VOICES

Voices

Stories from interviews with people who live with prosopagnosia.

The daily reality of not being able to remember faces and names is hard for others to see. Here, we share each person’s experience as closely as possible in their own words.

Ren・20s, man, student

I Remember People by Smell and Footsteps

He can't remember a name without writing it down — and always assumed that was normal. Ren, a student in his twenties, tells people apart by hairstyle, clothes, smell, and footsteps, and jots things down the moment a memory surfaces.

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Aoi・40s, woman, works in tech

Even Shohei Ohtani Is Just "Looks About Right" on a Poster

Twenty-five years in IT, and she still can't place her school friends, famous athletes, or her husband's favorite actors. Aoi has made peace with asking "who's that again?" as many times as it takes, using notes as her external memory and enjoying life anyway.

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Sumire・30s, woman, stay-at-home mother

Faces Blur Together Like Slices of the Same Shortcake

Unable to tell idols apart since childhood, breaking into a cold sweat when a regular customer expects "the usual," dreading the cluster of parents at school pickup — Sumire has gotten by day to day leaning on notes on her phone.

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