Looking around the world, most countries and ethnic groups have a culture of mourning the deceased. There is no culture of leaving the deceased as they are. It is clear that how to mourn the deceased is a very important issue for humanity. There are many religions in the world, and these religions can be divided into several lineages. Religions that originated in the Middle East, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, believe that the dead will be resurrected through judgment, and have mourned based on the ethical view that "burial as is" is the correct way to mourn. Meanwhile, religions that originated in India, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, believe that the soul is subject to reincarnation, and that the body is merely a vessel, and have therefore practiced "cremation and scattering of ashes." Without exception, nations have skillfully utilized religion to form their nations and unify the consciousness of their people.

However, the world's population is currently exploding. According to the United Nations, the world's population in 1800 was approximately 900 million. The world population was 1.65 billion in 1900, 6.14 billion in 2000, and 7.82 billion in 2020. Contributing factors to the population explosion include increased crop productivity due to technological innovation, reduced mortality rates due to advances in medical care, and high birth rates in developing countries. Economic poverty and population growth are linked, as many poor families in developing countries experiencing population growth need to have more children to secure a labor force. Countries such as India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Egypt, the Philippines, and Tanzania are expected to experience significant population growth by 2050. According to the United Nations, the world's total population is expected to reach approximately 9.7 billion in 2050 and approximately 10.9 billion by 2100.

Today, countries around the world are facing the problem of a lack of land to bury their dead. In some countries, rising land prices have raised questions around the world, such as, "Are graves really necessary?" "If we purchase a grave, our financial situation will become so severe that we will no longer be able to live the way we did before." "Should we simply continue the traditional rituals?" "Isn't this the time to reconsider our values?" As a result, funeral practices and cemetery management are undergoing major changes in many countries. Some countries are demolishing old cemeteries to create land for the living.

In Singapore, the government is forcibly removing ancestral graves and building ossuaries to house urns containing the ashes of deceased loved ones. Cemeteries in the country are limited to 15 years of use; after that, the bodies buried there are cremated and the vacant land is used for another burial. In Norway, cemeteries must be re-used every 20 years, leading to the construction of a 32-story cemetery building. Some companies inject lime and other materials into the coffin from above ground to expedite the process of returning the body to the earth. Research is even being conducted into "composting burials," in which the remains are composted directly. Cemeteries occupying land in densely populated areas for decades or even centuries without changing their use impedes urban development and hinders the country's growth.

In fact, urban land issues like these are one of the reasons cremation became widespread in Japan from an early stage. Japan's large plains are concentrated in the Kanto and Kansai regions. As a result, these areas were already heavily populated during the Edo period. From this perspective, the Japanese government promoted cremation. The problem with burial is the long time it takes for the body to decompose and be disposed of. Until the body is disposed of, it has a negative impact on the surrounding area, causing not only soil contamination and odor problems, but also the emergence of pathogens and bacteria, which contribute to the spread of disease. Burying a body has a significant impact on the surrounding area. In particular, the increase in cremation, even in countries where burial is preferred for religious reasons such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, is likely due to some kind of government policy.

As a global trend, developed countries are steadily moving toward cremation and scattering of ashes. In an increasingly globalized world, cremation and scattering of ashes will likely become commonplace in the near future. The world is currently undergoing major changes. Just like the Meiji Restoration, we should be aware that we are at a turning point where global common sense will undergo major changes.

"Forest scattering" is a natural burial where the remains are returned to nature. It is similar to "tree burial," which involves burial at the base of a tree, but is slightly different. While "tree burial" involves digging a hole in the ground and burying the remains in an urn, "forest scattering" involves grinding the remains into a fine powder beforehand and scattering them in the mountains. The remains are not buried underground, but rather scattered over the ground like the "Grandpa Who Made Flowers Bloom." In the wild, grass grows and bare ground is rarely found, so the white remains are not left in one place. The powdered remains gradually return to the soil as they are exposed to wind and rain. Furthermore, while in a typical "tree burial," the remains are exhumed and interred after a certain number of years, in the case of "forest scattering," the remains cannot be manually retrieved, so they rest there forever. Japan has a long tradition of "mountain worship," which views the entire mountain as a sacred object. ・・・

"Ocean scattering" is a funeral method that has become popular not only in Japan but around the world. Scattering ashes into rivers is not permitted in Japan, so this method seems to be gaining popularity. It is particularly popular as a way to say goodbye to a deceased loved one, and services such as chartering a motorboat or cruiser to scatter ashes offshore are popular. However, the drawbacks of this method include the fact that the ocean is easily affected by weather, which can suddenly result in a cancellation on the scheduled date, and the relatively high cost of chartering a boat. Our company, SANKOTSUYAMA, offers an "Ocean Scattering Plan," which uses our small boat, eliminating the additional cost of chartering a boat. All costs are included in the price. Furthermore, "ocean scattering" does not necessarily require the services of a specialized scattering company. Individuals are not prohibited from scattering powdered ashes into the sea. However, scattering ashes is prohibited near fishing ・・・