The Original
Phone of the Wind
The Original Phone of the Wind
(Continued from the home page)
Itaru Sasaki was able to salvage his phone booth and relocate it on a windy hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the foot of the Kujira-Yama, next to the town of Otsuchi. He welcomed mourners to visit his phone booth to make calls to their friends and relatives lost in the great tsunami, hoping they would find a connection to help them cope with their grief as it did him.
The Phone of the Wind is a shrine mindfully created to connect people to their loved ones on the other side. It is one of the world's most powerful resilience sites. Grievers travel from around the world to "call" their loved ones in spirit, to say the things they didn't get a chance to say while the person was living. It is a place that offers the peace and solitude grievers need to work through their pain. Itaru Sasaki has inspired the creation of many beautiful spaces all over the world with the sole purpose of holding space for a griever. One where the wind will carry their words to those they love who have gone ahead.
The Wind Phone in the Garden of Bell Gardia is managed solely by Itaru Sasaki and his wife. They depend on a charitable foundation that supports the area. To donate, please visit their official website for further information.
This American Life episode features a segment about the Itaru Sasaki's Telephone of the Wind located in Ōtsuchi, Iwate Prefecture. Click on the image to listen.
Recommended Reading
Click on the graphics to view on Amazon.
Visit the Bell Gardia Kujirayama website.
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The Wind Phone
Film written and directed by Kristen Gerweck.
"A phone booth on an ocean cliffside brings together seven strangers whose seemingly different conversations are connected by one harrowing reality."
*Season 3, Episode 4
Links to News Articles
*This is a very small sampling of articles written about the Original Wind Phone. If you read an article that you think would be a nice addition to this list, please forward the link.
Japan's 'wind phone' offers solace to those grieving
The Phone of the Wind – Bell Gardia
Japan's tsunami survivors call lost loves on the phone of the wind
After Fukushima I ARTE.tv Documentary
Tsunami survivors call lost loves on the 'phone of the wind
How Japan’s Wind Phone Became a Bridge Between Life and Death
Japan's tsunami survivors call lost loves on the phone of the wind | Reuters
The Wind Phone in Japan: An Incredible Spiritual Connection
The Phone of the Wind - The Lonely Phone on a Hill Top in Japan to Call your Loved Ones