taste different! different, yes! i'm a content maker, activist and broadcaster. hi, guys. this is my first blind vlog. ten years ago, i lost my eyesight and since then, i've been on a mission to prove that having a disability doesn't have to hold me back. that having a disability i've come a long way learning to live with sight loss... hello, sweetheart. good girl. ..but i've never been this far away from home. it's just hit me like a ton of bricks that it's actually really hard being in a new place when you can't see it. in this first episode... the ferry�*s about to depart! ..i'm travelling from the mainland to one of the remotest parts of japan. oh, what are these for? but will i be able to make sense of a country so famous for its visual beauty? this is japan — the way i see it. i'm injapan�*s capital city, tokyo. it's my first time injapan. it's going to be very exciting but very overwhelming. where's the line? i've lost the line. 0h, here. here's the line. i left my guide dog at home and i'm travelling with my long white cane. ok, i think i'm on the crossing right now. ooh, there's someone with a megaphone. and at the moment, i am feeling apprehensive. loud street noises. ah, there's so much noise! i'm going to go for it. i love the fact that the streets are quite wide. ifelt very confident walking up and down. day one in tokyo, i am going to meet rikarin, who is an influencer and a fashion designer, and we're going up harajuku. so, i want to know all about harajuku fashion. then, i'm going to have a feel with all of my other senses, so i can understand where she's coming from and what fashion she likes to wear. 0k. hey, hello! it's so lovely to meet you! can i hug you? yeah, course you can. it's lovely to meet you. can i get a quick audio description of you? sure, sure. i have a yellow, puffy dress, like this. can i feel? sure! it's like an organza dress. oh, wow! with a — like a border knit top with the jeans. it's a little bit casual style. oh, you've put jeans underneath. yeah, yeah. can i be guided by your arm? sure. so can i hold on to your...? here. that's it — perfect. fashion, it's a massive passion of mine, just actively touching everything and feeling all the fabric. there's this street, it's called takeshita street. okay. it's like the main street of harajuku. so, all the kids who have heard of harajuku first come here. it looks like so many different, like, tastes is mixed together. some shops, like on the left here, is really gothic. ah! wow! maybe on the right you'll see kebab shop! laughter. on the right again, i think you'll be surprised. and actually, i'm going to take you to the sweet place. 0h, 0k. here's the first step. yep. yes. ok. the step is quite narrow. wow. it really smells sugary. yeah. 0k. you got one? oh, my god, amazing! oh, my gosh, it's so big! all the colours taste different! different, yes. wow. i think i like the pink one the best. yeah? the blue one's nice but it tastes like more like fake sweets. so, this is what harajuku tastes like? yeah. i'll stay here. laughs. it feels exciting, it feels energetic, and very individual. and here is a shop sign. oh, my god. he only has one eye. oh, representation! he knows how it feels! he's visually impaired, too! and the last one. 0k. stop here... 0k. ..and turn to the right. this is a really very famous and important place for the culture called kawaii culture. have you ever heard of it? no. yeah, kawaii means like something cute. we say "kawaii" to every single thing that we love. wow, that's so unusual. yeah. it feels like there's loads of clothes around me, so the audio is very dampened. mm—hm. yeah. the clothes there feel like nothing i've everfelt before that i would wear. it was a culture shock. 0h! what do you think is that? i think you cannot... i don't know. oh, my gosh. it's a big rat. a rat?! a rat, yeah. giggles. this culture was born because of a little bit of rebellion — in a good way. that's why harajuku fashion or harajuku culture is not only about something really cute. like, it's not like that. they always have, like, eyeballs or bones. yeah. something a little bit dark side. yeah. you're walking on the red carpet right now. yeah! i work it! work it, work it! laughter. yeah! this shop is for the cosmetics and this room is for the wigs. shall we try some on? i could maybe try this one on. fluffy one. yeah. i've never worn a wig. oh, really? yeah, never. hey! what do you think? you look like a poodle! what made you want to get into this sort of fashion style? i was like a shy girl but after i found this community, i feel it's totally different from my school or anything, like my family. it's different. so, it's a completely new community, it's new me, so i can be myself however i want. and that really changed my life, i think. i really relate to that because when i got my long white cane out, i felt really self—conscious and nervous. not dressing like other people makes you feel like, "yeah, i'm me! i'm individual". yeah. i became blind at age 17 due to a really rare genetic condition. you want to just live the sighted life that you had and every day, every thing, every task that you go to do is a reminder that you can't do it any more and that, for me, mentally, was a massive struggle when i went blind. i'm heading to saitama, about an hour away from tokyo. i'm off to see ryusei. he is a blind skateboarder and he has not let his blindness define him. i'm just really excited to understand why he skateboards and how he does it, because it's really scary in my mind! ryusei holds two world records for performing skateboard tricks without eyesight. how long have you been a blind skaterfor? what's it like to skate as a blind person? it seems scary. although i can't see ryusei's skills, i remember what skateboarding looks like and it blows my mind that he's got the courage to get back up every time he falls. 