Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

littlemissmartypants

(29,946 posts)
Thu Oct 9, 2025, 01:44 PM 12 hrs ago

Phone of the Wind 風の電話 Compassion, Shared Sorrow & Hope

Phone of the Wind 風の電話
Compassion, Shared Sorrow & Hope



The Original Wind Phone

(風の電話, kaze no denwa)

The original Wind Phone was created in Japan by Itaru Sasaki while grieving his cousin who died of cancer. He purchased an old-fashioned phone booth and set it up in his garden. He installed an obsolete rotary phone that was not connected to wires or any "earthly system." Here, Itaru felt a continued connection to his cousin and found comfort and healing amid his grief. Itaru gave his phone booth a name, Kaze No Denwa 風の電話 translated as The Wind Phone.

The following year, in 2011, an earthquake (9.1 magnitude) resulted in a tsunami with 30-foot waves that obliterated the coast of Japan, destroying entire towns and taking thousands of lives. Many were swept out to sea, and their bodies never recovered. The city of Ōtsuchi is recorded with the highest number of missing persons. The tsunami's catastrophic ocean waves destroyed the town; its people were left in ruins by the tsunami of grief thrust upon them.
Snip...
Itaru Sasaki salvaged his phone booth and relocated 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 worldwide to hold space for a griever—one where the wind will carry their words to those they love who have gone ahead.
Snip...more...
https://www.mywindphone.com/the-original-phone-of-the-wind

Itaru Sasaki, Creator of the Original Wind PhonePhoto Credit: Alex McBride






World Map of Wind Phones
Locate a Wind Phone
https://www.mywindphone.com/windphonelocations

Add your Wind Phone to the Map
https://www.mywindphone.com/listyourwindphone

Children's Wind Phones
https://www.mywindphone.com/childrenswindphones







Grief Resources
https://www.mywindphone.com/grief-resources

Crisis Hotlines
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
https://www.mywindphone.com/crisis-hotlines


"Warm Lines"
Warmlines are for when you need someone to talk to but are not in crisis: http://warmline.org/. This site lists warmlines by state

❤️pants


Latest Discussions»Alliance Forums»Asian Group»Phone of the Wind 風...