In May of 2017 I learned about the wind phone. It’s a phone booth with an unconnected phone, located in Japan in the area of the earthquake-tsunami-nuclear disaster of 2011. This “wind phone” (kaze no denwa) was actually installed before the disaster, by a man who was trying to cope with the loss of a cousin. After the disaster, though, news about the phone booth spread, and visitors began to arrive. These pilgrims see the phone as a way to mourn the loss of loved ones or attempt to send messages or otherwise continue the relationship, since there can no longer be the kind of communication that would happen with a connected phone. It’s hard to imagine the long-lasting effects of the kind of disaster the Japanese people experienced in 2011. And though I can understand the symbolism of the wind phone, it made me sad. I pray that those visitors will come to know God, the merciful Father, whose line is connected 24/7.
For further reading, see this story and accompanying image, or this NHK documentary—I’ve not watched it, but the first few seconds are intriguing.
