Two Japanese phone booths offer space to remember lost loved ones

Culture · First reported 31 Oct, 08:34 · Updated 09:27

Image: Wikimedia Commons · NASA Johnson Space Center · Public domain

A new booth in Hokkaido gives families affected by the 2022 Kazu I sinking a place to remember those who died or remain missing. A separate, older booth in Iwate, created by Itaru Sasaki, became a public place for people grieving after the 2011 tsunami.

The Hokkaido booth was installed in Rausu for people grieving victims of the 2022 Kazu I sinking, which left 20 people dead and six unaccounted for.
The Rausu booth has a disconnected telephone; its proposal came from fisherman Kenji Sakurai, who had volunteered in searches after the sinking.
The Wind Phone in Otsuchi began as Sasaki’s private response to bereavement and was opened to the public after the 2011 tsunami.

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Key facts

Rausu booth: Installed on the coast of Rausu for people affected by the 2022 Kazu I sinking.
Kazu I sinking toll: 20 passengers and crew died; six others remained unaccounted for.
Wind Phone location: A garden in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture.
Wind Phone origins: Sasaki created it in 2010 and opened it to the public after the 2011 tsunami.