風の電話

December 2, 2024 2:38 PM

"The wind phone is an unconnected telephone booth in Ōtsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, where visitors can hold one-way conversations with deceased loved ones." "In Japan, there is a frontier between life and death, and it’s perched on the steep slopes of a mountain called Kujira-yama, the Mountain of the Whale. That’s where we’re going..." 'How Japan’s Wind Phone Became a Bridge Between Life and Death.'
posted by clavdivs (9 comments total)

In the late 70s I worked at a bookstore that had 2 different books about getting phone calls from the dead.
posted by theora55 at 3:15 PM on December 2, 2024 [2 favorites]

damn, wasn't expecting to tear up reading that article. japan gets me once again!
posted by donuy at 3:22 PM on December 2, 2024 [1 favorite]

Also the subject of Act One of the This American Life episode One Last Thing Before I Go.
posted by Panthalassa at 5:02 PM on December 2, 2024 [5 favorites]

In the late 70s I worked at a bookstore that had 2 different books about getting phone calls from the dead.

I, too, heard dark tales about the digits inscribed within the Necrotelecomnicon. Few were prepared to pay the grim toll, and even fewer dared to call collect.
posted by notoriety public at 5:19 PM on December 2, 2024 [5 favorites]

I miss nebulawindphone
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:38 PM on December 2, 2024 [2 favorites]

What a lovely article, thank you for this.
posted by mygothlaundry at 10:21 AM on December 3, 2024 [1 favorite]

I read about this recently but I forget where. There are many more scattered around the world and a webpage has advice on how/where to put one. It recommends using a phone with a dial.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 1:40 PM on December 3, 2024

Found it on This is Colossal.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 1:53 PM on December 3, 2024 [1 favorite]

Mod note: [Thank you for this sadsweet post, clavdivs. We've added it to the sidebar and Best Of blog roundup of recent great posts.]
posted by taz (staff) at 2:00 AM on December 8, 2024