0h! yeah. yeah? yeah. is every skateboard as wobbly? how do you say "three, two, one" injapanese? san, ni... ichi. ..ichi. yeah. go! yeah. excited scream. laughs. wa—hey! i can see why this is freeing but i also don't want to go too fast! 0k. i think that's me. it's so scary! like me, ryusei lost his eyesight due to a rare disease. he's now 95% blind. how did that affect you mentally, you know, suddenly having sight and then not? cos i know, for me, i took it really badly for a couple of years. i had a mental breakdown. i just wondered about you and yourjourney. i know what it's like to be in the darkest place because something's happened to you that shatters your heart. when you can't do just the little things that make up your life, you don't believe you can, like, truly go on without some massive, massive willpower behind you. i admire ryusei's drive to keep doing what he loves. i think it's really amazing to see other blind people just rock it wherever they are, and that's really special. we've got something there that connects us. it's time to leave the city and i'm heading to a place that's unlike anywhere i've been. the automated gates for the... my destination is sado island. and then, you can go through the gate. my local producer is ryuso helping me on the ferry. oh, my gosh. this is a line all the way to the ferry? yeah. this is so cool. i wish we had this in our ports in england. it would stop me falling in the sea. laughs. right, now we are about to board the ferry. what is that metal drumming? right, so, they're telling us the ferry is about to depart — that's what the drum is. now, we are on the ferry. yay! oh, that's so cool! yeah. there was no step up or anything. it's so accessible. yeah, it was pretty smooth, wasn't it? yeah. whistle blows. the ferry is about to depart! gong bangs. cackles. that was really fun! so, the ship is slowly turning directions. 0k. and then, from there, it's 2.5 hours to sadogashima. lovely. how far down is the water? oh, far enough that you don't want to fall. laughs. it's about, like, a four—storey building. 0h, 0k. i would say, yeah. wow. these are the kind of experiences as a blind person that are really sensory for me — the wind in my hair and the rain, like, little bits of rain. i can hear a seagull. laughs. gulls cry. i can hear the engine down below. i can hear the water. really cool. i've come to sado island in the sea ofjapan, and i'm here to experience a unique tradition called the onidaiko festival. so what is the onidaiko festival? we try to keep the community together and, at the same time, we wish a good harvest and health. the onidaiko is danced to represent the gods. everything's connected to each other. i want to find ways to engage with the festival that don't rely on eyesight. konnichiwa. terue has brought me to the taiko drumming centre. this building is named tatakokan. tatako. yes. tatako means "let's play taiko" injapanese. oh, tatako! yes! tatako, yes! taiko drumming is an ancient art that's central to the onidaiko festival. so this is taiko. ..not so strong. 0k. relax. yes. laughter. ok, you lift your arm up higher. and down. beats drum. yes. 0k. more. oh, it's good. n-s good. — i give you to "se, no". se, no is like one, two. 0k, 0k. se, no! next. yes. cheering. i feel like it's a sense of self that you find when you're drumming. i can't see visual pieces of art, but to be able to experience it with wood all around me, i felt the sound just through my whole body. how was it? amazing! laughter. it was a massive sensory experience. when masami started to drum... ..i didn't expect to feel overcome with passion for what she does. i didn't know how moved i would be by hearing the sounds ricochet from the drum all the way around the room. it was so moving. wow! well done. oh, my gosh, that was incredible. ijust, ifeel this sense of calm after that because it was so... you just felt it through your whole body, don't you? right. it's like your body's echoing with the... yeah. ..drum. yeah. i didn't have a need to, like, be able to see then, which is like one of the first times in my life. being blind in that moment didn't matter. yeah. you can feel that. you don't need to see it. just feel it. yeah. that's what music does. it's just amazing. sniffs. 