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Eh, who hasn’t dreamed of reliving a moment from the past! To have the opportunity to talk to someone who is no longer alive, to open his heart, ask for forgiveness, thank him or simply tell him how he is.

Unfortunately, time does not stop or turn back, but there is a way, albeit symbolic, to send our words to those who are no longer among us.

This idea was born in Japan: a phone booth located in a secluded and quiet place, away from the noise and stress of everyday life, to connect with those we can no longer hug. This is the wind phone (kaze no denwa), a project that started in Japan in 2010 and is now also present in Italy.

It is a moving and profound, almost magical experience.

Since my thoughts could not be transmitted over a normal telephone line, I wanted them to be carried by the wind.

The wind phone is an invention of Itaru Sasaki, a garden designer, who in 2010 decided to install an old telephone booth in his garden after the death of one of his cousins. Sasaki used the phone, disconnected from any line, to ‘talk’ to his relative, as a way to let go and feel closer to him. According to Sasaki, the wind phone does not have a specific religious value, but is rather a tool to reflect on loss and life. In an interview he said:

In 2011, Japan was hit by a terrible earthquake and tsunami that caused over 15,000 deaths in the T?hoku region, including over 1,200 in the city of ?tsuchi alone, where Sasaki lived. In the face of this tragedy, Sasaki opened his wind phone to the public, to offer all those who had lost someone the opportunity to ‘phone’ their loved ones and break the loneliness a little. Since then, the site has been visited by over 30,000 people, who have left their signatures and thoughts on a notebook next to the phone.

Sasaki’s idea sparked worldwide interest and admiration. In some countries, such as California, Ireland and Colorado, phone booth replicas have been created to allow anyone to speak words they have never spoken. In Italy there is also a telephone booth with wind, which was inaugurated on December 21, 2023.

The date was not chosen by chance, but coincides with the winter solstice, a symbolic moment of transition and renewal. As Marco Vanni, the creator of the Italian project, explained, the cabin was created to foster an authentic connection with nature and the universe, which we all need in this difficult historical moment.

The Italian project to talk to those who are no longer here has been a huge success, both on social media and on location, with many people going to the hill where the cabin is located to talk and shout out their emotions.

The wind phone is a way to communicate with those who are no longer here, but also with ourselves. It is a way to remember, to forgive, to love. It is a way to listen to our heart and breath and to feel part of something bigger. It is a way to say goodbye, but also to say hello.