In a position described in ancient Japanese chronicle of myths and legends as a border between this world and the next, there is a mailbox for sending letters addressed to deceased loved ones.
The place, Yomotsu Hirasaka, located in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, in western Japan, celebrates a rite every June to ritually dedicate the “Letters to Heaven” to its recipients who died at the stake. No less than 12,000 cards have been earned last year at this site located in the district of Iya, as “the front to hell”.
In Japan, the number of places that accept these types of letters addressed to the deceased is spreading to parts of the country, and grief experts explain that writing and sending these types of letters helps heal grief.
In Yomotsu Hirasaka, mentioned in the early parts of the “Kojiki” or “Register of Ancient Affairs”, a homemade mailbox is located in a secluded place at the top of the hill on a forest road. The idea was conceived by a local resident who saw other people visit the mythical site to honor their deceased loved ones.
“I thought we would go home,” said Yachiyo Hitachi, 65, from Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, referring to her late husband Minoru after releasing a letter in his memory.
The couple drank together and listened to their favorite songs. They went to see the cherry blossoms on their wedding anniversary and experienced happiness, but in June last year, Minoru was diagnosed with throat cancer.
He was admitted to and discharged from the hospital, lost his voice and was unable to walk before dying in March this year, a day after the doctor informed Yachiyo that her husband’s condition had stabilized.
Yachiyo had trouble sleeping, wasting his joy and motivation in life. It was then that a concerned friend took him to “Letters to Heaven. “
She sought to communicate with her spouse about many things, including trips they had planned but never taken. As she wrote down her thoughts, Yachiyo felt satisfied with the time they had spent together.
On the day of the ritual fire, she smiled and said, “I will also give you my letter next year to let you know how I spent my year. “
In 2018, director Kento Shimizu made a short film called “The Drifting Post” about a mailbox installed in a café in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, 3 years after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated giant spaces in the northeastern Tohoku region.
The letters began to pour in, not only as a form of treatment for others who had lost loved ones in the disaster, but also for anyone suffering pain due to tragedy or loss. In April, the mailbox was moved to a nearby temple, where letters are still sent today.
The “Green Booth” at Daishoji Temple in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, appeared when a letter addressed to a deceased child was discovered in the temple’s box intended for financial offerings. During the bonfire ritual, participants have the opportunity to share their reports with each other.
Meanwhile, the Setouchi International Art Festival on Awashima Island in Mitoyo, Kagawa Prefecture, in 2013 included the installation of the “Lost Post Office” to obtain undeliverable letters.
An old post office building was renovated and used for only a month at the triennial festival with new artwork, but letters continued to arrive later and it continues to operate today.
The missing mail receives mail from all over the world. Recipients include deceased people, long-lost love interests, or even the senders themselves.
According to Yoshiko Takaki, director emeritus of the Institute of Bereavement Care at Sophia University, the number of people who are unable to overcome grief is increasing as the nuclear family has become more common in Japan, allowing fewer and fewer opportunities to mourn close relatives.
Writing letters is an effective way, Takaki said, “to come to terms with the pain by re-examining appointments with that user and getting to know new emotions of gratitude and expressions of regret. “