Memorial For Undelivered Mail

Postal workers erected this monument at the Zenkoji Temple in Nagano, Japan. It stands in memorial to the spirits of lost and undelivered letters.  According to the sign, "there are approximately 1.8 million pieces of undeliverable mail in Japan annually." I love everything about it. The concept that letters have spirits is endearing to me. It was an integral plot point to one of our L.W.A. book club picks; Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett. Whenever I finally make it to Japan, I'd love to visit here and pay my respect to the spirit of the mail.

Comments

[Cynthia]

Oh. This is lovely.

[Joe F.]

*Wow*. (I'm not generally a fan of one-word comments, but really: wow. Perhaps "holy wow", if you're so inclined.)

[Lisa]

Thanks for this!

[Terri Beth]

Hey, 1971 is my birth year. The year of all good things. ;)

[Tona Bell]

I love that book, it was so magical and inspiring. This image is so neat! Thanks for sharing

[Sabine]

What a wonderful idea! Just think of the emotions, the heart and soul that people pour in to their letters (at times anyway)... and the letter doesn't reach its destination... "A memorial to the spirits of lost and undelivered letters!" Cool!

[Ryusho]

In my studio I have much mail hanging from chains (supports the weight better than cord). They look much like prayer flags and I do refer to them as mail flags. The person who wrote or created Sent a message, had a thought, a wish or desire even if it was to say hello. And so I let that spirit continue to flow rather than confined in a box or drawer. You can see a photo of part of it on Instagram.