As the 15th anniversary of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami approaches (on Wednesday), NHK showed a documentary this evening about the ‘Wind phone’ in Iwate prefecture.

Set up by a man in his garden to help him remember his cousin who died in the disaster, word soon spread and people started to come from all over Japan to use it to talk to their deceased loved ones.

We watched a similar programme some years ago and since then versions of the same phone have been set up around the world. There are now over 550 helping people with their grief. It was a very moving programme.

Edit/Correction: the cousin died in 2010. The phone predates the earthquake.

#2011earthquake #windphone #japan

This old rotary phone in Arlington helps mourners feel connected to their loved ones again 📞

“It allows us to be able to still feel like we can share with them what's on our heart, or things that we want to say but didn't or couldn't say before.”

https://www.keranews.org/news/2025-09-24/this-old-rotary-phone-in-arlington-helps-mourners-feel-connected-to-their-loved-ones-again

#KERANews #Arlington #Dallas #Texas #WindPhone #Grieving #Death #Suicide #MarchetaWrites #MarchetaFornoff

Another late Valentine

#bloggin #WordPress #RDP #RagtagDailyPrompt #prompt #WindPhone #Grieving #ValentinesDay

https://petrd1.wordpress.com/2024/02/15/bittersweet/

#MondayMourning: Wind Phone

An unconnected phone, sometimes in a booth, designed as a place to hold one-way conversations with lost loved ones. A notebook beside the phone allows visitors to write messages of remembrance.

The first public wind phone was created after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Otsuchi, Japan, and has been visited 30,000 times. Since then, replicas have appeared worldwide and enabled grieving people to reflect, connect, and speak their messages for the wind to carry.

What do you think? Would this be a helpful grief tool for you?

#HisAndHearsePress #Grief #GriefAndLoss #GriefSupport #GriefTools #WindPhone #Funeral #Memorial #Mourning #Bereavement