A woman who goes by the name of Pino was steeped in grief over the death of a beloved sibling when she had two encounters she can’t explain, other than that she feels it was a “message” from the “other side” to help lift her from her sorrow.

In short, Pino, who runs a cafe in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, is convinced her sister was making contact. It was a spooky thought as the pair had talked about reincarnation shortly before her sister’s death.

As the youngest of three girls, Pino was forever grateful to her sisters for the way they looked after her while she was growing up.

When Pino married, her oldest sister by four years, gave her a hand-written notebook of recipes for numerous dishes, including hamburger made of tofu to barbecue chicken wings.

The older sister lavished more care on Pino than their mother did. But on occasion, Pino felt suffocated and tried to keep a distance.

Her sister was diagnosed with cancer in August 2016 and died in October the following year. 

Several months before her sister died, Pino delivered a large bundle of manga to her hospital room at her request. It comprised all 12 volumes of “Buddha,” a portrayal of Buddha’s life by the legendary manga artist Osamu Tezuka, which Pino borrowed from a local library.

A few days later, she confided to Pino, “It is strange, but I cannot get what the story is about.”

In retrospect, Pino suspects her sister was so ill that she had lost her ability to comprehend the text.

Pino recalled that her sister also asked her if she believes in life after death.

Her answer was: “I do, actually, and I believe that people are reincarnated.”

And then, in a touching moment, Pino added, “If you die before I do, please send me a message in one way or another to show that there is life after death.”

She made the request casually, and scarcely gave it more thought. But two weeks after her sister’s death, Pino became convinced she had made contact.

A FATEFUL DAY

On that particular day, a bazaar was held at the school Pino’s child attended.

She didn’t feel like going as she was still in mourning, but decided she ought to go as she was supposed to help out. Besides, she knew that she needed something to do to distract herself from her broken heart.

When she was laying out items to be sold at the bazaar, she was astounded by what she saw.

It was the full collection of “Buddha,” all 12 volumes. She couldn’t believe her eyes and pleaded with the exhibitor to let her buy the lot.

Things were still just sinking in when Pino had another surprise after returning to her car that day. A song by the Carpenters, one of her sister’s favorites, was playing on the car radio.

Pino then remembered that her sister listened to the brother and sister group’s top hits album over and over before she died at the hospital’s palliative care unit.

With those two incidents happening one after another, Pino became convinced her sister was trying to reach her in a way that only she would know.

When her sister was alive, Pino tried to remain stoic whenever she visited the hospital and simply encouraged her sister to keep fighting the cancer because she couldn’t cope with the thought of losing her for good.

Pino now wishes she had let down her guard more. What thoughts were going through her sister’s mind as she lay dying? Was she consumed by anxiety about her condition? Was there anything she wanted me to do before she died? Pino knows now she should have done more for her beloved sister.

Her sister’s “message” arrived at the lowest point in Pino’s life and when she felt tormented.

Still, she feels relieved that she finally did something right by turning up for the school bazaar. Had she not, she would never have received her sister’s message.

“I am going to live well until my very last moment now that I know that I can be reunited with my sister for sure some day,” she said of the experience.

On Jan. 1, she tweeted about her experiences in relation to her cherished memories of her sibling.

Her post went viral and triggered numerous responses from people who said they’d had similar experiences, despite differences in views about life, death and values.

Pino comforts herself with the thought that talking about the dead is proof a person once existed. It also provides an outlet for sorrow to bring solace.

Pino strongly believes her New Year’s Day tweet was something her sister wanted her to do.