This small town was losing tourists until the postmaster put a mailbox 30 feet underwater

When most beach towns face a sudden dip in tourism, the playbook is pretty simple: you build a bigger boardwalk, launch a flashy ad campaign, or maybe even install a brand new monument. However, when the town of Susami, Japan, faced such an issue back in 1999, its postmaster, Toshihiko Matsumoto, took a much more unusual route. Instead of looking to the skies or the streets for inspiration, he relied on the town's biggest asset, the ocean, and installed a mailbox, which has since become a massive hit. The Great Big Story shared the story on its Facebook and YouTube channels, garnering over 1 million views. 

Postmaster took matters into his own hands

With the town's economy taking a toll due to a steep fall in tourism, Matsumoto had a wild idea to anchor a mailbox about 30 feet into the ocean floor. However, the mailbox wasn't supposed to be a gimmick, but rather a fully functional one, one from which people could mail a letter anywhere in the world. While the idea sounded great in theory, it was a logistical nightmare, but that wasn't going to stop the postmaster from putting his town on the global tourist map. 

Delivered over 38,000 letters

The first real challenge was introducing postcards that wouldn't be destroyed underwater. So, Matsumoto decided to introduce waterproof postcards and oil-based pens. With that issue sorted, the next was to retrieve those letters that the tourists would drop and insert in the mailbox every day and mail them. This is where local dive shop owner Hiroaki Yamatani stepped in. He manages the entire process, from selling the special postcards for around $1.5 and renting diving gear to tourists and giving diving lessons. 

But most importantly, he also retrieves the letters each day. By the time the clip was posted online, Yamatani had already successfully delivered about 38,000 letters. "I dive down underwater mailbox every day to collect the postcards," he said. "After I collect them, I drop them off at the local post office. I think the underwater mailbox has been a real asset for tourism in Susami." Well, that's not too surprising given the creativity of Matsumoto's idea, as well as the fact that the mailbox holds the Guinness World Record for being the deepest one in the world. 

Hotspot for divers

The postbox has turned Susami into a real hotspot for divers from around the world. Located in Susami Bay, the underwater mailbox has become one of Wakayama Prefecture’s most unusual attractions, according to Japan Daily. It even showed up in an automobile commercial back in 2015, further proving how much of a success this project has been. That idea feels especially relevant as global tourism patterns continue to change. According to the latest data released by the World Tourism & Travel Council, even though America leads the tourist market, they are losing market share. 

The U.S. is amongst the slowest-growing nations in terms of tourism, growing at the rate of just 0.9%, with its visitor numbers declining by almost 5.5% against 2024. This, of course, caused a dent in their income, with their visitor spending falling by 4.6% to just $176 billion.

Old fashioned letter box

People were impressed by the idea. @AaronSpielman wrote, "Honestly, I'm surprised that they need more tourism - the aerial shots of the town and its coastline are stunningly beautiful." Meanwhile, @dutchdoggo commented, "I went to Susami a couple of years ago as a stop on a roadtrip me and my friends did. Being an avid diver, I went down and sent a letter to my parents!"

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