While not everyone may be unfortunate enough to have to deal with a speech impediment, we've probably met someone who's had to experience it on a daily basis.
To be frank, having a speech impediment sucks. Especially when it really deters you from getting your point across in a conversation – and that's only if you're able to hold one in the first place.
For many people who stutter, even uttering a single word can be a nerve-wracking challenge. And for some, this results with bullying, social anxiety, or both.
Cafés where orders take time.
A staff member holds up a sign with all the 'rules' for the pop-up cafe. IMAGE: Peraichi
As part of a thoughtful way to give a voice to those who stutter, the 'Cafes Where Orders Take Time' initiative works very simply: It temporarily takes over existing cafés in Japan, and only hires wait-staff who have issues with stuttering. And as the name of the initiative implies, customers are encouraged to be patient with the staff and let them finish talking.
After all, interacting with strangers can be scary enough. But interacting with others while trying to stifle your stutter is a whole different challenge altogether.
In addition to being patient, customers are also asked to offer words of encouragement to the people serving them, such as "take your time", "slow down", or "relax". But the whole point of this unique experience isn't to scare the waiters. It actually provides them a chance to socialize and actually work on their conversation skills with people who are more than willing to give them all the time they need.
IMAGE: Yogajournal / Japan Insider
One of the waiters, 18-year-old Hitonari Nakazawa, had always avoided speaking to others as much as she possibly could.
"But today I was able to really enjoy my conversations," she told Kyodo.
Another waiter, 21-year-old Marin Kanamori, expressed interest in becoming a speech therapist one day, hoping this experience would help her gain more confidence.
And just in case a customer misses all the cues indicating that the staff have this condition, the masks worn by everyone have messages like "I want to talk with many people" and "Please let me finish speaking" printed on them.
If you're not too familiar with stuttering, it's a condition that makes someone involuntarily repeat or prolong the first sound or syllable of a word or phrase. This can often lead to ridicule from insensitive (or simply ignorant) individuals, and most likely results with social anxiety in the sufferer as well.
In Japan alone, there are an estimated 1.2 million people with this condition. While stuttering is almost never a life-long condition, the mental health damage that it can do in the early years can greatly impact the lives of people with this condition further down the line.
IMAGE: Campfire / Japan Insider
Cafés Where Orders Take Time founder Arisa Okumura, a 30-year-old Tokyo native, grew up with a stutter. Recounting her childhood, she says she was teased by other kids for her condition, with many making nasty jokes about "catching" her stutter if she touched them. Repeated exposure to this kind of torment drove her to avoid having conversations with others, hoping that this would make her condition less obvious.
But after working in a café in Melbourne, Australia (a city many people consider to be famous for its coffee culture), Okumura finally found her confidence. The café she worked at also employed disabled people, the homeless, as well as people who couldn't speak any English.
IMAGE: Peraichi
Wanting to help more people like her gain their own voices, Okumura launched this campaign when she returned to Japan in 2017. So far, the initiative has already been carried out twice in Tokyo. Toyama is the first city outside Tokyo to welcome the initiative.
"I will strive to create a society in which young people struggling with stuttering can challenge the things they really want to do and never quit," said Okumura.
The next Cafés Where Orders Take Time pop-up is happening on July 3, 2022 at Note Cafe in Kanagawa City.
If you're in the area and want a unique café experience, click here to make a reservation.
To learn more about the initiative, click here.
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