By Beatriz Esquivel
Mourning can occasionally drive people to surprising lengths to cope with the loss of a loved one, which, at its best, can lead to the creation of meaningful rituals and beautiful traditions. This has happened throughout human history and across all civilizations on the planet.
In some cultures, the best way to say farewell to the dead might be burning their belongings, or even their homes, as practices by the Yuman indigenous people of Baja California, Mexico, for example. Other communities choose to dig their dead up once a year in order to spend more time with them. And yet another tradition has sprung up in Japan, where some people have found solace in an unassuming telephone booth in the middle of a garden.
Photo: Weekend Knack
The booth was built by Itaru Sasaki in his own plot of land. There he placed an old, black telephone, with a simple rotary dial, next to a small notebook. He named it kaze no denwa, which means “wind telephone.” At first, Itaru was the only one meant to operate the phone, who used it to call his deceased cousin.
Photo: National Post
After the devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami that devastated Japan in 2011, hundreds of people suddenly lost many of their loved ones. That’s when Itaru decided to make his wind phone available to the general public, and thereby allow that those who needed it traveled to his cabin in order to also communicate with their dead.
Itaru thus quickly changed his lifestyle, since he’d now occupy his time maintaining both his garden and his cabin. He would also now welcome visitors from all over who traveled to Otsuchi, who would often share their woes with the altruistic owner.
Photo: Alex McBride
In a way, this phone has proven to be a surprising success in Japan, considering the fact that, in Japanese culture, an unrestricted display of emotions can sometimes be seen as ungrateful, especially in the case of people who merely lost their homes—as opposed to losing their lives or a loved one. In these cases, the black phone represents a way for people to express whatever they want without fear of what others might say and without staining their honor, while inadvertently taking care, at the same time, of their own mental health.
(Cover photo: Alex McBride)
Translated by Oliver G. Alvar
Don’t miss these other articles:
17 Illustrations From The Strangest Japanese Monster Compilation
12 Nostalgic Photos Of The Japanese Village Inhabited By Dolls
The Moving Story Behind These Brothers’ Picture After The Nagasaki Attacks
