Exhibition Letting Visitors Experience the Worldview of People With Dementia Draws 4,203 Visitors in Kamakura, Reaching 280.2% of Its Target

Borderless Foundation, headquartered in Fukuoka City and represented by Kazunari Taguchi, and issue+design, represented by Yusuke Kakei, co-hosted the exhibition “If You Walked Through the World of Dementia” at Kamakura Performing Arts Center in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, from May 1 to May 7, 2026, during Japan’s Golden Week holidays. Over seven days, the exhibition attracted 4,203 visitors, reaching 280.2% of its initial target of 1,500. In a visitor survey with 1,078 valid responses, 100.0% of respondents who said they had “no particular connection” to dementia answered that their perception had changed. The organizers plan to hold the exhibition in two more locations within the year and aim to tour all 47 prefectures in Japan next fiscal year. They have also begun recruiting co-hosting partners, including local governments and companies. The exhibition far exceeded its visitor target and recorded an overall satisfaction score of 4.42 out of 5.00. A total of 98.6% of respondents said they experienced some form of change in their perception of dementia. Notably, 100% of visitors with no particular prior connection to dementia felt a change in perception, indicating that the exhibition reached not only professionals and people directly affected by dementia, but also broader audiences with limited previous exposure to the topic. The exhibition overview is as follows: the exhibition title was “If You Walked Through the World of Dementia”; the dates were May 1 to May 7, 2026; the venue was Kamakura Performing Arts Center; the organizers were issue+design and Borderless Foundation; total attendance was 4,203; and media coverage included The Asahi Shimbun, NHK, Television Kanagawa, The Tokyo Shimbun, and others. Among visitors, 16.6%, or 179 people, said they had no particular connection to dementia. Visitors outside the medical, welfare, and care professions accounted for 62.4%, while younger visitors in their 30s or below made up 21.7%. In addition, 65.4% of those with no prior connection said they wanted to learn more deeply about dementia, suggesting that the exhibition attracted people who had interest but lacked opportunities to take action. The top channel through which visitors learned about the exhibition was “recommendation from family or friends,” at 31.5%, exceeding Instagram at 24.9% and web media at 13.5%. Among visitors with no particular connection to dementia, 44.7% came because of word of mouth, showing that shared experiences through personal networks were a major driver for audiences with lower prior engagement in the issue. In the visitor survey, 88.9% gave an overall satisfaction score of 4 or 5, and 55.7% gave the maximum score of 5. The highest-rated exhibit was the “clothing sleeve tunnel,” which allowed visitors to experience the world of dementia through bodily sensation and received an average score of 4.73. On the question about changes in perception toward dementia (N=641), 98.6% answered that they experienced some kind of change. Those who answered that their perception “changed greatly” or “changed very greatly” accounted for 47.6%. Among visitors who said they had no particular connection to dementia, no one answered that their perception had “not changed at all.” More than half, 50.4%, said their perception had changed greatly or very greatly, a higher rate than among professional groups. Selected visitor comments included: “I realized again that although the name dementia is widely known, there is still so much we do not know about how people with dementia actually see the world.” (50s, company employee/public servant) “Because of my profession, I thought I understood dementia. But after actually experiencing it, I realized I did not understand it at all.” (60s, medical/welfare/care professional) “I thought my mother may be seeing things differently. I think I will be able to treat her more gently from now on.” (40s, medical/welfare/care professional) Many free-response comments called for the exhibition to be held nationwide or to go on tour. In response to the strong reaction, “If You Walked Through the World of Dementia” is scheduled to be held in two more locations within the year. Details of the next exhibitions will be announced by issue+design and Borderless Foundation once finalized. The organizers are also seeking co-hosting partners. Those interested in using the exhibition for company events or training programs are invited to contact the organizers through the contact form. Yusuke Kakei, representative of issue+design, said he was surprised and encouraged that more than 4,000 people visited and that many media outlets covered the exhibition. The venue welcomed a wide range of visitors, from families with children and junior and senior high school students to older adults and medical and care professionals, with many saying things such as, “So this is how the world looks to people with dementia.” He said the exhibition format, which allows anyone to casually drop in, helped many people take an interest in dementia. Going forward, the organizers aim to hold two additional exhibitions within the year and tour all 47 prefectures next fiscal year. Kazunari Taguchi, representative of Borderless Foundation, said the significance of the exhibition was reflected in the fact that 98.6% of visitors experienced a change in their view of dementia and that 94% had never read the book “How to Walk Through the World of Dementia,” meaning the exhibition reached audiences the book had not reached. At the same time, he noted that the seven-day run was short and many people said they wanted to come but could not. Together with issue+design, Borderless Foundation will accelerate additional exhibitions this year and a nationwide tour next fiscal year through collaboration with local governments and companies.