Hometown Stories
Stories about people, stories about life. Intimate portraits of people from around Japan, each leading diverse lives while enriching lives of others.
15. Mailing Letters to the Lost
0.0Jul 2, 2023 · 25 min
In the woods of northeastern Japan stands the "Drifting Mailbox." This unique mailbox receives letters from family members to loved ones who died in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Its custodian, Akagawa Yuji, recently started thinking about closing the mailbox. But some bereaved relatives still continue to send letters. Yuji decided to meet with some of them to explain his thinking. Twelve years on, Yuji and the bereaved family members share their thoughts for the first time.