A Letter for 24 Who Never Won — Window 1 Offers Them a Special Viewing
The letters went out to people who have never once seen the window. This paper learned on the 1st that the TDA's Dimensional Survey Division, in letters dated the 31st, sent a special alternative-viewing invitation to 24 people who have applied more than 100 times for Window 1's general lottery without ever winning — a contrast to the previously reported Emiko Tadano, 58, who finally won on her 104th attempt. The 24 are, in the division's words, still 'on the losing side.'
The letters went out to people who have never once seen the window. This paper learned on the 1st that the TDA's Dimensional Survey Division, in letters dated the 31st, sent a special alternative-viewing invitation to 24 people who have applied more than 100 times for Window 1's general lottery without ever winning. Window 1's general viewing runs on an 80-person daily lottery with odds routinely exceeding 20 to 1, as previously reported. An official said, "We wanted a way to reach them without using the word 'loser.' We wanted it to read as, 'your turn has come.'" The invitation offers priority slots, through next January, in a small special viewing program (up to five people per session) held on weekdays, separate from the regular lottery, which the 24 can still continue to enter as before.
One of the 24, Kikuno Fukuzumi, 72, of the East Ward, has applied continuously since Window 1 began service in the summer of 2024 — 127 times so far. "I keep count, but every time I count, I sigh, so honestly I'd rather not," she laughed. On the evening of the 31st, when the letter arrived, she almost set it aside unopened, assuming it was pension paperwork. "When I opened it and saw the Dimensional Survey Division's seal, I honestly braced myself for some kind of confirmation form. It wasn't until I read further that I realized the notice was actually for me."
As previously reported, Emiko Tadano, 58, applied continuously from May 2024 and finally won on her 104th attempt on September 16th, later visiting the Lit Window Café on its opening day and saying, "It's still nice, even now that I've won, that a place exists for people who lost." The 24 people reached this time have applied as many times as Tadano did, or more, without yet winning. A division official explained, "That some people like Tadano win while others with the same number of entries don't is unavoidable in a lottery. That's exactly why we wanted to create another way to bring them closer to the window."
The special viewing sessions will reportedly differ somewhat from the standard tour, offering a smaller group a more detailed explanation from window-room staff of how the open/close forecasts work and the mechanics of what can be seen — though an opening is not guaranteed, and a session could still land on a closed day. Fukuzumi said, "Even so, if a long wait means I finally get a proper explanation, that's enough for me." Another recipient, a 69-year-old man in Fukagawa, commented, "Honestly, I'd been thinking about giving up on applying. I'm glad I didn't."
The division says the measure will not affect the number of lottery winners, to preserve its fairness, though some within the agency reportedly debated whether using entry count as a criterion might create a different kind of unfairness. "We haven't reached a conclusion, but for now we prioritized getting the letters out to the 24," an official said. The special sessions are expected to run through the end of January, and the division says, "We'll keep sending invitations until everyone has had the chance to stand in front of the window."
