“Phone set up in Hokkaido to help ease grief after Shiretoko sinking”

Key points

• Kenji Sakurai set up the Umi no Denwa in Rausu to aid families grieving.
• The device mirrors Otsuchi’s wind phone concept used after 2011 disasters.
• The Kazu I sightseeing boat sank off Shiretoko in 2022, killing 20 and leaving six missing.
• A fundraising-style installation is near Minehama Fishing Port, not wired to networks.
• Users speak of solace, with one caller saying grief remains but talking calms them.