0h. laughs. thank you. speaks japanese. thank you. thank you so much. i am so super proud of myself and i'm not afraid to say it. to think, "oh, being blind is so crummy, i'll "never go away" and now, i'm over the other side of the world and i'm so excited to experience all of my other senses. as well as drumming, costumes are a key part of the onidaiko tradition. konnichiwa. i've come to meet watanabe aritsune, who carves traditional oni, or demon masks, worn by the festival's dancers. translation: there's some chair. _ ok. one more, one more. one more, one more chair. here? no, next to. next to it. laughs. we got there in the end. what's in front of me? so, five oni masks in front of you. the masks are a tactile symbol of what once was and what is now. and i think that's beautiful to still have that within the small communities so, here is his mask. so that usually male only closing their mouths. 0h. 0h! that's scary. how does it feel when you see your masks in the festival? are you proud? i loves the lion's mechanicaljaw. i think that was one of my favourite parts. yeah, i like that. the tactile experience is now going to make the festival come alive to me in my mind. i now have a picture of what they may be wearing. i can have an audio description of how they dance, and then i'm hearing the music. i can fully immerse myself in the festival, so i'm really excited. drum beats. there are over 100 onidaiko dance groups on the island and they dedicate their performances to a shrine. the lions came out. now, she's trying to scare them. wow. they're so close. yeah. the lions are moving around as well. yeah. applause. yay! woo! thank you. 0h! he's got, he's got hair. i felt that day shifted my mind—set. i always thought that my blind experience was less than... oh, what are these for? ..that when i felt something tactile, i didn't see that as valid as actually looking at that thing in real life. this is the god of snake. the god of snake. that day proved to me that my tactile experience was as valid as a visual one. yes! yeah. thank you. up the road, a children's dance group is performing door to door to the families in the village. i love that it's all really immersive. the kids are so, so cute as well. what are they saying? kids chant. it doesn't mean anything, but it's cheering the people up. so, you mean like "yay"? yes, that's... yay! chuckles. chanting in japanese. this trip has made me more confident. i truly believe that the way i interact with the world in a tactile way when i go back home is enough. chanting continues. i am enough. chanting. oh, my god. the energy is so electric right now. i'm so excited. it's just the chanting. it's like, makes you feel like you're in a bit of a trance. chants. yay! the kids are shouting. it's just such a sense of community. in the second part of my travels, i'm back in tokyo... go. ..asking whether guide dogs could be replaced. faster, faster, faster. i've never been guided by ai before. this is so cool! squeals. and i head to hiroshima to find out about the resilience of its people. hello. we have got some large contrasts in our weather today, especially the temperature. warm and humid in the south of england. fresh in scotland and northern ireland. let's look at the forecast for the rest of the day. as we head into the evening, there is a weather front slicing the uk more or less in half. to the north, cooler. 14 in aberdeen at about 6pm. the same in glasgow and belfast. he is the weather front. showers in place. close to the weather front across wales and the weather front across wales and the south—west. london, still 25 at 6pm. quite humid. you can see the colour difference. the temperature gradient. the weather front still with us through the night. it will be cold in the north. particularly eastern scotland. a touch of frost on the way. to the south of the weather front it remains warm and humid. perhaps no lower than 15 or 16 degrees in some spots. here is the forecast for sunday. lightning symbols, so a storm chance in some south—western and western parts of the uk. these storms will drift north. a little bit further through the east. plenty of bright weather. but for some of us, a wild spell at some point during the day, with these thunderstorms rumbling through. this is the forecast for the evening, moving through wales, part of the midlands. thunderstorms could break out almost anywhere on sunday. early next week we are going to see a transition to something a lot fresher. orange colour is moving towards the east. that is a warm air mass. multiple weather fronts sweeping off the atlantic. here is one weather front crossing the uk during the course of monday. it is a cold front. plus three for a time with heavy showers. behind it, linked to this area of low pressure, fresher air sweeping in. still holding on to this area of low pressure, fresher air sweeping in. still holding onto the low 20s across the south—east. it is only 15 in belfast. look at this outlook remote every day there is the chance of some rain. temperatures easing as well. hold is knocking on the door. bye—bye. live from london. this is bbc news. in iran, the mother of mahsa amini thanks people for keeping her daughter's name alive one year after she died in police custody. the worst—hit libyan city, derna, is being sealed off to allow rescue teams better access following last week's devasting flash floods. a 14—year—old boy remains in custody, on