Synopsis

Increasingly, modern communication favors text messages, social media, and email. Nevertheless, a persistent stream of people still find their way to the Shinjuku Post Office, a vast institution in Tokyo that operates around the clock. They arrive with items that must be sent by mail – perhaps a cherished gift for a loved one residing far away, a postmark required for an application, or a last-minute résumé submission. We wait in line, observing not just the transaction itself, but the underlyin