In Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Japan, there is a special place known as Yomotsu Hirasaka. According to ancient Japanese mythology, this location serves as a boundary between the world of the living and the afterlife. At Yomotsu Hirasaka, there is a mailbox where people can send letters addressed to their deceased loved ones.
Every June, a ceremony takes place at Yomotsu Hirasaka to honor these “Letters to Heaven.” The letters are ritually dedicated to their intended recipients by burning them in a bonfire. Over the past year alone, approximately 12,000 letters were received at this site in Matsue’s Iya district – often referred to as the “entrance to the underworld.”
This practice of sending letters to departed loved ones is becoming increasingly popular throughout Japan. Experts on grief explain that writing and sending these letters can be therapeutic and help individuals cope with their bereavement.
The idea for the mailbox at Yomotsu Hirasaka originated from a local resident who noticed many people visiting this legendary site to pay tribute to their deceased family members. The handmade mailbox stands in an isolated spot atop a hill along a forest road.
One woman named Yachiyo Hitachi shared her experience of using this unique mailbox after losing her husband Minoru. They had enjoyed spending time together – drinking together and listening to their favorite songs. However, last year Minoru was diagnosed with throat cancer and passed away in March of this year.
Yachiyo struggled with sleeplessness and lost her joy for life until she was introduced by a friend to “Letters to Heaven.” She found solace in writing down her thoughts and memories about her late husband – including trips they had planned but never took.
During the ritual burning ceremony held each year, Yachiyo smiled as she expressed her desire to continue delivering letters next year so that she could update him on how she spent her time without him.
This practice of sending letters has also been observed in other parts of Japan. In Rikuzentakata city’s cafe located in Iwate Prefecture – an area devastated by an earthquake-tsunami disaster in 2011 – director Kento Shimizu made a short film called “The Drifting Post” about another mailbox installed three years after the tragedy occurred. This mailbox became not only therapy for those who lost loved ones but also for anyone experiencing grief due to various circumstances.
Other locations have adopted similar practices as well. For instance, Daishoji Temple in Maizuru established its own version called “Green Post,” which allows participants during bonfire rituals an opportunity share their experiences with one another.
Additionally, Awashima Island hosted an installation called the “Missing Post Office” during the Setouchi International Art Festival back in 2013. Although it was initially meant for undeliverable mail during that month-long event showcasing contemporary artwork every three years, it continues operating today due to ongoing correspondence from around the world addressed not only towards deceased individuals but also long-lost love interests or even senders themselves.
Accordingly Yoshiko Takaki – director emeritus of Sophia University’s Institute of Grief Care – has noted that more people struggle with overcoming grief due partly because nuclear families have become more common throughout Japan resulting fewer opportunities for mourning close relatives’ deaths.
Takaki believes that writing these heartfelt letters offers individuals an effective way “to accept grief by reexamining [their] relationship[s] with [the] person[s]” they’ve lost while simultaneously fostering new feelings such as gratitude or expressions regret.