Photo/Illutration Hitokotonushijinja shrine in Gose, Nara Prefecture, in November 2018 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Legend has it that the enshrined god at Hitokotonushijinja shrine in the city of Gose in Nara Prefecture is said to grant every believer just one wish they make in “hitokoto,” or one short sentence.

An annual postcard writing contest is held in honor of this deity. Called "Hagaki no Meibun Konkuru" (literally, well-written postcard contest), it received 25,000 entries this fiscal year. (The ages of the contestants below are as of the time they submitted their pieces.)

Satoko Ajisaka, 38, addressed her message to her 2-year-old son: "Are you going to grow up not knowing a maskless world? I pray that someday you will start living your life surrounded by bright smiles on maskless faces."

Yuya Kawakami, 32, a resident of Shizuoka Prefecture, recalled the deep emotion he felt on the day he was discharged from the hospital after 10 months of cancer treatment.

When he got into the car that his mother had come to pick him up in, he looked at the other cars around it and every driver raised a handwritten sign that said, "Congratulations."

This was a performance staged by his friends and relatives who'd come to celebrate this happy occasion in keeping with the nation's COVID-19 protocols.

"I teared up as I saw these numerous messages through the car window," he wrote.

Yui Kondo, 17, of Aichi Prefecture is deaf but dreams of becoming a police officer. "People tell me that's impossible because I can't hear. But you never know until you try. If there are no deaf police officers now, I'm going to become one to prove it's possible."

Nobue Shiraiwa, 78, of Kanagawa Prefecture, found a postcard, folded into four, in a coin purse that belonged to her late husband.

She herself had sent the postcard half a century ago, thanking him with this short message for the nice dinner they had together: "I'd love to see you again. Sincerely."

She prayed that the god would somehow let her repeat the same words to him again.

Reading these award-winning postcards, I was deeply struck by the warmth of their handwritten contents.

I was inspired to drop a line to my father, who is living in a seniors’ home. I wrote: "Please forgive me for being a lazy correspondent. I promise to come to see you once the pandemic is under control."

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 22

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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