suspicion of murder, after another teenager was stabbed in manchester friday night. in south africa, the state funeral is held for chief mangosuthu buthelezi, who died last week, aged 95. you're watching bbc news, i'm gareth barlow. the mother of mahsa amini has issued a statement on the first anniversary of her death, expressing her gratitude to all those who had kept the memory of her daughter alive. iranian security forces have been mobilised around the family home on the first anniversary of her death in custody, which inspired months of mass anti—government protests. her father was briefly detained as he was leaving the house, and he was warned against holding a ceremony at her grave. meanwhile, the iranian authorities have tightened security across the country, to try to prevent a new wave of street demonstrations. overnight, anti—government chants were heard in a number

Related Keywords

Boy , Custody , Suspicion , Murder , Manchester , Police , 14 , Mangosuthu Buthelezi , Cyril Ramaphosa , Powers , State Funeral , South Africa , Stop , Zulu Chief , Harpurhey , 95 , Bbc News , Eulogy , The Travel Show , Lucy Edwards , It , Injapan , Colours , My Name , Sound , Ooh , Latte , Taste , Guys , Broadcaster , Content Maker , Blind Vlog , Activist , Hi , Way , Eyesight , Doesn T , Home , Girl , Sweetheart , Mission , Sight Loss , Learning , Hello , Ten , Place , Ton , Bricks , Episode , Mainland , One , Country , Japan , Parts , Sense , Beauty , Tokyo , Capital City , Line , Guide Dog , 0 , Cane , Someone , Noise , Megaphone , Loud Street Noises , The Crossing , Streets , Walking , Fact , Ifelt , Harajuku , Influencer , Day One , Fashion Designer , Feel , Harajuku Fashion , Meet Rikarin , 0k , Fashion , Wall , Course , Senses , Audio Description , 0k , Jeans , Puffy Dress , Dress , Style , Border Knit Top , Organza , Arm , Passion , Your , Everything , The Kids , Takeshita Street , Mine , Fabric , Main Street , Laughter , Shops , Kebab Shop , Left , Yes , Step , 0h , Yep , God , Gosh , Best , Laughs , Blue One , Sweets , Shop , Eye , Representation , The Last One , Something , Kawaii Culture , Kawaii , Right , Thing , Clothes , Audio , Wow , Nothing , Everfelt , Hm , Rat , Big Rat , Culture Shock , I Don T Know , Bit , Dark Side , Harajuku Culture , Eyeballs , Bones , Work It , Red Carpet , Room , Cosmetics , Wigs , Poodle , Twig , Fluffy One , Community , Family , Anything , Fashion Style , Sort , School , People , Life , Individual , Condition , 17 , Ryusei , Reminder , Task , Struggle , To Saitama , Skateboarder , Blindness , Mind , World Records , Skateboard Tricks , Two , Skaterfor , Person , Skateboarding , Skills , Courage , Ichi , Skateboard , Injapanese , Go , San , Ni , Three , Freeing , Excited Scream , Iowa , Blind , Eyesight Due , Disease , Cos , Couple , Mental Breakdown , Yourjourney , Things , Heart , Willpower , Drive , City , Anywhere , Us , Ferry , Ryuso , Destination , Producer , Gate , Sado Island , Automated Gates , Sea , England , Sports , Drum , Metal Drumming , Whistle Blows , Wasn T , Gong Bangs , Water , Ship , Directions , Lovely , 2 5 , Building , Experiences , Kind , Four , Rain , Hair , Wind , Seagull , Engine , Bits , Gulls Cry , Island , Sea Ofjapan , Onidaiko Festival , Tradition , Festival , Ways , Each Other , Harvest , Health , Don T , Gods , Konnichiwa , Taiko , Tatakokan , Tatako , Let S Play Taiko Injapanese , Drumming Centre , Terue , Art , Drumming , Relax , Beats Drum , N S Good , No , Se , Next , Self , Cheering , Body , Pieces , Wood , Experience , Masami , Ricochet , Calm , Ifeel , Ijust , In My Life , Need To , Don T You , Music , Moment Didn T Matter , Japanese , Part , World , Side , Costumes , Onidaiko Tradition , Masks , Dancers , Who Carves Traditional Oni , Demon , Watanabe Aritsune , Front , More , Chair , In The End , Translation , Oni Masks , Five , Mask , Communities , Symbol , Mouths , The Lion S Mechanicaljaw , Picture , Drum Beats , 100 , Lions , Performances , Shrine , Applause , Mind Set , Snake , Families , Road , Children , Dance Group , Kids , It Doesn T Mean Anything , Village , Kids Chant , Chanting , Trip , I M So Excited , Energy , Chants , Trance , Sense Of Community , Shouting , Faster , Travels , Guide Dogs , Resilience , Ai , Hiroshima , Weather , South , Temperature , Contrasts , North , Forecast , Evening , Weather Front Slicing , Rest , Half , Eastern Scotland , Uk , Northern Ireland , Aberdeen , Weather Front , Showers , Same , Belfast , Wales , London , Glasgow , South West , 6 , 25 , Colour Difference , Temperature Gradient , Cold , A Touch Of Frost , Storm Chance , Lightning Symbols , Spots , 16 , 15 , Least , Thunderstorms , Some , Storms , Point , Transition , Lot , Orange Colour , Warm Air Mass , Midlands , Weather Fronts , Atlantic , Pressure , Area , Chance , South East , 20 , Temperatures , Door , Hold , Bye , Mother , Daughter , Name , Mahsa Amini , Iran , Police Custody , Access , Rescue , Derna , Devasting Flash Floods , Teenager , Friday Night , Anniversary , Death , Statement , Gareth Barlow , Security Forces , Memory , Gratitude , Father , House , Ceremony , Security , Wave , Protests , Grave , Authorities , Street Demonstrations , Number ,