ohashi, has hearing impairments and lives using sign language. This tour will have two sessions, one starting at 10:30 AM and the other at 1:30 PM, each featuring a program of about 40 minutes conducted in sign language. There will be no audio interpretation, but audio interpretation support will be provided by actress Mikoe Okubo.
Those wishing to participate should make a reservation through the application form.
For details, please check the image below.
Interview with Hiroe Ohashi, the organizer
I spoke with Hiroe Ohashi, the initiator of the "Another Face of Ohashi House" sign language guide tour, about her relationship with Ohashi House and the inspiration behind the sign language guide tour concept.
This interview was conducted in sign language. The content was confirmed by Ms. Ohashi in Japanese translation before publication.
Please tell us what inspired you, currently living in Tokyo, to conduct a guide tour at Ohashi House in Kurashiki.
Ohashi (no honorific)
About eight years ago (2016), while looking at a family tree with relatives to trace my roots, I discovered the existence of the Ohashi family in Kurashiki City. Since both my parents and I live in the Kanto region, I found it strange that my roots were in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, and I actually visited the Bikan Historical Area.
I was captivated by the emotional atmosphere of the old streets of the Bikan Historical Area and the scenery of the river flowing through the town, and I took a guided tour with my family. During the tour, I learned a lot about the history of the streets of Kurashiki, but there was no mention of the Ohashi family at all.
As I unraveled the history of the Ohashi family myself, many interesting episodes emerged. So, I thought, using the Ohashi family's building as a starting point, I would guide about the achievements of my great-great-grandfather, Keinosuke Ohashi, and that’s how I came up with this project.
Do you have experience with sign language guides other than at Ohashi House?
Ohashi
Yes. I held a sign language guide tour in Asakusa, Tokyo, in 2015. To conduct a guide tour, I needed to deeply understand the history myself, so it was a great learning experience.
This upcoming guide tour at Ohashi House will be my second sign language guide tour.
What kind of work do you usually do?
Ohashi
I usually work as an actor and producer. Currently, I am particularly focused on my role as an attendant in Dialogue in Silence, an entertainment program that explores ways to communicate without making sounds or voices, such as through body language.
All attendants, including myself, are people for whom sign language is the first language.
I understand that this sign language guide tour will have audio interpretation support instead of audio interpretation. Can you explain the difference between the two?
Ohashi
Audio interpretation refers to interpreting all the content of the sign language guide into spoken language. On the other hand, the audio interpretation support we will provide does not interpret every word of the sign language but reads a script prepared for audio interpretation support. Therefore, interpretation for questions and answers during the sign language guide is not guaranteed.
Since this is the first sign language guide tour held at Ohashi House, it is aimed at those who can engage in some level of sign language communication.
What is the significance of conducting a guide tour in sign language?
Ohashi
As I mentioned at the beginning, I took a guided tour in the Bikan Historical Area, but since it was conducted in spoken language, I had to rely on my companions to summarize the information for me. I thought it was a waste that I saw several groups of tourists using sign language while walking around the Bikan Historical Area, yet there was no sign language interpretation available.
When providing English guides for English-speaking people, there is no Japanese interpreter accompanying them, and when providing Chinese guides, it proceeds solely in Chinese, right? English guides are experiences that can be enjoyed by those who understand English, and Chinese guides are experiences that can be enjoyed by those who understand Chinese.
Similarly, if we are going to conduct a guide in sign language, we should proceed solely in sign language. I hope for a society where programs that deaf individuals can participate in are seen as a matter of course.
This time, the sign language guide is aimed at deaf individuals and sign language learners, but I would like to eventually challenge myself to provide guides for visually impaired individuals and the elderly as well. The Dialogue in Silence program I am involved with in Tokyo also has programs that consider the perspectives of visually impaired individuals and the elderly.
Dialogue in Silence has just started in Japan, but it has been a successful initiative in Germany for over 20 years. I hope that experiences from the perspectives of individuals with disabilities will spread more and more in Japan. I believe this "Another Face of Ohashi House" sign language guide tour is a first step towards that goal.
What topics do you plan to cover during the sign language guide tour?
Ohashi
Since Ohashi House is a historic building, I plan to focus on daily life, discussing how the house was built, what kind of food was eaten, and how people lived there.
Additionally, there are many interesting episodes surrounding my great-great-grandfather, Keinosuke Ohashi, and I want to convey his charm to the participants.
Finally, please give a message to the readers.
Ohashi
When it comes to history, learning from books may be the mainstream, but this time, participants will actually visit Ohashi House, which has a history dating back to the Edo period, to experience history. I want to provide an opportunity for everyone to savor that atmosphere using their five senses, so please look forward to it.
I am very much looking forward to interacting with everyone living in Kurashiki.
Conclusion
As someone with hearing impairments myself, I had given up on the idea that I would not be able to obtain information in the same way as hearing people during guided tours aimed at hearing individuals. Therefore, I was struck by the proposal raised in my conversation with Ms. Ohashi that "there should be guide tours that deaf individuals can participate in."
How about experiencing the first step of Ms. Ohashi's challenge to create a "guide tour that anyone can participate in" rooted in Kurashiki?
"Another Face of Ohashi House," Data for the Sign Language Guided Tour
| Name | "Another Face of Ohashi House," Sign Language Guided Tour |
|---|---|
| Date | November 30, 2024 (Saturday) 10:30 AM / 1:30 PM |
| Location | 3-21-31 Achi, Kurashiki City |
| Participation Fee (including tax) | 1,500 yen |
| Website | Hiroe Ohashi's Instagram |
"Sign language" is a language with a unique grammatical system based on the shape, position, and movement of the hands, utilizing facial expressions as well. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines sign language as a "language," and in Japan, it was legally recognized as a language (including sign language) for the first time in the revised Basic Law for Persons with Disabilities.