‘DIVERSUSHI’, a New and Inclusive Dining Experience That Does Not Rely on the Sense of Sight

TBWA\HAKUHODO announced the launch of the 'DIVERSUSHI' project that it has planned as the founding member of the 'DIVERSUSHI Project Executive Committee,' initiated by Japanese media artist Yoichi Ochiai and "the world's brightest visually impaired person” and social entrepreneur Shunsuke Narisawa.

DIVERSUSHI is a new dining experience that allows people with visual impairments to eat fine-dining food directly with their hands in one bite, intending to solve issues that visually impaired people face when eating and creating a world in which anyone can enjoy meals together regardless of having a visual impairment or not.

With the launch of the 'DIVERSUSHI Project,' crowdfunding began in May 2023, with the goal of holding the first dining event which will be held in July.

DIVERSUSHI is a combination of the words 'diversity' and 'sushi'. The term was coined from an insight from ‘the way of eating sushi’, which is known to be an easy, inclusive way of eating.

The project developed from a conversation in 2019 between Yoichi Ochiai and Shunsuke Narisawa, a visually impaired social entrepreneur, when Yoichi Ochiai asked: "If you were allowed to eat anything, what would you like to eat?" and Narisawa replied: "Sushi is good."

Narisawa’s answer was not only because he likes sushi. During dining, visually impaired people have to figure out the location, distance, and height of the tableware such as chopsticks or forks and foods. However, the Japanese traditional way of eating sushi, in which people take the sushi directly from their hands to their mouths all in one bite, is easy for any person.

By focussing on the act of eating directly with your hands in one bite, just like eating sushi, for all kinds of fine cuisine — including French, Italian, and Chinese — the team aims to create a new dining experience that allows everyone the enjoyment of meals without frustration from visual impairment. The goal of the project is to see the day when the DIVERSUSHI way of eating is introduced to restaurants all over the world to provide inclusive options, just like Halal, vegan, and kosher are now widely accepted.

As a first step, crowdfunding will begin at a DIVERSUSHI dinner event with chef Taichi Murayama, who has won Michelin awards for 11 consecutive years, and chef Miyuki Igarashi, a Japanese cuisine chef. After the first event, the aim is to expand crowdfunding nationwide.

Taichi Murayama, chef and management consultant on the project, said: "If it doesn't taste good by the sound and texture the moment you put it in your mouth, it doesn't work as a taste. We challenge ourselves to see how much we can convey the enjoyment of food to visually impaired people."