As Japanese people, most people probably think that cremation is the natural course of action when someone dies. In fact, Japan's cremation rate is 99.9%, making it the world's leading cremation country. However, this is common knowledge only in Japan, and from a global perspective, Japan is quite rare. Burial was once common in Japan, but before we knew it, Japan had become・・・

There is currently a shortage of crematoriums in Japan. Even if you try to make a reservation for cremation, you are often forced to wait as long as 12 days. Dry ice costs a lot, and it costs money to store the body in a refrigerator specifically for the body, as well as to transport it to a crematorium far away. The financial burden is a heavy one. Furthermore, statistics predict that by 2040, the number of annual ・・・

There is also concern that a declining population could put temple management at risk. Fewer parishioners mean fewer funerals and memorial services, and therefore fewer offerings. There is also a growing trend for people who live in cities to close their rural graves and move them to the city. This leads to the disappearance of rural temples, leading to the loss of family temples. Graves will no longer be maintained, and they will fall into further disrepair. Family temples used to be the center of settlements, so their ・・・

Graves that are abandoned because there is no one to take over are called "unclaimed graves," and these problems are occurring even in public cemeteries. A survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications revealed that although there are abandoned "unclaimed graves" in public cemeteries across the country, there is little progress in sorting them, and local governments are struggling to deal with these issues. According to a survey conducted by the Administrative Evaluation ・・・

Funeral home bankruptcies are occurring one after another across the country. The reality is that local funeral homes are going bust across the board. The proportion of elderly people in the total population has been steadily increasing since 1950 (4.9%), reaching 10% in 1985, exceeding 20% ​​in 2005, and reaching a record high of 29.1% in 2023. According to vital statistics, the population aged 65 ・・・

While some cemeteries are popular, others are experiencing a surprising lack of user growth. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of people choosing to offer perpetual memorial services and not build a grave. Perpetual memorial services offer the benefit to consumers of not having to pay annual maintenance fees like regular graves. However, just like ordinary companies, cemeteries and ossuaries ・・・

A columbarium is a facility with an indoor space for storing cremated remains. Attitudes toward graves have been changing in recent years, leading to an increase in the number of people using them. They are often built in locations with good transportation access, allowing visitors to pray regardless of the weather. A columbarium is like a "rental apartment for cremated remains." Just as ・・・

The practice of confining remains in dark concrete holes rather than returning them to the earth is one problem with modern graves. Modern graves are designed to ensure that they never return to the earth. Placing a ceramic urn containing ashes in a concrete ossuary (columbarium) means that the bones retain their shape even after 100 years. When bodies are interred・・・

In recent years, new methods of memorial service have emerged, such as tree burials and scattering of ashes. While the word "kuyo" originally comes from Buddhism, in Japan it is often understood as simply offering prayers for the deceased. However, the form of memorial service commonly practiced in Japan today is a combination of cultural and religious elements. The idea that visiting graves during Obon or Higan (the Japanese equinox) to feel the presence of the deceased is a concept embodied in animism, Buddhism・・・

Just as the Japanese Imperial Family preserves blood, Japan is a country that places great importance on "bloodline." It adopts the "bilateral descent principle," granting Japanese citizenship to newly born children. One custom that remains in Okinawa is "munchu," which refers to a family connected by paternal bloodline. Only those with a common lineage can join a munchu, continuing the bloodline. ・・・

There is only one person in the world who is called an "emperor." That person is the Emperor of Japan. In the international community, only the Emperor is considered "emperor," a title superior to "king." While there are currently kings in the world, there is no other emperor. There are widespread beliefs around the world, such as, "Because the Emperor is an emperor, he is superior to the King ・・・

The number of people dying alone is on the rise. Society has largely viewed lonely deaths as something that "must be prevented," and those who die alone are spoken of as "poor, unfortunate people." But is this really the case? Data shows that approximately 30,000 lonely deaths occur annually among people aged 65 and over living alone. In fact, even if a pet was present, this is still ・・・

Even with ancestral graves, an increasing number of families are unable to visit them due to distance or the elderly caretaker. "Eitai Kuyo" (perpetual memorial service) is a service in which temples and cemeteries manage and offer memorial services for the remains on behalf of surviving family members. A standard grave must be closed when there is no one to take over the grave.・・・

Eternal memorial services involve cemeteries, temples, and other institutions managing and maintaining the remains on behalf of surviving family members and descendants. Leaving the management and maintenance of remains entirely to the cemetery or temple reduces the hassle. While traditionally used as a memorial service for those without relatives or heirs, an increasing number of people ・・・

Cemeteries and graveyards, whether public or private, each have their own management regulations. Generally, they allow the interment of ashes of relatives within the sixth degree of kinship from the owner. Six degrees of kinship broadly encompasses cousins ​​and great-grandchildren. Japan once had a system in which the eldest son inherited the family estate. This system was based on the idea that the eldest son inherited everything. Article 970, Paragraph 2 of the former Civil Code stipulated that if ・・・

Many cemeteries do not allow humans and pets to be buried in the same grave. This is not the case for all cemeteries, but why do pets and humans not share the same grave? What are the reasons? What should you do if you want to be buried in the same grave as your pet? For pet owners, after the death of a pet who has lived with you as a family member, it is natural to want to bury them ・・・

While burial is not prohibited by law in Japan, it does require special permission. Article 5 of the "Cemeteries, Burials, etc. Act" states, "Permission from the mayor of the city, town, or village must be obtained as prescribed by Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare Ordinance." Therefore, to conduct a burial in Japan today, a "burial permit" must be obtained from the mayor of the city, town, or village. ・・・

Embalming is a procedure used to preserve or restore a body for long periods of time. While a body naturally decays over time, embalming can slow the process. Therefore, embalming can preserve the body's condition when cremation is expected to take place during the humid rainy season or hot summer months. While it is not common in Japan, where cremation is the norm, in the United States, where burials account for approximately half of all burials, it is performed in over 90% of cases. Embalming ・・・

Amid concerns about environmental pollution, a cutting-edge burial method that is neither interment nor cremation is gaining attention. It has already been introduced in some parts of the world, and its future promises are promising. Liquid Cremation, also known as "eco-cremation," uses an alkaline liquid to dissolve the body. This process is called "alkaline hydrolysis." While it's called ・・・

Did you know that the human body is a treasure trove of resources? In cutting-edge medical fields, human body recycling is being considered. Admittedly, due to ethical concerns, society has not necessarily accepted the direct linking of recycled human bodies to industry. However, it appears that human body recycling is suddenly being considered as a means of regenerative medicine, ・・・

Bones are made up of components such as mucopolysaccharide proteins, calcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, and calcium carbonate. Mucopolysaccharide proteins are a complex of water-retaining, sticky sugar chains that connect the approximately 60 trillion cells that make up the human body. Cremation evaporates these components. Therefore, cremated remains consist ・・・

DNA (the DNA found in the nuclei of cells) is heat-sensitive and completely destroyed at temperatures of over one thousand degrees Celsius, making it impossible to extract DNA from cremated remains. Even if cremated remains were left in a public location, police would be unable to identify the body. So, is it possible to extract DNA from human bones before they are cremated? ・・・