The Original Wind Phone in Japan
"This is why it doesn't work to just install a phone box anywhere in the world and call it a Wind Phone. There are certain conditions that are necessary for it to work, and these have to be created."
-Itaru Sasaki
“Because my thoughts could not be relayed over a regular phone line, I wanted them to be carried on the wind.”
-Itaru Sasaki
The Wind Phone in Ōtsuchi, Japan
On a quiet hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Otsuchi, Japan, stands the original Wind Phone, known in Japanese as Kaze no Denwa. Created by garden designer Itaru Sasaki, this simple disconnected telephone became a deeply meaningful place for people to speak the words that grief had left in their hearts.
What began as one man's personal response to loss has become an internationally recognized symbol of grief, remembrance, continuing bonds, and love after loss and the inspiration for Wind Phones now found in communities around the world.
A Place Born From Grief
The story of the original Phone of the Wind began before the earthquake and tsunami that would later make it widely known.
In 2010, Itaru Sasaki was grieving the death of his beloved cousin. Wanting a private place to keep talking to him, Sasaki created the Wind Phone in his garden at Bell Gardia Kujirayama in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan.
Inside a small white telephone booth sat a black rotary telephone. The phone was not connected to a telephone line. No one was physically waiting at the other end. Yet Sasaki could pick up the receiver and speak.
The disconnected telephone gave him a place for conversations that love and grief do not necessarily end, the things he still wanted to say, the memories he wanted to share, and the connection he still felt.
He imagined his words traveling on the wind. In December 2010, this deeply personal expression of grief became the Wind Phone, Kaze no Denwa.
A Place of Remembrance
Just months later, on March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake and devastating tsunami struck northeastern Japan. Thousands of people lost their lives, and coastal communities, including the area surrounding Otsuchi, experienced unimaginable loss.
In the aftermath, Itaru Sasaki saw how many people were carrying the same longing he understood so personally: the desire to speak once more to someone they loved. He planted trees and flowers around the Wind Phone, placed stones along the pathway, and opened the garden so that others could visit and use the phone freely.
Bereaved families and visitors came to the small white booth. Some picked up the receiver and spoke to a child, parent, spouse, sibling, friend, or other loved one who had died or was missing. Some cried. Some sat quietly. Some found that simply having a place where they were permitted to continue the conversation was enough.
What began as one man's private place of remembrance became a place for many and, over time, a powerful symbol of grief, love, remembrance, and continuing connection, inspiring Wind Phones around the world.
From Japan to Around the World
The idea that began in Itaru Sasaki's garden didn't stay in Japan. As the story of the original Wind Phone traveled around the world, people grieving their own loved ones began creating Wind Phones in their communities.
Today, Wind Phones are placed in parks, gardens, cemeteries, hospices, schools, memorial spaces, nature preserves, and other peaceful settings across the United States and internationally. No two need to look exactly alike. Some are traditional telephone booths inspired by the original in Otsuchi. Others are simple outdoor phones placed beneath a tree, inside a small shelter, along a walking path, or overlooking the water. What connects them is not their appearance, but their purpose. Each offers a place to pause, remember, and speak to someone you miss.
The worldwide growth of Wind Phones is a testament to the universality of grief, and to an idea Itaru Sasaki shared with extraordinary generosity: that sometimes people simply need a place for the love and words that remain in our hearts.
The Original Wind Phone Today
The original Wind Phone remains at Bell Gardia Kujirayama in Otsuchi, Japan, where people from Japan and around the world continue to travel to experience the place where the Wind Phone began.
Today, efforts are underway to help preserve the original Wind Phone and its surrounding environment for future generations. The Association to Protect Wind Phone was established to support its ongoing care and preservation.
For My Wind Phone, the story will always lead back to Itaru Sasaki and the garden in Otsuchi where it all began. The original Wind Phone belongs to a remarkable story that began not as a movement or a product, but with one grieving person, one disconnected telephone, and the desire to remain connected to someone he loved. It became an enduring gift that has inspired people and communities around the world. Photo Credits: Patrick Genine
At a Wind Phone, the line may be disconnected, but the connection of love never is.
My Wind Phone honors the history of the original Phone of the Wind while helping people discover Wind Phones and the individual stories behind them around the world.
Visit the Official Bell Gardia Website →
Learn About Creating a Wind Phone →
From Japan to Around the World
"Inspired by the original in Japan, hundreds of wind phones around the world connect people with long-lost loved ones, providing them with a place to process their grief and share their feelings."
Documentary 360 - The Wind Phone: From Japan to the World
Available 24/7 On Demand｜NHK WORLD-JAPAN website.
Also available on Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, ROKU and Apple TV – depending on your location.
Broadcast on March 10, 2026 / Available until March 10, 2027
In the News
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.
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Japan's tsunami survivors call lost loves on the phone of the wind
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How Japan’s Wind Phone Became a Bridge Between Life and Death
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Japan's tsunami survivors call lost loves on the phone of the wind | Reuters
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The Phone of the Wind - The Lonely Phone on a Hill Top in Japan to Call your Loved Ones
