Wind Phone in the Willow Cabin

Tucked into the willow trees sits one of our guests’ favorite spots along the Life Journey Trail, the Willow Cabin. Two rocking chairs in the simple shelter are intended to offer a space to be held within nature. 

Recently, we added a new special feature, a wind phone. This idea originated in Ōtsuchi, Japan, where garden designer Itaru Sasaki first built the “Wind Phone” in 2010 after the death of his cousin. The booth held a disconnected rotary phone. Sasaki said, “Because my thoughts couldn’t be relayed over a regular phone line, I wanted them to be carried on the wind.” 

Following the devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Sasaki opened his phone booth to the public, and thousands have since visited to call loved ones they lost. Some use it to speak to someone who has passed. Others use it to say what’s on their heart in a season where conversation isn’t always possible.

Here, in the quiet of the Willow Cabin, our own Wind Phone honors the memory of Brady Nelson, our Founder Nancy’s son who died in 2020. You can read more about him and the wind phone when you visit the willow cabin for yourself.  The Wind Phone is offered as a gift to our guests to have a chance to share what is on their heart to someone dear to them. It has already made an impact.

Our new Wind Phone was captured in watercolor by artist and author K. Woodman-Maynard.