Tegami-dera's initiative was featured in the Asahi News paper.

Dear You, Across Time
Letters from the deceased, delivered to loved ones—the "Tegamidera" (Letter Temple), started by a temple of the Jodo Shinshu Otani-ha school, is drawing people in during the COVID-19 pandemic. The temple receives letters from individuals during their lifetime and delivers them to bereaved family members after their passing, who then write replies. Through this initiative, some are finding peace of mind.
In mid-March, at Tegamidera Funabashi, located within Funabashi Showa Joen in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, Noriko Ishizuka (51) from Shiroi City, Chiba Prefecture, received a "Last Letter" from her late husband, Hirotaka (who passed at age 55). Hirotaka was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June 2018; it was already in its late stages. Contemplating how to spend their remaining time, they both visited Tegamidera. They promised to open the letters "after I pass away" and wrote letters to each other. This January, Hirotaka passed on.
After the interment, Noriko entered Tegami-dokoro, a lounge within the temple grounds. This space was designed for quiet letter writing, offering a clear view of Hirotaka's perpetual memorial grave. The roughly 80-square-meter room was filled with the scent of wood from the walls.
As she opened the letter, she saw small, modest handwriting. "Ah, it's Hirotaka-san," she chuckled, a smile spreading across her face.I felt something from the moment we met.
So he felt that way about me," she thought. It was the first time she had truly heard Hirotaka's genuine feelings.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't have children."
There was no need to apologize. Hirotaka's gentle face came to mind. He was earnest and not good at talking. But that's what I loved about him.
She grasped the pen, intending to write a reply. "If I have you, I don't need anything else." Things she felt too shy to say aloud, she could write in a letter.

"I am content with the time we spent together. Thank you for everything."
Michio Sasaki (67) from Inzai City, Chiba Prefecture, also visited Tegamidera in Funabashi this January, bringing a photo of his late wife, Kikuko. His wife suffered from liver disease and passed away last December at the age of 63.
She was a bright and gentle wife. "I couldn't part with my sadness," he said. He wanted to change his mindset through writing.
"Is it too late to express my gratitude?" he murmured to Kikuko, smiling in the photo, as he continued to write. In about 15 minutes, the letter paper was completely filled.

"I was happy with you. Let's be together again in the next life."
His face was drenched with tears. But the loneliness had eased.

COVID: Inquiries Soar / Inquiries Rapidly Increase During COVID
Tegami-dera was established five years ago. The impetus came from the experiences of Joji Inoue (47), the head priest of Shodai-ji Temple, a Jodo Shinshu Otani-ha temple in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, with a history of approximately 1,200 years.
When he was 29, after his father passed away and he was struggling with managing the temple, he recalled words his father had told him when he was a child: "There's a letter I wrote to Joji above the main hall. Open it after I die." Shining a flashlight into the attic, he found an envelope amidst the dust.

"To my successor: Do not let the lamp of Nembutsu at Shodai-ji Temple be extinguished. Joji, age 9."
It was a letter from 20 years ago. The moment he read it, his worries instantly lightened. Thinking, "I want others to experience what I did," he established Tegami-dera as a general incorporated association. It has now grown to four locations in Tokyo, Saitama, and Chiba.
While the primary recipients are those who have graves in the four locations, anyone can use the service.
The core of the initiative is the "Last Letter Beyond Time and Space," delivered to family members and others after one's death.
If the person who requested the service doesn't reply to Tegami-dera's annual contact for three years, a notification is sent by mail to the designated recipient, stating, "We are holding a letter for you."
Any letter the recipient writes to the deceased is then ritually burned for memorial.
As of January this year, there are 467 Last Letters and a total of 8,027 letters have been received.
Since April last year, inquiries such as "I'm anxious about the future due to COVID, so I want to send a letter" have increased by about 2.5 times compared to previous years.
The number of letters sent by mail has also increased to more than four times that of the previous year.

The fee for holding a Last Letter is 13,200 yen. The ritual burning (otakiage) of letters to the deceased is free of charge.
Please address letters for ritual burning to: 〒274-0082 1306 Oganeho-cho, Funabashi-shi, Chiba Tegamidera Otakiage
For inquiries, please contact Tegamidera at 03-5879-4501.

Source: Asahi Shimbun, April 2, 2021 (Friday) Evening Edition, Society/General News Page
Approved No: 21-2357