If you meander around our Prop Shed, you may come across a phone; a vintage one like the one your parents or your grandparents had; looks disconnected.
You’ll have found our Telephone in the Wind.
This is based on the kaze no denwa, a disconnected phone box built in a tranquil garden at the foot of Kujira-yama in north-eastern Japan. This simple phone box has become a pilgrimage of sorts for people all over the world; to wander into the garden, pick up the phone and speak to the other side.
Mr Sasaki, who owns the garden, created the phone box after the 2011 tsunami, as “a bridge that connects the world of the living to the world of the dead.” He continues “There’s a reason why there’s no big sign, map or guide on how to get here […] Just getting here is an exercise in… Mindfulness”
This is why we have followed suit for our own kaze no denwa and not told you its exact location, or did a big flashing arrow towards it. Hidden in a nook that only becomes visible when you meander around our Farm – and have a little imagination.
But I know what you’re thinking – WHY have a kaze no denwa at all?
At some point in our life, all of us will go through grief. We will all lose someone we love. Possibly we already have. To have lost, and to not have that special someone be there on the day you get married; it wouldn’t be easy for anyone.
So we wanted to create a special moment for couples if they wished, so they could tell that special person “I did it!”
We know and understand that not every couple would want to do this, and that is perfectly fine.
But for those who want to, the kaze no denwa is waiting for you.
I’m going to leave you with a quote from the film version of Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, which has meant a lot to me personally over the years. It’s near the end of the film between Harry and his godfather Sirius Black. Sirius says:
“The ones who love us never really leave us. And you can always find them again: in here *puts his hand over Harry’s heart*”
You can find out more about the story of the original kaze no denwa here: How Japan’s Wind Phone Became a Bridge Between Life and Death ‹ Literary Hub (lithub.com)
