- The following is content from the press release -
Megane Ichiba has been holding the "Yoru no Mushinone Zukan" workshop nationwide to teach the importance of hearing through the sounds of insects. The event was held on September 20 (Sat) and 21 (Sun), 2025, at the event space on the 9th floor of the shopping center "Mitten Fuchu" in Fuchu City, Tokyo.
Event Report
Sound Vibration Experiment
In an experiment to visually understand sound transmission, participants observed how salt sprinkled on a bowl covered with black vinyl vibrated in response to the sound of a dog barking or a telephone ringing. The participants experienced how the salt vibrates differently depending on the volume and type of sound, and when the telephone ringing sound, which caused the most intense movement of the salt, was heard, there was a particularly loud shout of joy.
onomatopoeia with an insect's name written in kanji (esp. the kanji "insect ears")
In the work to freely express the sound of insects as they heard them, the family members enjoyed participating in the activity, such as expressing the sound of the Hayashino mallow as "juyin" while shouting aloud together. In addition, when a high-pitched chirping sound of a chrysalis was heard, which is difficult for adults to hear, the children looked at the adults who did not respond and asked, "Don't you hear it? The children's expressions of wonder were evident as they watched the adults not reacting to the sound.
whirlpool quiz
In the quiz to guess the name of the insects by listening to their chirps, participants showed serious efforts to listen carefully and distinguish the chirps. Some participants answered all the questions correctly, using the sounds they described in "Mushinone Onomatopoeia" as clues. The audience was very excited to see the families working together to come up with the answers to the quiz.
Participant's Voice
- I really enjoyed the sound vibration experiment and the insect quiz (2nd grade elementary school student).
- I want to do the experiment at home to see the different sound vibrations (parent)
- It was good to experience making sounds into letters (parent)
- Realized that the higher the squeal, the harder it is for adults to hear (parent)
Background of the Workshop
It is said that more than 10 million people in Japan have difficulty in hearing for one reason or another, especially senile hearing loss, in which people lose their hearing starting from high pitched sounds as they get older. If left untreated, it becomes difficult to communicate with others.
As a company that handles hearing aids, Megane Ichiba has published a booklet entitledNighttime Mushrooms ZooThe aim of the project is to provide an opportunity for people to become aware of the importance of changes in listening comprehension, which are difficult to notice as people age. This booklet is intended to provide an opportunity for people to become more aware of the importance of changes in hearing that occur with age and are difficult to notice by themselves. This booklet is designed to help people to recognize the importance of changes in their hearing.
Currentlyelectronic versiononly
In order to make this "change in listening comprehension" known to as many people as possible, workshops using the insect sounds that appear in "Yoru no Mushinone Zukan" will be held at libraries, museums, and children's centers throughout Japan starting in 2022. The workshop is characterized by a program in which adults and children can enjoy learning about the mechanisms of sound and the ear together by experiencing that there are individual differences in listening comprehension, conducting experiments to visualize the principles of sound transmission, and playing a game to distinguish between the sounds of insects.
The electronic version of "Yoru no Mushinone Zukan", in which you can listen to the sounds of various insects, is now available on the special website.
Special site for "Yoru no Mushinone Zukan" (Night Mushinone Zukan)https://www.meganetop.co.jp/mushinone/
Future Activities
In addition to activities in Shizuoka Prefecture, where Megane Ichiba is headquartered, we are planning to hold workshops outside of the prefecture and to exhibit panels of "Yoru no Mushinone Zukan".
We will continue to work sincerely to address a variety of social issues, while staying close to people's health and lifestyles in accordance with our corporate philosophy of "realizing happiness for everyone involved and creating smiles".
For inquiries about holding workshops, please contact
mail︓pr@meganetop.co.jp
Attn: Kakemoto, Glasses Market and Public Relations Office
Megane Top Co.
Location 8-6 Denma-cho, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City
Representative: Masahiro Tomizawa, President and Representative Director
Date of Establishment May 1980
Capital 100 million yen (as of March 31, 2025)
Business Description Sales of eyeglasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, and other related products
Number of stores: 1,035 stores in Japan, 23 stores overseas (Megane Top Group total, as of March 31, 2024)
Number of employees 5,201 (as of March 31, 2025)
Corporate Sitehttps://www.meganetop.co.jp
Megane Ichiba official websitehttps://www.meganeichiba.jp
For customer inquiries, please contact
Customer Service Center, Megane Top Co.
Toll-free call: 0120-818-828 (reception hours: 9:00-18:00)
Megane Ichiba, ALOOK, Lens Style and Lens Direct are group stores of Megane Top Co.
