こんにちは 久保田さｈ
(Konnichiwa Ms Kubota)
Dear Saya,
How’s life treating you recently? I hope this email
finds you well.
It was so nice meeting with you at the
missing-post-office on Awashima during the “Setouchi Art Festival 2016”, definitely
also my pleasure to introduce this special post-office to Hong Kong people via
the newspaper “am730” I am writing for.
I would like to share with you the interesting
story with twists behind our first meeting on 9 October 2016 (Sunday), hoping
you enjoy reading this background story.
I firstly heard about the missing-post-office from
a Hong Kong newspaper “Apple Daily in July (please see the photo 1). The
concept behind this office impressed me much as it is not an ordinary post
office. People cannot send letters via it, but they can send letters commemorating
those dead or expressing missing messages to their friends to this post office.
The idea may come from the classical “Message in the Bottle”. This aroused my
interest to visit the missing-post-office to have a look myself. A decent and
demure lady in that photo also attracted my attention but I didn’t know she was
you.
When arriving in Takamatsu in the beginning of
October, I visited a book store located in famous “sheltered mall-streets”
after dinner, I happened to read your Japanese book “missing-post-office” and
realized that you are that demure lady. It is an interesting and creative idea
that you gave the post office a new meaning while also impersonating a post
office woman. This made me more interested to visit your post office and have a
short chat with you so that the readers in Hong Kong can know the existence of the “missing-post-office”.
Originally, I planned to visit the “missing-post-office”
on 10 Oct (Monday), but when I woke up on 9 Oct (Sunday), a sudden thought
flashed through my mind that Ms Saya may appear at the office during Autumn
opening, especially on Sunday. Therefore, I changed my schedule and decided to take
the train and ferry to Takamijima first, and then got to Awashima.
When arriving in the tourist centre on Awashima, I
asked the staff whether Ms Saya would be in the post-office that day. However,
they had no idea.
Actually, I didn’t go to your office directly but
visited the former sailor schools and other art installations first. Then, I
arrived in your office around 2pm. The gentleman staff in front of your office also
had no idea whether you would be there that afternoon. But my great interest in
your office aroused the attention of a voluntary staff who can speak English. I
told her that I was a travel writer for two newspapers in Hong Kong. She was
very nice and asked whether I wish to meet you. My answer, of course, is
positive. Haha….
Then, she introduced me to the director 中田さｈ. 中田さｈ is a very polite and considerate gentleman. He
told me you would come soon. Then, he gave you a call to see when you will be arriving.
However, the call was not able to reach you, and a voice message was left
behind.
I was a bit disappointed as I may not be able to
see you, but still interested to look around the letters and your book translated
in Chinese at the post office. Later, I told the voluntary staff that I would
come back later and hopefully I can meet you.
So I strolled outside your office. Suddenly a lady
in tidy post-office uniform rode a bicycle quickly and arrived in front of my
eyes. I felt very lucky and greeted you with my poor and simple Japanese “こんにちは, 久保田さｈ”, “私はTimothyでし”. And you sharply responded in English if I come
from Hong Kong.
Then, we began a short interview about how come you
had ever lived in Hong Kong when you were a kid, etc. 久保田さｈ, thank you very much for meeting me. Sincerely wish you will create
more successful art works; and look forward to seeing you in near future. Take
good care of yourself.
With best,
Timothy
15 Nov (Tuesday)
About Missing-Post-Office:
http://missing-post-office.com/
My photos about Setouchi Art Festival 2016
http://fotop.net/timfan/timfan521
My photos about Setouchi Art Festival 2016
http://fotop.net/timfan/timfan521
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